Overstrand

Overstrand is a village (population 1,030) on the north coast of Norfolk in England, two miles east of Cromer. It was once a modest fishing station, with all or part of the fishing station being known as Beck Hythe. In the latter part of the 19th century it was catapulted into prominence, and became known as “the village of millionaires”.

This article is about the village in Norfolk. For the aircraft, see Boulton Paul Overstrand. For the municipality in South Africa, see Overstrand Local Municipality.

Overstrand

The Village sign
Overstrand
Location within Norfolk
Area1.86 km2 (0.72 sq mi)
Population1,030 (parish, 2011 census)[1]
• Density554/km2 (1,430/sq mi)
OS grid referenceTG2441
• London137 miles
Civil parish
  • Overstrand
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCROMER
Postcode districtNR27
Dialling code01263
PoliceNorfolk
FireNorfolk
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

History
The Church of St Martin

The London journalist and travel writer Clement Scott came to Overstrand in 1883, christened the area ‘’Poppyland’’, and wrote about the church tower on the cliff edge and its “Garden of Sleep”. While in Overstrand he stayed at the Mill House with miller Alfred Jermy and his daughter Louie, who became “the Maid of the Mill” in his articles about ‘’Poppyland’’.

Scott had many London contacts in the theatrical world, and his writings led a number of them and others from London society to come to Overstrand. Some bought land in the village and had houses built there, and for a while the village was the place to visit. A large hotel was built on the cliff edge, though this slid into the sea in the 1950s.

The Edwardian architect Sir Edwin Lutyens worked at Overstrand, designing Overstrand Hall for Charles William Mills, 2nd Baron Hillingdon, The Pleasaunce for Cyril Flower, 1st Baron Battersea and the Methodist Church.[2] The large houses of the gentry have largely passed from private ownership to other uses.

Overstrand railway station was on the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway between Cromer and North Walsham. It is now closed.

The Overstrand biplane bomber was named after the village, having been made at the Boulton & Paul aircraft factory in Norwich in the early 1930s.[3]

Season 1, episode 2 of the BBC TV series "Screen Two" was called "Poppyland" (1985). Directed by John Madden, it took place in Overstrand and tells the story of Clement Scott in his travels there.

Coastal erosion

As with much of the Norfolk coast, erosion was and continues to be a major problem. Clifton Way is an experimental site; its sea defences include riprap (at £1,300 a boulder, predominantly shipped from Norway), wooden groynes, revetments, gabions and Offshore Reefs. The cliffs of soft boulder clay slump because of the water running through the clay, and the resulting material on the beach is removed by the succeeding high tides. In the neighbouring village of Sidestrand, the church was moved back from the cliff edge in the 19th century, though the tower of the church was left standing on the cliff top.

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References
  1. "Parish population 2011". Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. Pevsner Architectural Guides - Norfolk 1: Norwich and the North-East, pages 632-3
  3. "Boulton Paul". Local History. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  1. ^ Office for National Statistics & Norfolk County Council, 2001"Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes."

Further reading
  • Poppyland - Strands of Norfolk History, Stibbons and Cleveland, Pub: Poppyland Publishing, Fourth ed. 2001, ISBN 0-946148-56-2
  • Poppyland- in Pictures,
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