Cley next the Sea
| Cley next the Sea | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Cley next the Sea Location withinNorfolk | |
| Area | 8.63 km2(3.33 sq mi) |
| Population | 437 (parish, 2011 census)[1] |
| •Density | 51/km2(130/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TG045436 |
| •London | 129 mi (208 km) |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | HOLT |
| Postcode district | NR25 |
| Dialling code | 01263 |
| Police | Norfolk |
| Fire | Norfolk |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Cley next the Sea(/ˈkleɪ/,/ˈklaɪ/) is a village andcivil parishon theRiver GlaveninEnglishcounty ofNorfolk,4 mi (6 km) north-west ofHoltand east ofBlakeney.The mainA149coast road runs through the centre of the village, causing congestion in the summer months due to the tight, narrow streets. It lies within theNorfolk Coast AONB(Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and the North NorfolkHeritage Coast.
Cley is an Anglo-Saxon village near the sea with a rich history, including being a bustling port in England, where various goods were traded. The 18th-century Cley Windmill is a notable landmark, which was owned by James Blunt's family and has been featured in films and paintings. After the port silted up, Cley became a holiday resort. In 2011, the village had 437 residents in 358 households, and it falls within the North Norfolk constituency.
The village features St Margaret's Church, a Norman-era Grade I listed building. Cley Marshes, an internationally important bird reserve, has been managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust since 1926. The marshes, however, face challenges due to coastal erosion, storms, and rising sea levels caused by global warming, prompting concern for their future.
History
[edit]The village's name is ofAnglo-Saxonorigin and derives from theOld Englishterm for a settlement close to the sea with an abundance of clay.[3]
In theDomesday Book,Cley is recorded as a settlement of 38 households located in thehundredof Holt. The village formed parts of theEast Anglianestates ofKing William I.[4]
A ruined building on the marshes is known asBlakeney Chapel;despite its name, it is in Cley parish, and probably never had a religious purpose. It is aGrade II listed buildingandscheduled monumentwhich was likely an old iron smeltery.
Cley was once one of the busiest ports in England, where grain,malt,fish, spices, coal, cloth, barley and oats were exported or imported. The manyFlemish gablesin the town are a reminder of trade with theLow Countries.But despite its name, Cley has not been "next the sea" since the 17th century, due toland reclamation.Some of the buildings that once lined thequayremain, notably the 18th-centuryCley Windmill.Thewindmill,a five-storeytower mill,was owned by the family of singerJames Bluntfor many decades[5]and operated as abed and breakfast.The mill was sold in 2006, but continues to operate as a bed and breakfast on a non-profit making basis. It was used as a backdrop of the 1949 filmConspiratorwithElizabeth Taylor.Cley Mill has often been depicted by local artists and was the subject of a painting by the 20th-century English landscape artist,Rowland Hilder.
After the silting up of the port, Cley had to find another industry; in the late 19th century, it became a holiday resort. The poetRupert Brookewas staying in Cley with classics professorFrancis Macdonald Cornfordand his wife, the poetFrances Cornford,early in August 1914 when news came that Britain had entered what was to become theFirst World War.Brooke had dreamt about the war and woke to find it a reality. He did not speak to his hosts all day until Frances Cornford said, "But Rupert,youwon't have to fight? "to which Brooke replied," We shallallhave to fight ".[6]
Geography
[edit]In the2011 census,Cley was recorded as having a population of 437 residents living in 358 households.[7]
Cley falls within theconstituencyofNorth Norfolkand is represented atParliamentbyDuncan Bakerof theConservative Party.
Parish church
[edit]St Margaret's, Cley,is ofNormanorigin and is dedicated toSaint Margaret of Antioch.The greatnavewas completed in the 14th century with contributions from thede Vaux family.[8]The church isGrade I listed.
Cley Marshes
[edit]
The marshes around Cley are internationally important for their populations of rare breeding and visiting birds. Cley Marshes bird reserve has been in the care of theNorfolk Wildlife Trustsince 1926, making it the oldest county Wildlife Trust reserve in Britain.[9]Among resident breeding birds areavocet,bearded tit,bittern,marsh harrierandspoonbill.Winter visitors includebrent goose,Eurasian wigeon,pintailand many species ofwading birds.Cley, like neighbouringSalthouseis ideally situated at the apex of the North Norfolk coast as a staging ground for passage migrants, vagrants and rarities of all kinds. A new eco-friendly visitor centre opened in 2007 containing a café, shop, viewing areas (including viewing from a camera on the reserve), exhibition area, interpretation and toilets. The view from the visitor centre across the marsh to the sea is breathtaking. Cley Marshes is the home of the Bird Information Service, publishers ofBirding World. The shingle bank holds large numbers ofyellow horned poppy.
Sea defences
[edit]Thesaltandfresh water marshesused to be very well protected. However the cost of replenishing the shingle spit grew too much for the village to sustain. Once the repairing stopped, it became easier for waves to get through; in 1953 a large storm, measured at 5.12 m (16.8 ft) above ordnance datum (seeNorth Sea flood of 1953) hit theNorth Norfolkcoast and the shingle ridge was mostly destroyed. A further storm surge in 1978 measured 4.19 m (13.7 ft) above ordnance datum and the protection measures confined flooding to the marshes and A149 coast road. The North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan introduced by theEnvironment Agencyhas proposed a number of strategies in the light of continual erosion and predictedrising sea levelscaused byglobal warming:these includeAdvance the line,Hold the line,Managed retreatandDo nothing.Even after extensive public consultation there is widespread local concern that the marshes will be lost to the North Sea.
Notable residents and appearance in media
[edit]
William Jones was a merchant here in the 18th century. His daughter,Charlotte Jones,became a noted Royalminiature portraitpainter.[10]
James Bluntspent time, in his early years, at his grandfather's and later his father'swindmillin the village.[5]
Cley Old Hallwas used as a location in the 1982 filmThe Ploughman's Lunch.In July 1997 the BBC filmed one of itsBBC Oneballoon idents,which ran from 1997 to 2002, in the village.
War memorials
[edit]Cley's war memorials take the form of two carved stone tablets located inside St Margaret's Church. It lists the following names for theFirst World War:
- Second-Lieutenant Raven Cozens-Hardy (1886–1917), 4th Battalion,Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Sergeant Ernest W. E. Gibbs (1889–1916), 2nd Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Stoker-First Class Herbert W. Ellwood (1879–1918),H.M. Tug Desire
- Stoker-Second Class James G. Elvin (1900–1918),HMS Vivid
- Deckhand George W. Grimes (1894–1916),H.M. Trawler
- Gunner Charles A. Gidney (1894–1914),Royal Horse Artillery
- Mate James W. Grimes (1885–1916),HMS Invincible
- Private Herbert Holman (d.1918), 4th Battalion,Bedfordshire Regiment
- Private William E. Barnes (1893–1916),2nd (British Columbia Mounted Rifles) Battalion,Canadian Expeditionary Force
- Private John E. Barnes (1894–1916),18th (Western Ontario) Battalion,Canadian Expeditionary Force
- Private Ralph Barnes (1886–1915), 1st Battalion,Essex Regiment
- Private Frederick J. Bishop (d.1916), 10th Battalion, Essex Regiment
- Private Cecil J. Bolton (1897–1917), 1/5th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Private Cecil A. Gathercole (1898–1917), 9th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment
- Private Frederick W. Brett (1886–1916), 1/4th Battalion,Northumberland Fusiliers
- Private Albert G. Jeary (d.1916), 1st Battalion,Royal Warwickshire Regiment
- Private Robert W. E. Gibbs (1893–1917), 11th Battalion,East Yorkshire Regiment
- Private George H. Drinkwater (d.1917), 13th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment
- Robert Leeder
References
[edit]- ^"Parish population 2011".Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved1 September2015.
- ^"Cley Parish Council".www.cleyparishcouncil.org.uk.Retrieved19 April2018.
- ^University of Nottingham. (2022). Retrieved 12 December 2022.http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cley%20next%20to%20the%20Sea
- ^Domesday Book. (1086). Retrieved 12 December 2022.https://opendomesday.org/place/TG0443/cley-next-the-sea/
- ^ab"Norfolk – Entertainment – James Blunt interview".BBC. 18 May 2005.Retrieved26 March2013.
- ^Hollis, Matthew:Now All Roads Lead to France– The Last Years of Edward Thomas, Faber & Faber, London, 2011
- ^Office for National Statistics. (2011). Retrieved 12 December 2022.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/localarea?compare=E04006402
- ^Knott, S. (2022). Retrieved 12 December 2022.http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cley/cley.htm
- ^"Cley Marshes".Norfolk Wildlife Trust.Retrieved26 March2013.
- ^Annette Peach, 'Jones, Charlotte (1768–1847)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004accessed 17 Jan 2015
External links
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