Great Yarmouth - Used to be my favourite place to visit, BUT WHAT HAS HAPPENED, let's take a look.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- Like many coastal towns, Great Yarmouth, in Norfolk, has spent decades fighting deprivation. Issues such as high unemployment, below-average salaries and poor education attainment have passed through multiple generations, particularly since the 1980s when traditional seaside holidays started to decline.
GOOD POINTS: The Sea Front is looking good.
I've been to Yarmouth only once on a coach trip and I can remember the joke shop! And Vauxhall Holiday park, my mother's old boss used to take his family there every year (he was a boater!) and one day she brought a brochure back from work and we looked through. Was independently owned I think. Thanks for another great vid Neil.
Thank you 🙏
Brilliant to watch pal. We are in skegness shortly,, hope to see you around there,
Let me know and we can meet up for a chat 👍
I’m there too in July 😁👌🏻 been going every July every year for the last 25 or so years. Giving my daughter the same memories my nan gave me as a child that place holds a special place my heart
I’ve been to Great Yarmouth every other year since I was a small child, in the 70s and now I take my own family there every couple of years. I think it goes from strength to strength. Fantastic memories and still packed with things to do from the sea world, to the pleasure beach, the endless miles of golden sand and dunes, to the piers, and all the shops and little sea food stalls. Wednesday night fireworks, the new ‘Big Wheel’, mile after mile of interest. In some ways it’s lived in a time capsule while appearing thoroughly modern at the same time. I too remember seeing Cannon and Ball in the early 80s, almost got run over by Bobby Ball crossing the road. We have always stayed at the Seashore Haven resort, and that is a part of the experience in itself. If there were ever a seaside resort in the U.K. everyone should visit its Great Yarmouth. It’s a shame the wax works fell into disrepute, that did become somewhat of a joke, it needed to close. Beautiful place, thanks for the upload.
Thank you for these lovely comments, like you I spent most of my family holidays in Great Yarmouth, we couldn’t wait to get there every year, my mum and dad saved all year to go back to Yarmouth, so I find it so sad to see the town centre in such a poor state, this can not be blamed on the time of year I was there filming like I have been told.
But the seafront looks still amazing, love it down there, like you say there is so much to do, I think I will return in the middle of the summer and film the difference when people are on the beach and having a great time 👍
Once’s again thank you for your great comments.
NeilR 🙏👍😎
@@deedee-tc4fh I think they needed to invest in it, having Charles and Diana there long after she dies, let alone after the divorced, and a lot of others that didn’t stand the test of time really, but that is my only criticism, aside from that, lovely memories. I hated the chamber of horrors, retook scary when I was a kid, especially the guy with arrows through his eye.
Been to Great Yarmouth had holidays in the past remember the wax works staying at vaxhall caravan park with my mum and dad brother holiday . Seen him Davison at Britainna pier royal threater Micheal Barry more . Had coach trips for a day there my dad drive a coach there years ago . Market was there at the tower years ago not there no more ashame love Great Yarmouth even today . Enjoyed the video thank you Neil .
Love your videos and honest opinion keep the videos coming 👍
21:56 Winter gardens😢 I arranged my school PE class to do roller skating exams there every week! Better than netball! Friday night was a fantastic disco roller night. Cold walk back down the seafront, skates hanging over shoulders to Market Gates buses! But, worth it!
Just a few words about great Yarmouth. Brilliant. Fantastic. And the best caravan park is!!! Seashore holiday park. Outstanding. We was there last year and making a come back this year in September. Love great Yarmouth
Great positivity 😊👍 do they still have Ron Darby there singing?
@@aprilblossom9268 I really don't know. As we never go into the club I've stopped drinking many years ago
Okiedokie thanking you - well done you x
FANTASTIC BONGO BEN
7:24 I do miss Mrs. B's, was great to find cheap/wacky stuff in there, also had a great selection of arcade machines in the early '90s.
Great video, my man. Great footage. Although I live down the road in Gorleston I just don't visit Yarco anymore. And it has changed, especially around the old market place. I remember the waxworks museum and visiting. Had a window with Laurel and Hardy in it. But Victoria Arcade. Never known it so empty. Thanks for sharing, buddy. Awesome work. Cheers.
@@NcboreasVapes thank you for kind words, it is big shame what’s happening to Yarmouth my late family would be so shocked if they could see it now 👍
Hi fella take me back to my family holidays love it 👍
Great Yarmouth was the first place I came to in GB on a school exchange. One of my funniest memories is a ride on the roller coaster. When we were just on top it got stuck. And would you believe it it began raining and we got soaked. Quite an adventure.
love the video mate its a shame whats happened to Great Yarmouth whent there with my son in 2019 my grandparents met there when thay was 16 years old thay are now 85 and 84 lot of memory's there
i went there 77, was great, the tower had 2 clubs, i worked on pleasure beach, and hung with locals at bowling ally ,regent road....it was a rocking town.
Still love this place. Always will. ❤ Been going there for 30+ years. What is sad is the log floom has gone.
Ive lived near Great Yarmouth all my life. the Tubs and the Snails are a legendary experience. its still a great place 😉
Really enjoyed that mate. Yearly holiday destination in the 70/80's with my grandparents.
Thanks for this Neil. Town don't look too bad, no rubbish, no boarded up windows. xx
Bernt out hotel near where we stayed it’s a right mess we where there last week some right zombie’s walking around.
We moved to Yarmouth just over a year ago and absolutely love it. People are so nice and chatty. I not just holiday makers but locals. I hope market place picks up with being a proper market rather than food halls. Mens clothing shop would be nice.
who remembers the pedal racing cars on the front? I think there were two tracks and the roller skating rink next to the pier . Great funfair as well - the wooden rollercoaster and in the sixties there was a double big wheel
I can remember the double big wheel I was only young then
Ive been going to Yarmouth 3-4 times a year since I was about 3, Now 27 and even thou its rundown abit now its still one of my favorite places to stay, feels like a 2nd home
The weather along with migration and the internet are three main ingredients that are destroying such places, sadly the runaway train is only gathering more and more momentum.
The rear of the Pleasure Beach has some amazing black and white pictures, sadly back in 2021 a few of them had been vandalised, sprayed over with paint, some sections even prised away from the wall, great shame seeing that, however I did notice back in July 2022 they had all been repaired which was great to see, fair play to the Council fixing them, do love pictures like that as they tell a great story, I live in Ayrshire and Troon has very similar style pictures all along a large wall, even though I know what's on them all, I still look at them every time I walk past when out a dog walk.
Thanks for the tour around fella. Norfolk does have some hidden gems, and I hope they stay that way.
@@G4RY1159 thank you to for your amazing comments and support 👍
So sad. I grew up in Norwich and remember visiting with my parent's, my late Dad loved Hemsby. Such a shame.
you don't know you're born, i was plucked from norwich at 10 and had all my family taken away and rotted here for 20 years on drink and drugs from 12. I would rather be in gaza.
We've just had a lovely little holiday there. There's good and bad points, but we had an awesome time 😊
Allowing mass immigration into the town, the government should be held accountable, the people of Yarmouth never asked for this
Mass migration didn’t do this. It was your EasyJets and RyanAirs that gave the average person the ability to be in Spain within an hour and relatively cheaply. Seaside towns haven’t figured out how to bring back the people. They have to reinvent themselves.
@@TMBpk no, mass migration did it
@dannibrewer8076 Actually the People of Yarmouth did ask for it, By Voting, when you vote you Agree with what they say do and plan to do. 😉
@@joshuafreshney1206 completly disagree
@@TMBpkdo you live there??? I do, moved up from London 12 years ago and I've seen the decline with my own eyes. It has everything to do with immigration. The roma gypsies have turned the place into a absolute dump, if they move in next-door to you you'd know about it.
Myself and family use to come to Yarmouth 10 years in a row from 1982 until 1992 , loved it as a kid , especially the snail rides at joy land , I visited here and stayed here for a week in 2020, I really enjoyed it, it was a really nice time, the beach and sea front was clean and tidy , lots of nice shops, the cinema was great , the pleasure beach was good, plenty of places to eat and drink, I didn’t see any trouble the whole week I was there , it seemed a bit different to all them years ago, but was good to be back in Yarmouth
It’s a shame the council have let the town run down so much, me and my family loved looking in all the shops.
I’m thinking of going back in middle of the summer to see how different it would be. 😎🙏👍
@@neilrgreatestadventures there’s a certain charm about it, everywhere now has good and bad areas now, compared to Blackpool Yarmouth still looks pretty good, after watching your video I’m considering going back this year 👍
Hi went for wk end about 4 years ago we liked it beach nice n model village .fair.our b& b was let down .in 70 s went hemsby pointins arrr horsriding on there beach i was 14 years😊 from karen thank u showing .
We love Great Yarmout, went for years on the Vauxhall holiday Park, up until Parkdean took over and took away some of the things we loved about it..however just had another look and they've made some improvements so booking again for 2005...you've not mentioned Sarah's tea rooms, you have to try their homemade cakes and scones ( lovely place ) or the oldest prison in England ( great couple of hours out ). Thankyou for sharing this video.
Used to love coming here every May spring bank holiday week, from 1980-87. Regents Road wasn't pedestrianised and would be absolutely bustling. I remember a department store about halfway up on the left hand side going up, we'd buy jokes and tricks in there. The pubs and bars along the sea front were great.
I like Great Yarmouth,classic british seaside resort.The back streets near the sea front are really run down but i did stay at a nice clean B&B,i visited off season before April it was ok,room price was good if you book ahead.I thought the sea front is good in places but run down in other places.I like taking a long walk along the sea front.I will check out your fish&chip review!
I was born in yarmouth and raised there. I'm 63, the obvious problem are the migrants. There are so many nationalities that live there and a lot of them dislike each other so much you can feel it simmer most of the time. Thank god I moved out in 1982, when I go over my heart breaks for what once was a fantastic place to live. I can remember when yarmouth used to shut down completely at the end of October untill the spring, everyone knew each other and if you didn't know someone you could bet your life a friend would.
Brought back lots of memories for me
That's were I meet my wife
Sorry to hear that :(
We had a unit on Regent Road, main toy shop was in Gorleston-on-sea "Playfair" biggest toy shop in East Anglia! We had Britannia stars come to our shop to buy for kids, nieces, nephews etc. Most lovely was Michael Barrymore & Cannon & Ball! Jim Davidson was an a-hole, I'd never support him!
@@mumo9413 I saw cannon and ball at the pier and also could have been in your shop when I was younger 👍
I live 5 miles away from Great Yarmouth and thanks to your video I don't need to visit this year either. The beginning of the end was when the Council decided to move all of the shops to the outskirts, the town centre will eventually just be dedicated to housing(mostly foreigners). Charging 80p for 45 minutes parking gives no one an incentive to visit, where just over the river you have Gorleston with free parking for a think 2 hours.
Went there every year with parents first week in August as a kid in the 70s. As i got older remember going clubbing. August 1977 Donna summer was at no1 in the charts with I Feel Love. Their were 2 clubs under what was then the Oasis tower. Cleopatras and Tiffanys. Also where the arcades are their was a club called Bricks. Which was under the arcades. Had to be entered by a set of steps. Good times.
@@selffarming7008 definitely the good times, I was only very young then but remember the old tunes playing at the disco when we used to stay at Vauxhall caravan park, memories x
Always used to stay at South Denes caravan park as a kid. Felt sorry for you Vauxhall boys, you couldn't just run out on to the beach! Snails always won me over the tubs. Waxworks was creepy on many levels. The market looks utterly destroyed now. The Winter Garden ( or Tyrolean Biergarten at one time!) restoration needs to get a move on, all that will be left is a pile of rust. Nice to see lots of the old faves (Joyland, Pleasure Beach, Britannia, Merrivale) still carrying the flag for Great Yarmouth!
I been to greqt yramouth 3 times and really like it it might be bit run down thinknits like other seaside town but it doesn't put me off going to greqt yarmouth
To be honest I just got back from Great Yarmouth today and it was lovely and the sun was shining. Got the market open and all the shops open keep in mind most shops close at 4 . So you guys are wrong if you get there at the right time of the day it’s amazing .
I definitely will be going back mid summer to see how different things are 😎👍thank you for the update
Cool it should be good in summer
Oh, the building where KFC and McDonalds is used to be the town's Woolworth's in the 1920s, Before they moved down the road, still has that really old Woolies look if you look at the first floor.
One of the big failures of the area was Yarmouth council promising to build a state-of-the-art Las Vegas quality Casino next to where the Premiere Inn is, in fact that's the main reason both the Yarmouth Premier Inns were even built, but they kept pulling back on their promises, and ended up burning a lot of bridges with businesses wanting to invest in the area over it. (Premier Inn have also said they're considering closing the hotels, they've already shut down the Beefeater and Brewer's Fayre restaurants attached to them)
So the lack of money they had essentially banked on coming in is one of the reasons for its current state.
Aww used to love Great Yarmouth, Many a childhood holiday staying at Hemsby . A trip to House of wax and louis toussards ( believe) wax works were a must . both funny and terrible at the same time lol. Chips and donuts on the sea front but my god it was always blooming cold there . Joyland snail rides and a donkey ride .
Same here so many memories 🙁
As a kid we allways went to Rhyl for 2 weeks then we started go to Yarmouth when I was about 12-13 ,stop at Vauxhall site great holidays there, not been back since the early 80s
I love Great Yarmouth, we go every year
Went to G Yarmouth just last month. It is run down but like so many places in the UK. We still enjoy it nonetheless & go Hemsby to do the same
Great video Neil, me and my partner visited Great Yarmouth in 2019 with family and unfortunately wasn’t overly impressed. Much prefer Skegness, Ingoldmels, Cleethorpes and Blackpool x
What's Norfolk County Council playing at with that Windmill Cinema/Theater, the old Palace of Lights aka The Gem. It's Grade Two listed, built in 1908 and a very rare early cinema . Up until the 1980’s it ran summer shows and films. They've covered it with boards inside and just let it rot.
Let’s hope someone will see this from the council and be that embarrassed, and then do something about the place. Then again ?
I lived in Great Yarmouth for a year in salk road, it was quite area but as foreign lady I faced many racism issues,
@@Noorazo88 that’s not good sorry to hear this 😔
I was there in Sept yes I noticed it had changed going again July see if any better
Where that joke shop is used to be a lovely shop called spalls, we moved to yarmouth in 1972 , it was really nice, I left in January 1990 , they had just pedestrianised regent rd . It was on the turn then , now its a ghetto.
Born in Gorleston-on-sea, moved away age 27 for better work opportunities. Can't believe what the council has done to the market place? Why cover it over, but has open slats! Victoria arcade😢 Regent road😢 No Wax Works😢 OMG this is terrible! Blame the Tory council!
@@mumo9413 yep not good 😌
The. Caravan site used ro be next to the beach opp out of caravan jump down and on the beach ,Is the harbour still open with the cruise ship golden gallen that took you on the broads
We use to stay on the same caravan park when we where younger
Thanks for your Yarmouth video...I do live here, moved in 2007 and happy I did. Open skies away from tower blocks and the countryside a few moments away..Today its blue sky and the big wheel is about 200 meters from me. Yes i noticed a change here, shops rent must be too high, and the Migrants can "spoil" the place with hanging around street corners drinking beer...which is not right as we are a Holiday break location and people come back here time after time. The biggest lose is King street, most of the local people sold up and its a nasty street now full of EU food shops and second hand businesses, which is a shame. BUT... when the weather is good, the mood brightens up and its great to say hello to all the people arriving here for a good time, lovely meeting them all when out and about and hearing there stories about Yarmouth. I must say it seems we are "hanging in there" better then other seaside towns and for one I`m going to enjoy summertime here by the sea....
I moved to Great Yarmouth from London 5 years ago and it's a unbelievable place to live.
I agree I moved here 2 years ago from SE London and it's 10 times better than Plumstead especially under Khan, every place had its rough sleepers and bad bits but that due to uncontrolled migration nowhere is untouched now.
I agree it has it's faults but what large town is better than the heydays and without mass immigration?
I would like to know if vauxhall camp site has changed .I used to take my kids there in late 90s
The trouble with yarmouth is the council have turned it into a third world ghetto over the last 20yrs or so. Just take turn of regent rd either side will do.😢
Spot on, they don't call it the Toilet of England for nothing.
That was because the London councils didn't want Asylum seekers in their areas, so bribed Yarmouth Council to take them. Because of having so many different ethnic groups, Yarmouth has become more violent & crime rate has soared. It's not a great holiday destination anymore (cheaper to spend a fortnight in Spain - including Air Fares). It's a dead town, it just hasn't realised that yet.
Yarmouth isn’t that bad at all what is he on about we been going there for 25 years and it’s still the same and the waterways great place to visit and loads to do
To be fair Great Yarmouth has always been abit dire, much like Clacton, Gt Yarmouth has some good Holiday parks, Caravan parks and a decent beach but as someone from Essex its well worth the extra couple hours journey going to skeggy. Still go to Yarmouth though every now and then.
Fun fact: Nelsons Columb was placed looking inland, wrong way round😂
@@mumo9413 whoops 😬
I was going to visit yarmouth town this month while im there on the boat think I'll skip that now as its gone down hill
I'm from Tamworth. Miss living in Yarmouth
We've been going for 36 years we always stayed at Vauxhall Holiday Park put last year we stayed at Robinsons great place
Not been for years last time I was there Jim Davidson owned Wellington pier and the old winter Gardens saw him at the bar in the winter gardens he was totally different from the T.V not a pleasant man off camera .It looks not so good a place to visit now but thanks for the trip down memory lane
He wasn't nice onscreen.
Same! Met him and he was a proper twat😂 in The Pub On The Prom! Lol Pisshead!!!
The windmill theatre is actually a indoor grazy golf and was probably closed due to the time you went past the owners of the Hippodrome Circus own the windmill and the Empire building which is now a entertainment venue now with live music
Great Yarmouth loved my Bolshy Rings from Candy Kingdom
Joanne Thwaites laughed
We stayed at the old hall great hotel with a fantastic carvery pub just up the road called the castle carvery
@@alanfizzypop9607 it’s a lovely place and owner is very friendly guy 👍
great yarmouth is one of my fav places in the world, used to visit a few times a year for hoildays 1986 - 2012, havent been back since,,,, looks a sorry state now! poor old regents road 😞😞😞
Sad times everywhere now days 😕
Winter gardens are set to have a major restoration and expected to reopen in 2027.
Love Great Yarmouth 👍 👌 ❤️
Great Yarmouth in 90s and 00s was booming in my younger days
we first started going there in the 60's and can remeber the stampede when the bay city rollers appeared there. Used to be some great ice cream parlours and chips shops but now not so many. We used to enjoy the mushy peasa at the marked but only one stall there now. We went back this year for what would have been my dad's 90th birthday. No mention of th e waterways which is now barely a shadow of its form3r glory
I can actually remember the ice cream parlours my mum always had a nickerbocler glory and we always had mushy peas on the back to Vauxhall caravan park, great memories 👍
Been going to Yarmouth for years until parkdean took over vauxhall holiday park and runied it coming back in September with grand kids looking forward to seeing how it has changed 😅
Parkdean 🤔 you can not beat the old days at Vauxhall we loved going every year with my family 👍🙏
Problem is families no longer have their holidays at the Seaside. They prefer to get on a plane and go abroad.
Get in the back streets and Yarmouth is an absolute shite hole , used to do a fair bit of painting & decorating in Hostels there years back and it's gone downhill since . Mind you it's still like St Tropez compared to Blackpool 😆
Last bit of your comment 😂
Wouldnt like to be sitting opposite you in tub after your icecream lol😮
@@janesouth5649 🤣🤣🤣
Gapton Retail Park doesn't help.
That place is always packed with cars, so clearly taking many visitors away from the town centre.
IMO, the retail park should just be for furniture, DIY & white-goods stores.
they have ruined every thing
Who as ? Shops are closing because folk shop on line so the public have to take some of the blaim !
Gonna be a warzone there one day
😮
Horrible place dirty and full of drug addicts
@@bowlingbill9633 jews
The locals don’t go out after dark anymore.
Agree to dangerous to go out at night it's full of drug addicts its a absolute dump
COZ THEY USE TOO MUCH DRUGS AND NOT ABLE TO MOVE ..
What people seem to forget is Yarmouth town isn’t the only part of Yarmouth for a holiday destination. You have the broads a stones throw away, with some of the most picturesque views money can buy. It’s a shame you haven’t gone to these places as they are to, a very special part of Great Yarmouth
Just subscribed to your channel as recommended by walk on the wild side on his latest video chat
Thank you 🙏
If you were to do a live chat I would like to get involved
@@Stevenh641 Hi yes live chats coming soon 👍
Would hardly say the arcade is run down and grubby, granted there's some vacant shops, but by no means grubby
Its an outpost for Eastern Euro migrants now
Totally agree bloody everywhere
Yeah gangs of them gather in the back streets and edges of town. Used to love going there but it has turned into a right dump. Every where looks tired and unloved.
I agree . Hardly no English around
Big waste of money on market arch
It's a ghost town as good as
Wax works been closed at least 6 years
Went there last week find it depressing what it’s become
Its been a long time in the making? But finally the councils over tbe years have dismantled everything that was good about our little town,,,,, no where to park,,,,,boarded up shops in the town centre
But tbey ve spent millions on a new bridge leading to Nowhere???
Got a holiday planned but haven't been for years, normally go to Skegness.
It’s should be a lot better in the summer months when all the holiday makers are there and hopefully more shops will be open, it was the first bank holiday week when I was there, you should have a lovely there’s loads to do there.
👍
@neilrgreatestadventures we are actually going in September so fingers crossed.
It shuts in October
I was there in Sept yes I noticed it had changed going again July see if any better 11:05
Winter Gardens has got a grant recently so should be done up soon. But town has had it,£5,000000 for that so called market what has mostly food stalls is useless really. No other market now
It seems all the seaside towns have squandered their levelling-up funds on silly things. And when the towns did those expensive markets most of them got rid of the others so there was no competition.
You mean the extremely expensive cow shed? 😂
The saMe bunch as that run Most Councils that have their dirty fingers in so Many pies..
No one wanted the cowsheds but the Council ignored the stallholders and the punters
Ru fr8 Derby or Mansfield?
Actually looks better than it did about 5yrs ago...
Worked in Yarmouth for months in the early 80's, what a shithole it was then, god help the UK.
The horse and carts are still there
We do like Gt Yarmouth and the fish shop on the corner is the best, great service, fresh fish and they do a brilliant black forest gateau. The rest of the town isn't that great...
remember yarmouth back in the 60- 70s
It’s really not just Great Yarmouth - sign of the times!
I live in Yarmouth the Great has gone it's a total S --t Hole it's a Dying Town most is down to the Council who can't be Bothered anymore. So Sad
I was here last week I stayed in the new beach hotel
Yes a little run down but the wonderful people make up for it and no I do not live in yarmouth but norwich and I love great yarmouth and come down a few times during the year
The problem with Great Yarmouth is that the Tory lead council essentially don't care about the town and all it does is waste public money for example the toen has the second highest business rates in England.
Should do your homework, lots of facts wrong. Empire is a nightclub,,Windmill is the indoor golf.
Jim Davidson never did own the Wellington Pier or the Winter Gardens.
The winter gardens is being renovated, all monies ring fenced,.
New market full of food stalls during the day, not at 4:30 in April.
I wonder why they close things so early in seaside resorts. In the past everything would have been open until late at night. In the past all the entertainment on the front would have been open from 9am until 11pm. I mean, surely people on holiday still want to go out at night. Also buisness's are losing money.