by Fran Weatherhead (Author)
This book tells the story of the North Norfolk fishing industry within living memory, compiled using numerous interviews with the fishermen themselves as well as rare photographs. With Cromer as its center point, long famous for its crabs, the book reveals the fishing practices across the villages and towns between Wells and south-east Norfolk. Here fishing has been characteristically traditional and markedly different from the industrial-scale industry to operate from the west. The boats, fishing gear, and techniques are all described, often in the fishermens' own words, providing an important record of the fishing practices lost in recent years. It has been written at a time when new designs of boats and fishing gear are changing the traditional face of the industry, and fishermens' sons are turning away from the sea. This is a portrait of a profession which has helped define the character of the Norfolk coast.
Author Biography
Fran Weatherhead is an archaeologist and artist who has developed a fascination with Norfolk's fishing heritage since she moved there in 1998. A number of her paintings focus on the fishermen and her murals hang in the Cromer RNLI Museum. She is secretary of the North Norfolk Fishermen's Society.