A House in the park – the secret history of North Cottage Cromer
A lot of our guests staying at North Cottage Cromer want to know why the house they’ve booked for their holiday is located inside a public park. How on earth did anyone get permission to build a house in a park? That’s what we wondered too when we very first saw it. The house is almost hidden, and a lot of people don’t even notice it even if they know the park quite well, the flint walls do a good job of keeping it very private. However there is no doubt walking or driving through the park is the only way to access the house, there is no other route, the house is very definitely inside the park.
So why is it here? The answer to this question takes us back through two hundred years of Cromer’s history to reveal how the former Goldsmiths Estate was transformed into a public park.
Mr Clarke a local gentleman donated the inscribed curved benches
The Goldsmiths’ Vision and the Hoare Legacy
Long before North Lodge Park was a public park, the land belonged to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. In 1821, they built the Goldsmiths’ Free School for Boys on Overstrand Road. By 1837, they added North Lodge – originally intended as a “show house” for a grand Regency development of villas they hoped to build, but they never materialised.
The only other property the Goldsmiths ended up building, in 1873, was a modest house for their schoolmaster . The building was simply known as the “Schoolmaster’s House”. It was a modest cottage that would eventually be considerably extended.
The Schoolmaster’s house was built in 1873. The school is the building to the right that looks like a chapel.
The stable block next to the house is the tea-room today.
In 1895 The Goldmiths Company closed their school. The entire North Lodge estate was sold to Richard Hoare, one of the prestigious banking family who also owned the neighbouring Cliff House. Richard Hoarde purchased the entire site, all the land, North Lodge, the school building, the stables (now the café), and the schoolmaster’s house all for £3,000. The whole estate became their private paradise.
The schoolmaster’s cottage was extensively enlarged during the period 1895 – 1897 with four large rooms added creating a whole new front section and a further two rooms in a new wing at the rear. The house now became known as North Cottage.
After Richard’s in death in 1901 his son Douro Hoare, moved into North Lodge, while his daughter, Louise Hoare made North cottage her home until her death around 1960.
The land is well designed and cultivated.
1929: The Creation of a Public Park
The turning point for the Hoare’s estate came in 1929 following the death of Douro Hoare. Douro’s widow, Ida, made the decision to sell North Lodge and the land surrounding it. Only North Cottage was kept by Louise Hoare.
At the auction on 24 September 1928 Cromer Urban District Council bid to purchase the entire plot including North Lodge for £5,500 to create a new public park for the town. The old school building was sold separately to the local doctor who built a house on the plot of land alongside it.
Cromer Urban District Council immediately applied to the Ministry for Health for the loan to pay for the park. The loan was approved with a sanction by the Ministry that was responsible for distributing loans to create a nationwide asset of “Pleasure Grounds” or open spaces where the public could walk, and exercise. This government plan was in response to two issues. Firstly the health of conscripts for World War I had been shockingly poor, they were malnourished and unfit, the nation needed spaces to exercise. Secondly work was needed for soldiers returning from the war, and building parks and working in horticulture was ideal employment.
Cromer became the beneficiary of one of these “Pleasure Ground” loans and the land was purchased under the statutory powers granted by the 1875 Public Health Act. The Health Minister required that bye-laws were issued to keep public order in these Pleasure Grounds. The bye-laws were approved and sealed by the Minister for Health in compliance with the provisions of the 1875 Act. The land was held under a statutory trust – a special legal protection, which safeguarded it as as open space for public recreation so it could not be later sold or developed by the council.
We recently unearthed long forgotten documents at Norfolk Record Office that prove the park is protected from non-recreational development. We have presented this evidence to North Norfolk District Council who subsequently met with us to discuss the implications.
North Lodge Park 1930 – 1960
Louise Hoare continued to live in North Cottage. She was bemused by the family’s private estate becoming a public park full of people. Louise continued to live in North Cottage for six decades, witnessing the park’s “Golden Age” of the 1930s from her windows. She saw the former stable block transformed into the tea rooms – “The Blue Danube”. Putting and bowling greens were created. Thatched shelters were built (1931). The council employed a parks superintendent who oversaw a team of gardeners. The beautifully maintained park with its shelters and sea views became a treasured spot for residents and visitors to Cromer.
Originally by the entrance to the park it was later moved to beside the tea rooms. This photo from August 2023 shows its continued popularity.
North Lodge Park Today
Today, North Cottage remains a very rare “house in a park.” For our guests, it offers a unique experience: the peace of a private garden combined with direct access to the beach through the park, a children’s play area, and the boating pond.
Cromer Urban District Council ceased to exist in the 1970s when local government was reorganised. In 2004 Cromer Town Council bought North Lodge when North Norfolk District Council decided to sell it. North Lodge Park continues to be operated by the District Council.
For all local authorities funding is under pressure and the park hasn’t offered bowling or putting facilities for many years. However there is a new children’s play area and the boating pond is still very popular.
Community action – Friends of North Lodge Park
For the last ten years the Friends of North Lodge Park have worked enthusiastically to improve the park the Council neglected for so long. In 2016 the Friends re-opened the tea-rooms, staged events, refreshed the planting and renovated the Rose Garden. Their fund-raising, and takings from their tea-rooms, culminated in a new bridge “The Playful Connection” to connect the lower field and create the new children’s play area.
But in 2020 the global pandemic cruelly interrupted their mission, and some momentum was lost. Today there are still regular gardening work parties, and a handful of events, but the tea-rooms have been taken over by another charity that doesn’t raise any funds for the park. The Friends of North Lodge Park are wondering what comes next for the precious community park.
Why the survival of North Lodge Park matters
The value of North Lodge Park isn’t just in its history; it’s in its precious environment.
- Community Wellbeing: Since 1929, this land has been dedicated to the health and happiness of the people of Cromer. It holds precious memories for thousands of families.
- A Haven for Nature: The park is a vital corridor for birds, bats, and pollinators. It’s a protected landscape, part of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and vital open space.
- The Visitor Economy: Tourism generates over £547 million for North Norfolk every year, and supports 31% of local jobs (source: North Norfolk District Council, 2024). Historic green spaces like this are what keep visitors coming back.
As today’s custodians of North Cottage, we are proud to highlight the importance of preserving this historic clifftop gem. Whether you are a local resident or a visitor to Cromer, North Lodge Park is a reminder of Cromer’s rich heritage and the enduring value of nature and open space. Cromer’s founding fathers saw the benefits of a special place for recreation and well-being. These values remain just as important today.
One of the many events organised by the Friends of North Lodge Park
Thousands of runners swarmed into the park as they prepared to run.
North Lodge Park continues to play an invaluable part in the life of Cromer.
Please support North Lodge Park and ensure it celebrates its Centenary in 2029 with a strong community following. We will always play our part in protecting this special historic park from unsuitable development. Twice in the last twenty years the people of Cromer have voted in town polls to oppose the building of a car park inside North Lodge Park. Our recent archival discoveries may help ensure the original vision for the park as a place solely for recreation is maintained.
See also our history of North Cottage Cromer here
