Fishermen's Heritage Centre Sheringham
Online Exhibitions
Click on the links below to see online exhibitions of items from our collection
About Us
The museum tells the story of the private (non -RNLI) Sheringham lifeboats, with information about the crews and the lives they led. The centrepiece is the preserved Henry Ramey Upcher lifeboat, built in 1894, in its original shed. Other exhibits are housed in restored Victorian longshore fishermen's sheds.
Admission Costs
Admission free, voluntary contributions welcome.
Opening Hours
Beginning of May to the end of September, Monday to Saturday, 12.00 noon to 4.00pm, Sunday 2.30 to 4.30 pm. Please note that the Centre is run entirely by volunteers and exceptionally the Centre may be closed if no volunteers are available. Also open during the school Easter holiday and Autumn half-term holiday, weather permitting. The Centre is in a very exposed position and is forced to close occasionally when weather conditions are very bad.
Address
The Slipway
West Cliff
Sheringham
Norfolk
Other Information
PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO SHERINGHAM
There is an hourly train service from Norwich and also the Heritage railway from Holt.
External Website: http://sheringhamsociety.com/
It is advisable to view this website for any latest news and it will also give you further information before your visit.
email: secretary@sheringham-preservation.org.uk.
Accessibility
ACCESSIBILITY FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS
The Fishermen's Heritage Centre is accessed through the original lifeboat shed and the top of the lifeboat slipway, which has been preserved as it was when in use and does not offer modern access facilities. The slipway consists of a ridged concrete slope (please note that the remaining tie points for boats may present a tripping hazard) and there is a slight step into the lifeboat shed which may present a problem to unaccompanied wheelchair users. Once inside, wheelchairs can access much of the Centre on the flat, although parts are not accessible because of narrow passage ways. Unfortunately the only way of viewing the inside of the lifeboat is from raised platforms approached by steps.
How to Find Us
There is a public pay and display car park in Morris Street, a short walk from the Centre.
Alternatively, a large car park near the North Norfolk Railway Station can be used.
Some Photos of Our Museum
The Henry Ramey Upcher lifeboat
Visitors' interpretation boards
Boat building tools
Comments
The 2009 Season is off to a flying start in both the Fishermen’s Heritage Centre and the Peter Coke Shell Art Gallery, which are housed in the historic Victorian long-shore Fishing Sheds on The Slipway, West Cliff, Sheringham. In the Fishermen’s Heritage Centre two expert conservators have painstakingly cleaned the huge sail which has hung over the Henry Ramey Upcher Lifeboat for many years. It was extremely dusty, dirty and extremely damp, but is now returned to its original colour and has taken on a new lease of life. The sailor’s sea chest has now been covered by a Perspex cover through which can be seen original items of the period, including shaving equipment. Quite a number of changes have taken place in the Peter Coke Gallery. The decision to change from charging an entrance fee to a box for donations is proving to be a success, and the number of visitors to the gallery has quadrupled. Since Peter Coke died last year and left us a further 80 art works, many changes have taken place in the Gallery to accommodate them, including the purchase of a number of plastic covers for some of the larger items. The garden in front of the Sheds has now been planted by Sheringham in Bloom. It has been partially paved to take seating, with a space available for wheel-chair users, and we now have two lovely garden seats. These have been donated by the families of two of our recently deceased members, who were both well known and loved. Some weeks ago the Society received through the post box at the Heritage Centre an anonymous gift of a very old photograph album containing many pictures of local fishermen and boats - most of whom are credited and many are dated. It is very likely that they will be made into a book to exhibit in the Heritage Centre, but whatever decision is made we are very grateful to the person or persons who made this most valuable donation. By the Fishermen’s Heritage CentreJo O'Donoghue Great Yarmouth Museums
Old photographs
I was interested to hear you have very old photos of fishermen and boats but before I come dashing across country to your museum, may I ask two things? Are the photos accessible to visitors and are they of the 19th century?V East Leeds
