Historic Yarmouth

Yarmouth's history goes back at least 900 years. Much of the town wall and some of its towers, built between 1261 and 1400, are among the best preserved in England. The North West Tower at North Quay houses an exhibition on the great sailing vessels of The Broads – the trading wherries and the men who crewed them. It is open throughout July, August and September (tel: 01493 332095).

Numerous narrow alleyways known as Rows ran like the rungs of a ladder between the seashore and the River Yare, which bisects the town. Many Row houses crumbled under World War bombing. Two 17th century homes typical of the Row houses are open to visitors daily from 1 April to 1 October 1000-1700 (closed 1300-1400), tel: 01493-857900. One is The Old Merchant's House, showing how people lived in the 1870s, and the other, Row 111, presents a later period. Both are in South Quay.

Also at South Quay is the Elizabethan House, owned by the National Trust and managed by Norfolk Museum Service. Lives of families living in this Georgian-fronted house, built in 1596, represent different periods. The Conspiracy Room may (or may not) be the scene of the plotting of King Charles I's execution.

Several museums relate the history of Great Yarmouth and its environs. For information write to Great Yarmouth Museums Office, Central Library, Tolhouse Street, Great Yarmouth, NR30 25H; or tel (Monday-Friday 0900-1700) 01493-745526, Saturday and Sunday 01493-855746 (Elizabethan House); 01493 842267 (Maritime Museum); 01493 858900 (Tolhouse Museum).

The Tolhouse Museum, dating from the 13th century, is one of the oldest civic buildings in the country. Once the town's courtroom and jail, it illustrates aspects of local history, including the dungeons in which Victorian figures can be seen lurking in their cells. Brass rubbings of knights and ladies can be made.