Overstrand today is a small village (population 1,101 - 2001 census) on the north coast of Norfolk in England, situated less than two miles eastwards along the coast from Cromer.
As with much of the Norfolk coast, erosion was and continues to be a major problem. At the east end of the Overstrand beach there is an experimental site, of which sea defences include; riprap at £1,300 a boulder (shipped from Norway), a revetment and wooden groynes. Trees were replanted on the slumped cliff, but these were stolen and nothing has been done to replace them since. The soft boulder clay cliffs slump because they are saturated by water running through the clay and the resulting deposits on the beach are simply removed by the high tides.
....and so the process continues as it has over the centuries.
In the later part of the 19th century right up to the 1930's Overstrand was the most fashionable place to be, at least in the summer, and if one could not afford a home here, the next best thing (as is still the case) was to know someone who did.
The renting of the many apartments and cottages and the swell of guests at one of the number of hotels, brought a good deal of prosperity to the very thriving village. The rich and famous and those who aspired to be, came to Overstrand for the season. Dr Dent, whose practice between 1889 until he retired in 1913, covered Sheringham to Mundesley and beyond, tells us in his diaries, of the aristocracy, actors and actresses, authors and poets, politicians, captains of industry etc; whom he knew as patients. These are far too numerous to be included here but his diaries are highly recommended to anyone interested in Overstrand and Cromer in the 1900's.
It is difficult to imagine now what a high class resort it once was. A Court Circular of 1903 described it as "a watering place which, though small as regards its dimensions, is vastly popular with a wide selection of distinctly superior people". This golden age for Overstrand was to last from the late 1880's through to the first world war.
But, of course, the residents of Overstrand continue to be distinctly superior.
A 360 degree panorama of the Overstrand Beach (southern end) filmed by the BBC in July 2008 and streamed to you in a compact, high quality MP4-Flash format.
This will require Flash Player 10 or better to enjoy and you will receive an upgrade prompt if required.
You can use the pause/play control to halt the panorama and restart if you wish.