Heritage and arts

Since medieval times, Great Yarmouth has been surrounded by one of the most complete town walls in England. Eleven of the original towers - built between 1261 and 1400 - have survived. Our quaysides along the river Yare showcase fantastic examples of historic merchant houses, while the seafront offers one of the best collections of Edwardian entertainment architecture in the country.

To help us maintain and deliver heritage, arts and tourism schemes, the Council issues the following grants to local organisations:

• St Georges Trust: £25,000 in 2020-21 to provide artistic performances, including community engagement through the Community Cafe, on the stage at the theatre and where possible with partners. 
• SeaChange Arts: £58,500 in 2020-21 to provide artistic performances, delivering against their Service Level Agreement objectives, delivering the Out There Festival and reprogramming to alternative events/activities where possible should the festival not be possible. 

Great Yarmouth's outstanding culture and heritage mean that it is a future ambition for the town to become a key cultural destination. Visit the heritage pages of the Visit Great Yarmouth tourism website for more information (opens new window) or, to find out about some of the work that is carried out on our historic environment, visit the website of the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (opens new window).

Great Yarmouth has a variety of arts and heritage attractions to discover and explore: 

• Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life (opens new window)
• Elizabethan House Museum (opens new window)
• St George's Theatre (opens new window)
• Gorleston Pavilion Theatre (opens new window)
• Britannia Pier Theatre (opens new window)
• Tolhouse Gaol Museum (opens new window)
• The Hippodrome (opens new window)
• Skippings Art Gallery (opens new window)
• Yare Gallery

See Visit Great Yarmouth's tourism website (opens new window) for information on museums, and for a list of what's on.

Great Yarmouth hosts a number of exciting annual festivals and events:

• The Great Yarmouth Wheels Festival (opens new window) is a celebration of things with wheels and takes place on the seafront.
• The Out There Festival (opens new window) is organised by Out There Arts (opens new window) and celebrates international performance arts and circus.
• The Great Yarmouth Arts Festival (opens new window) showcases cultural activities, performances and collaborations.

More information on festivals and outdoor events can be found on the following websites:

• Visit Great Yarmouth (opens new window) 
• Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership (opens new window)

You can go on guided walks (opens new window) from Easter to October, or attend a heritage open day event (opens new window) in September to see buildings that are not usually open to the public. Great Yarmouth has several museums and heritage sites (opens new window) you can visit.

See our Conservation areas information for details of where our protected areas of natural beauty are located - this includes an interactive map and individual maps of all 19 conservation areas.

Visit the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust website (opens new window) for news and opportunities related to local heritage sites.

Our team of dedicated heritage guides run a large number of walks usually from Easter to October. A full list of guided heritage walks (opens new window) is on the Visit Great Yarmouth tourism website. 

Great Yarmouth features a number of remarkable heritage sites, some of which are at risk and in need of repair and restoration. 

Venetian Waterways and Boating Lake

In partnership with the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, Great Yarmouth Borough Council was awarded £1.7m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) for the restoration and enhancement of the unique Grade II listed park dating back to 1926-28. The scheme reinstated the beautiful and vibrant planting that originally existed, reopened the Boating Lake and provides a variety of training opportunities and activities linked to horticulture and traditional building skills.

Work on the site took place between the summers of 2018 and 2019, with the site reopening on 20 August 2019. The Island Cafe, currently run by the Access Community Trust, includes the hire of pedalos and rowing boats on the lake. You can get involved in helping to look after this community park by visiting The Waterways website (opens new window). 

The Winter Gardens

Great Yarmouth Borough Council is working with a team of consultants to prepare a Stage 1 application to the NLHF in order to repair and conserve the remarkable glass and iron structure dating back to 1883. The Winter Gardens were originally erected in Torquay, but moved to Great Yarmouth in 1903. The Winter Gardens are currently listed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register. An outdoor exhibition around the Winter Gardens is available to view and showcases some of the town's historic tourism posters and photographs accompanied by a timeline of events. 

If you have any queries, or would like further details, please contact our Conservation team.

Culture, Heritage and Tourism Strategy: Our Place is Your Stage

Great Yarmouth's  Culture, Heritage and Tourism Strategy: Our Place is Your Stage (PDF) [3MB] (opens new window)  was collectively devised by the Great Yarmouth Culture and Tourism Board, and launched in August 2020. The Board is now working to develop and deliver ambitious projects and initiatives that expand and enrich the town's cultural and heritage offering for residents and visitors alike. As stated in the document: 'By 2030, we want the Borough of Great Yarmouth to be a place where culture and creativity are valued, where it enables wellbeing and economic prosperity, where visitors come all year round to enjoy our natural and built environment and engage with our rich and diverse culture'.

Great Places: Making Waves Together (2017-2020)

Making Waves Together, led by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and Waveney District Council (now part of East Suffolk Council), saw communities and groups in both areas work together to build cultural partnerships, engage new audiences and put arts, culture and heritage at the heart of the local vision.

This project formed part of the Great Place Scheme (opens new window), delivered by Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic England. Making Waves Together received additional funding from the following:

• Norfolk County Council
• Suffolk County Council
• Great Yarmouth Town Centre Partnership
• Lowestoft Vision
• Broads Authority National Park

Read more about Making Waves Together (opens new window). You can also follow Making Waves Together via @wavestogether (opens new window).

For more information, please contact Darren Barker, Culture, Design and Heritage Manager.

Excellent advice on caring for older homes can be found on the Historic England website (opens new window).

Historic England also provides comprehensive guidance on looking after listed properties which can be found in this Guide for Owners of Listed Buildings (PDF) [3MB] .

For advice on listed buildings or Conservation Areas you can contact the Conservation Team.

Visit the Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust website (opens new window) to see how you can help.

The Waterways has a volunteers scheme to help in the important maintenance and continuation of the park. You can register your interest here (opens new window).