52-665: Gorleston-on-Sea ( / ˈ ɡ ɔːr l s t ə n / ), historically and colloquially known as Gorleston , is a seaside town in the borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk , England. It lies to the south of Great Yarmouth , on the opposite side of the mouth of the River Yare . Historically in Suffolk , it was a port town at the time of the Domesday Book . It was incorporated into Great Yarmouth in 1836. Gorleston's port became
104-401: A charter of incorporation , constituting the area a municipal borough. The attempts to incorporate large industrial towns such as Birmingham , Bolton , Manchester and Sheffield by Whig and Radical "incorporationists" were bitterly contested by Tory "anti-incorporationists". The Tory objections to the legality of the charters led to them boycotting elections to the new boroughs until
156-453: A justice of the peace . The mayor was also required to serve as returning officer for parliamentary elections, except in those boroughs which were counties corporate , where the borough council appointed a sheriff whose duties included serving as returning officer. To fund their work the borough council was allowed to set and collect rates . Municipal boroughs were not automatically given powers to provide or maintain infrastructure under
208-469: A mayor , aldermen and councillors to oversee many local affairs. The legislation required all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise, based on property ownership. The Act reformed 178 boroughs with effect from 1 January 1836. At the same time, a procedure was established whereby the inhabitant householders of a town could petition the Crown via the privy council to grant
260-491: A centre of fishing for herring along with salt pans used for the production of salt to preserve the fish. In Edwardian times the fishing industry rapidly declined and the town's role changed to that of a seaside resort . The place-name 'Gorleston' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Gorlestuna . It appears as Gurlestona in the Pipe Rolls of 1130. The first element may be related to
312-412: A handful of cities the chief magistrate was granted the further dignity of lord mayor . The corporation was a body corporate with perpetual succession, and included all registered electors or "burgesses" of the borough. However, the actual administration was carried out by a town council, which was in effect a committee representative of the community at large. All those eligible to vote were entered in
364-513: A local authority in an unreformed state; the City undertook a major reform of its democratic structure in 2005. In 1873 the Association of Municipal Corporations was formed to represent the interests of the boroughs collectively; its membership included both county and non-county boroughs. The AMC was later to be a strong advocate for expanding county boroughs and unitary local government, and it
416-481: Is based at Great Yarmouth Town Hall on Hall Plain, which was completed in 1882 for the old borough council. The borough comprises the urban area of Great Yarmouth itself, together with 21 surrounding parishes. At the time of the 2001 census , the borough had an area of 182 km² , of which 26 km² was in the urban area and 156 km² in the surrounding parishes. The borough had a population of 90,810 in 39,380 households, with 47,288 people in 21,007 households living in
468-521: Is its sandy "Edwardian Beach." It has traditional seaside gardens and model boat pond . It also has a theatre opposite the pier called the Pavilion . The main shopping centre is on High Street. It has its own golf club. There is also the hospital and a library . There is a lighthouse , lifeboat station and coastwatch station on Riverside Road. In 2023 the beach was voted the best in Britain, and
520-457: Is named after its main town, Great Yarmouth , and also contains the town of Gorleston-on-Sea and a number of villages and rural areas, including part of The Broads . Other notable settlements include Caister-on-Sea , Hemsby , Hopton-on-Sea and Winterton-on-Sea . The borough is on the east coast of Norfolk, facing the North Sea . It borders North Norfolk to the north, Broadland to
572-824: The Freedom of the Borough of Great Yarmouth. 52°36′27″N 1°43′58″E / 52.60750°N 1.73278°E / 52.60750; 1.73278 Municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1836 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in Scotland from 1833 to 1975 with
SECTION 10
#1732773243552624-506: The Great Yarmouth constituency . The new district was named Great Yarmouth after its main settlement. The new district was granted borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Great Yarmouth's series of mayors dating back to 1703. Great Yarmouth Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Norfolk County Council . Parts of
676-527: The Local Government Act 1888 . Boroughs were divided into two sorts, with some becoming county boroughs which were entirely self-governing and independent from county council administration. The non-county boroughs had more limited powers of self-government, and shared power with county councils. In 1894, towns which had not been incorporated as boroughs became urban districts with similar powers to municipal boroughs. The title of "borough"
728-548: The Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of the former county borough and parts of another two districts, which were all abolished at the same time: The Lothingland parishes had been in East Suffolk prior to the 1974 reforms; their inclusion in the Great Yarmouth district was brought about as an amendment to the draft legislation at committee stage proposed by Anthony Fell , Member of Parliament for
780-694: The Parliamentary Boundaries Act 1832 . Great Yarmouth's municipal borough boundaries were adjusted to match the constituency from 1 January 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , since when Gorleston has been administered as part of Great Yarmouth. The borough of Great Yarmouth straddled Norfolk and Suffolk between 1668 and 1891, with the original town north of the Yare being in Norfolk and Gorleston south of
832-434: The "burgess roll", which was compiled by the town clerk annually. The town council of each municipal borough consisted of a mayor, aldermen, and councillors. The councillors were directly elected by the burgesses for a three-year term, with one-third of their membership retiring each year. Boroughs with a population of more than 6,000 were divided into wards with separate elections held in each ward annually. One-quarter of
884-871: The 12th best in Europe, by Tripadvisor reviewers. St Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, built in 1938–39, was Eric Gill 's only complete work of architecture. In the Great Storm of 1987 , Gorleston-on-Sea experienced the highest wind speed recorded in the UK on that day, which was 122 mph (196 km/h). The town is meticulously described in the novel Gorleston by Henry Sutton (Sceptre, 1995) and in Philip Leslie's novels The History of Us (Legend Press, 2009) and What Remains (December House, 2013). Both Sutton and Leslie employ
936-420: The 1835 Act had powers relating to electoral registration , providing a watch , making byelaws , and holding various civil and criminal courts. The types of courts which could be held depended on whether the borough had been given a separate commission of the peace or its own quarter sessions ; those which had their own quarter sessions were also required to appoint a coroner . The mayor was ex officio made
988-543: The 1835 Act. Many boroughs were covered by separate bodies of improvement commissioners responsible for matters such as paving, lighting and cleaning streets, supplying water and providing sewers. These improvement commissioners continued to exist alongside the borough councils unless the commissioners chose to transfer their powers to the council. From 1848 onwards local boards could also be established for providing infrastructure and overseeing public health. Where local board districts were created covering municipal boroughs
1040-458: The 1840 Act in 1926, allowing urban districts to petition the Governor for a charter of incorporation. Accordingly, by 1972 the number of boroughs had increased to 12 in number. The system of local government was reorganised in 1973, with 26 local government districts replacing all county and municipal boroughs as well as urban and rural districts . The city or borough status conferred by
1092-546: The English boroughs, and each borough was divided into wards with three, six or nine councillors per ward and one alderman for every three councillors. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 designated the six largest municipalities ( Belfast , Cork , Dublin , Limerick , Derry and Waterford ) as county boroughs. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced a system of proportional representation into municipal elections. Wards were replaced by electoral areas, and
SECTION 20
#17327732435521144-680: The European Union, the 5th highest such leave vote in the country. Although the UK Youth Parliament is an apolitical organisation, the elections are run in a way similar to that of the Local Elections. The votes come from 11 to 18-year olds and are combined to make the decision of the next, 2-year Member of Youth Parliament . The elections are run at different times across the country with Great Yarmouth's typically being in early Spring and bi-annually. The council
1196-486: The Yare being in Suffolk. The borough was placed entirely in Norfolk in 1891, although as a county borough Great Yarmouth provided its own county-level services, independent from Norfolk County Council . Gorleston continued to form a civil parish within the borough of Great Yarmouth until 1974, although as an urban parish it had no separate parish council. In 1951 the parish had a population of 24,984. On 1 April 1974
1248-459: The abolished boroughs were inherited by one of the new local authorities. District councils were permitted to apply for a charter to receive borough status , while small municipal boroughs became successor parishes with town councils headed by a town mayor. In a few cases charter trustees , a special committee of district councillors, were formed to perpetuate the mayoralty of a town or city. The Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 followed
1300-487: The actual names of roads and retail outlets in their work. Gorleston-on-Sea's Pier Hotel and beach feature as a key location in Danny Boyle 's 2019 film Yesterday . Gorleston was an ancient parish in Suffolk. Southtown was brought within Great Yarmouth's borough boundaries in 1668, whilst remaining part of the parish of Gorleston. The rest of the parish was added to the constituency of Great Yarmouth in 1832 under
1352-572: The borough are also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. In the parts of the district within The Broads, town planning is the responsibility of the Broads Authority . The borough council appoints one of its councillors to sit on that authority. The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election , being run by a Conservative minority administration. The first election to
1404-482: The borough council as reformed under the Local Government Act 1972 was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Great Yarmouth. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of
1456-404: The borough council was often, but not always, appointed to serve as the local board. In some places it was deemed necessary for the local board district to cover a larger or smaller territory than the borough, in which case a separate local board was elected. The overlapping functions of borough councils, improvement commissioners and local boards were gradually consolidated. Many boroughs took over
1508-479: The borough was elected for a one-year term, although he was eligible for re-election indefinitely. Under the original legislation the mayor was required to be a councillor or alderman. The Municipal Corporations Act 1882 empowered the council to elect any suitably qualified inhabitant of the borough as mayor. However, the mayoralty continued to be almost universally conferred on a senior alderman or councillor. Municipal elections were originally held on 1 November, with
1560-540: The civil parish was abolished. There are a number of primary schools in the area serving Gorleston and the wider locality. Secondary schools include Cliff Park Ormiston Academy , Lynn Grove Academy and Ormiston Venture Academy . East Norfolk Sixth Form College is located in Gorleston. It is a major sixth form provider in Norfolk, attracting students from a wide area. The East Anglian School for Deaf and Blind Children (for deaf children and for blind children)
1612-454: The control of the lord of the manor . A Royal commission was appointed in 1833 to investigate the various borough corporations in England and Wales. In all 263 towns were found to have some form of corporation created by charter or in existence by prescription . The majority had self-elected common councils, whose members served for life. Where there was an election, the incumbent members of
Gorleston-on-Sea - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-457: The corporation often effectively nominated the electorate. Eleven boroughs were manorial court leets . Following the report of the royal commission, legislation was introduced to reform borough corporations. The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 provided for a reformed form of town government, designated a municipal borough. The Act introduced a uniform system of town government in municipal boroughs, with an elected town council , consisting of
1716-462: The council . The leaders since 1999 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2004 the council has comprised 39 councillors representing 17 wards , with each ward election one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. In the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum , 71.5% of Great Yarmouth voted to leave
1768-403: The council were aldermen , who were elected by the council for a six-year term. Half of the aldermen were elected every third year at the council's annual meeting. It was originally envisaged that the council would choose persons from outside of the municipal body. In practice, however, the aldermanic benches were almost exclusively filled by the promotion of long-serving councillors. The mayor of
1820-495: The enactment of the Borough Charters Confirmation Act 1842 . A number of further acts of parliament amended the 1835 legislation. All of these were repealed and replaced by the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 . The 1882 Act and the consolidating Local Government Act 1933 provided the statutory basis for municipal boroughs up to their abolition. An important change in the 1933 legislation removed
1872-483: The entire council was to be elected triennially. Separate elections of aldermen and councillors were ended, with all members of the council elected by popular vote. One-quarter of the elected members were entitled to the title of "alderman", which was used to designate the first candidates elected in each area. The remaining successful candidates being "councillors". Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , Ireland
1924-600: The example of the legislation in England and Wales. Unlike the 1835 Act, the Irish Act abolished nearly all of the country's boroughs, reforming just 10. Inhabitants of the larger of the abolished boroughs or of any town with a population of 3,000 could petition the crown for incorporation under the Act. In the event, only one additional borough was created when Wexford received a charter of incorporation in 1846. The corporation and town council were identical in their constitution to
1976-689: The functions of commissioners or separate local boards under the Public Health Act 1872, which established urban sanitary districts , with borough councils usually being designated as the urban sanitary authority. There were a handful of exceptions where commissioners and local boards continued to operate alongside borough councils until the Local Government Act 1888 required the remaining anomalies to be addressed; from 1889 all borough councils were sanitary authorities with powers to provide infrastructure and oversee public health. In 1889, county councils were created across England and Wales under
2028-654: The mayoral election and filling of aldermanic vacancies on 9 November. Elections were cancelled during the First and Second World Wars , and the November 1948 elections were postponed until May 1949. From that date, municipal elections were held on the second Thursday of May. In view of the forthcoming local government reorganisation, the 1972 elections were rescheduled to 4 May, with no elections in 1973 and all sitting councillors and aldermen holding their seats until midnight on 31 March 1974. The municipal boroughs created under
2080-560: The municipal charters passed to the new district councils. Nine boroughs (four county boroughs and five municipal boroughs) were within the territory of the Irish Free State in 1922. Two new boroughs were created by statute. In 1930, the borough of Dún Laoghaire was created by the amalgamation of the four urban districts of Blackrock , Dalkey , Kingstown , and Killiney and Ballybrack in County Dublin . This borough
2132-599: The northern tip of the parish an area known as Southtown (also known as South Town or Little Yarmouth) grew as a suburb to Great Yarmouth, facing it across the Yare. Gorleston Barracks were established in 1853. There were to be three railway stations in the town on the Yarmouth-Lowestoft Line . The stations on the line were Gorleston-on-Sea , Gorleston North and Gorleston Links which all closed between 1942 and 1970. The closest railway stations are now Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth . Its main attraction
Gorleston-on-Sea - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-523: The powers of a parish council . Seven small boroughs in Cornwall, Devon and Shropshire underwent this process. The remaining municipal boroughs, of which there were over 200, were abolished on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 . In England, they were replaced by metropolitan or non-metropolitan districts and in Wales by districts . In most cases, the civic privileges and coat of arms of
2236-403: The reform of royal burghs and creation of police burghs . Boroughs had existed in England and Wales since medieval times. By the late Middle Ages they had come under royal control, with corporations established by royal charter . These corporations were not popularly elected: characteristically they were self-selecting oligarchies , were nominated by tradesmen's guilds or were under
2288-571: The right to petition for incorporation from inhabitant householders. In future, petitions could only be made by existing urban or rural district councils. The boroughs unreformed by the Act were not immediately abolished. Several of them subsequently sought new charters as municipal boroughs; those that did not were finally abolished in 1887 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1886. Only the City of London Corporation survived as
2340-526: The urban area, whilst 43,522 people in 18,373 households lived in the surrounding parishes. Besides Great Yarmouth itself, other significant settlements in the borough include: The main part of Great Yarmouth itself, roughly corresponding to the pre-1974 borough (and so including Gorleston) is an unparished area . The remainder of the district comprises the following civil parishes : † formerly part of Lothingland Rural District The following people, military units and organisations and groups have received
2392-462: The west, South Norfolk to the south-west, and East Suffolk to the south. The town of Great Yarmouth was an ancient borough , having been granted a charter in 1208. The borough was enlarged in 1668 to take in the Southtown area (also known as Little Yarmouth) on the south side of the River Yare in the parish of Gorleston. In 1703 the borough was given the right to appoint a mayor. The borough
2444-685: The word 'girl', and is probably a personal name. The name could mean "girls' town or settlement", or a variant thereof, similar to Girlington in West Yorkshire . Historically the town was in the county of Suffolk . In the Middle Ages it had two manors, and a small manor called Bacons. The medieval church of St. Andrew stands in the town and by historical association gives its name to the Gorleston Psalter , an important example of 14th century East Anglian illuminated art . At
2496-559: Was partitioned in 1921, between Northern Ireland , which would remain in the United Kingdom, and the remainder, which left the United Kingdom in 1922 as the Irish Free State . On establishment, Northern Ireland contained the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, with no municipal boroughs. The Parliament of Northern Ireland abolished proportional representation in local government elections in 1922, and amended
2548-634: Was at the annual conference of the AMC in 1965 that Richard Crossman called for a reform of all local government. This speech eventually led to the Redcliffe-Maud Report recommending large unitary councils for all England. Each municipal borough possessed a corporation uniformly designated as the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the town. The only exception was where the borough enjoyed city status ; in this case "burgesses" became "citizens". In
2600-499: Was considered to be more dignified than "urban district", and so many larger urban districts petitioned to be granted the status of a municipal borough, and many were granted this right. Borough status did not substantially increase local government powers, although municipal boroughs above a certain size had the right to run primary education . Under the Local Government Act 1958 , small municipal boroughs could be absorbed by surrounding rural districts to become rural boroughs , with
2652-529: Was established in Gorleston in 1912 and based there until it closed in 1985. During the Second World War the school was evacuated to Aberpergwm House in Glynneath , Wales. The headmaster's house in Gorleston was severely damaged by bombing in 1941. Borough of Great Yarmouth The Borough of Great Yarmouth is a local government district with borough status in Norfolk , England. It
SECTION 50
#17327732435522704-408: Was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836, when it was also enlarged to include the rest of the parish of Gorleston. When elected county councils were created in 1889, Great Yarmouth was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services and so it became a county borough , independent from the new Norfolk County Council . The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under
#551448