A Very Special Celebration Weekend at North Cottage Cromer

North Cottage Cromer is perfect for celebrations

Most of our weekend guests are celebrating something special – bringing friends and family together from all over the country, or even the world, to mark a special occasion – big birthdays, a milestone wedding anniversary, retirement or reunion. North Cottage Cromer is perfect for a special celebration – with lots of space to invite up to 12 guests.

And this was a family celebration like no other…

But this past weekend we shared in the excitement too – because our house was playing host to a very special celebration – the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of Mike and Judy Dixon. Sixty years of marriage is a rare and special milestone, it’s so special that on request His Majesty The King will even send a message of congratulation!

As though a Diamond Wedding Anniversary celebration isn’t rare enough, this one has a unique twist. Amazingly Mike and Judy Dixon spent their honeymoon at North Cottage back in August 1965! The newly weds, freshly qualified doctors, were short on funds so Judy’s uncle Leslie lent the couple his Cromer holiday home, for their honeymoon getaway.

North Cottage Honeymoon in Cromer 1965

1965 was the year The Beatles were awarded their MBE’s, a controversial 70mph speed limit was introduced on motorways (there was no speed restriction before this!) and the railway station in Cromer was still officially named Cromer Beach. The Who played at the Cromer Royal Pavilion Links venue, and there was loads of stuff to see and do in North Lodge Park Cromer – The Model Village, Kiddies Corner, pitch and putt, bowling… sadly only the boating pond remains today. Yes, it really was a very, long time ago, the halcyon 1960s.

Diamond Wedding Anniversary celebration 2025

During the 60s, 70s and early 80s North Cottage became very special to the whole family as they returned year after year for family summer holidays at Judy’s relatives’ holiday home. As his parents’ Diamond Wedding Anniversary approached, Mike and Judy’s 59 year old son noticed North Cottage was available for hire through Airbnb. Unsurprisingly, once they realised it was possible, Mike and Judy decided to book North Cottage so they could return with their grown-up son and two daughters along with their partners, for once in a lifetime, family celebration to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.

The family made plans to do all the things they did on those early family summer holidays through the 60s, 70s and 80s. Mostly they wanted to stay around the house and enjoy the memories – play cards, eat fish and chips, and hold a family croquet tournament (fortunately North Cottage Cromer offers a croquet set for all guests). They did leave the house to swim in the sea, but that’s only two minutes walk outside.

Mike staged a photo show (on the 55 inch smart TV) of more than 200 images, shown in chronological order, spanning three decades of family holidays at North Cottage. Apparently there was much heated discussion of photos deemed to have been shown out of the correct annual sequence based on clothing and hair style! There was a great deal of happy reminiscing.

Travelling back through the decades

For us there was an added specialness for this unique revisit. We’ve always been interested in the history of North Cottage. We’d uncovered the stories of the very first owners in the late 19th and early 20th Century and the most recent ownership in the 21st Century but there was a big gap in our research from the 1960s through to the 1980s. We hoped Mike and Judy would provide answers for the missing years.

An exciting welcome ‘home’ for the Dixons

Mike Dixon was able to help us not only fill in the blanks of three decades of ownership but illustrate them with incredible photos too. We’ve added all this invaluable information to our history pages.

I asked Mike why Judy’s uncle Leslie picked Cromer of all places to buy a holiday home. Apparently it was no accident. It was a result of meticulous research. Via a relative Leslie Bilsby had access to meteorological data revealing that Cromer was one of the driest places in the country. That was the clincher! Cromer would be the perfect home for his holidays and it remained so for over 20 years until the 1980s.

Guided Tour of the house

We’d already seen Mike’s photos of the exterior of the house because he emailed them ahead, but we were very excited to hear what Mike and Judy would remember of the interior. We knew it had changed, but not quite how much.

We always welcome our guests personally with a tour of the house, but this tour was different. We would be doing the discovery! We don’t usually start with the garage, but there are the ghostly remains of the summer house inside, shown in some of Mike’s photos. In the 1960s the driveway was much smaller and there was a large lawn in front of the house. For Judy the memories started right outside the front door – the same door, but it’s painted Royal Blue in their photos.

As we stepped inside Judy was relieved to see the living room retains all its original features and charm, as in fact does the entire house. The downstairs bedroom was unrecognisable though, it seems there wasn’t even a doorway there originally. The whole run of rooms to the right of the front door was a single room full of junk and furniture bought at auctions and sales. Looking again now with fresh eyes the doorway doesn’t match the others at all. It must have been added in the late 80s or 90s.

The kitchen marked the most dramatic change. Today an archway links the kitchen and dining room, but when the Dixons holidayed here the two rooms were separate. They laughed as they remembered a small kitchen table placed where the doorway to the conservatory is now, ten of them crammed into the tiny space for mealtimes.

Upstairs also revealed some big changes. During the 1960’s – early 80’s there was no en-suite for the master bedroom, just a solid wall and behind it another bedroom entered from the landing.

But it was the front twin room they were most excited to see. This is where they spent their honeymoon night 60 years ago! Judy’s uncle forbid them to enter the master bedroom during their stay.

We were a little nervous the house would be a disappointment after all these years. You know what they say, never go back. Fortunately they loved it all, the new conservatory (well 1992, new to them!) and the huge Garden Room (2010) with the lavishly planted gardens beyond.

Precious family memories

On Monday we returned to say farewell to Mike and Judy at the end of their stay. Wonderfully, we learned their return to North Cottage Cromer was everything they hoped for and more. Houses aren’t about rooms and decor, they’re about memories. The fish and chips (from Mary Jane’s) were just as delicious, swimming in the sea was as thrilling as ever. The croquet was great fun, re-playing their favourite ‘Newmarket’ card game was a highlight and Mike’s skilfully prepared slideshow had them all laughing. The Bann Thai takeaway was the only new addition to the tried and tested family traditions and they loved that too.

After treating their family to this very special stay Judy told me, with a glint in her eye, the children had vowed that now it’s time for them to start treating their parents, rather than the other way around. Finally after 60 years the moment has arrived. Quite right!

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North Cottage Cromer You found it! The perfect large Norfolk house to celebrate with family & friends.