Alfred Savin of Cromer

We've introduced Alfred Collison Savin on the home page page of this web site and we're busy drawing together other details of his life.

He was born in Cromer in Jul 1861 to Daniel Savin and Susanna Collison. Daniel had started trading as a watchmaker and jeweller and then made his mark as a photographer. This was just 15 years on from the invention of photography and he seems to have been the first commercially active photographer in Cromer. Many of the early photos of the town which we can enjoy in the 21st century were undoubtedly taken by Daniel Savin.

Alfred records himself that he continued to operate an enlarged shop, dealing in antiques, china, silver, jewellery and amber until his retirement in 1928.

A case at Savin's shop, with fossils that appear to be mostly of elephant teethWe have mentioned on the homepage that by the age of 27 Alfred had compiled his book "A Short Guide to the Geology of Cromer and Neighbourhood, with Lists of Fossils". The British Geological Society website features two pictures of his collection in 1883; one is on the home page and the other shows a remarkable array of fossils, with a preponderance of elephant's teeth. It does perhaps give us some glimpse of the wealth of animal life that once roamed not a beach but the banks and flood plain of the great river that flowed from what is now Lincolnshire to join the Thames. What we now know as the Cromer Forest Bed continues to provide many examples of animal life from that time.

Alfred Savin, third from the left in the back row, at the Golf Club.We are searching for accounts of Savin's early life; recently a photograph has come to light of him with a group of town 'worthies' at the recently formed Royal Cromer Golf Club. His interests evidently extended beyond what was emerging from the base of the cliffs to the game now being played on the links at the top of the cliffs!

A member of the Friends of Cromer Museum, the society which is putting together this website, recently came across a newspaper cutting from December 1892 illustrating Alfred's status and his role as a dealer in biological and archaeological items.

"A RARE WHALE AT OVERSTRAND"

A newspaper cutting from December 1892"A whale came ashore at Overstrand on Sunday, 18th inst. At 8am a fisherman saw from the cliff what appeared to him to be a log of wood near the shore, but what proved to be a whale. As soon as the sea permitted, a rope was secured to its tail, and it was hauled to the beach and afterwards drawn up the cliff by a number of horses. It proved to be a Sowerby's whale (“Mesoplodon Sowerbiensis”) which is very rare. The specimen was a female, and on being cut open a live young one, measuring about 5ft in length, was discovered. The parent was also alive when found, although feeble. It measured 15ft or 16ft in length and was estimated to weigh about 1.5 tons. It was sold on Tuesday by order of the Board of Trade and was purchased by Mr A C Savin of Cromer for Mr W Rothschild, who is forming a museum at his residence, Miner Park, Tring. The price realised was £11.5s.

"The specimen was despatched from Cromer by the GER on Wednesday and was in in charge of Mr Gerrard of London, a well-known preserver of natural history specimens. The species was first described from a specimen which came ashore at Brodie Elginshire, in 1800 and it has since been found three times in Ireland. There is also a skull in the Museum of Science and Art at Edinburgh, which belonged to a specimen believed to have been captured somewhere on the Scotch coast. The remains of five others are preserved in various continental museums.

"In March last, a Greenland shark came ashore at Overstrand. This was purchased for Mr Rothschild's collection.

"Mr Southwell says of this find: 'It was a species of great rarity known as Sowerby's whale. I had the opportunity of thoroughly examining it in company with Mr Sydney Harmer of the Cambridge Museum of Zoology and we hope to give a full description in due course. In the meantime I may say that this is the nineteenth known example of this rare cetacean, all of which have occurred in the North Atlantic; but up to March 1889, when one was obtained at Atlantic City, New Jersey, and came in the possession of the National Museum at Washington, not a single individual in complete or fresh condition had come under the notice of a competent naturalist'.

"The Overstrand example was rendered the more interesting, a foetus 5ft long having been taken from it, the parent being just over 15ft in length. In consequences of the peculiar laws affecting such cases in this country no opportunity was afforded of obtaining this most interesting animal for a public museum, although Mr Harmer was desirous of obtaining it for the Cambridge University. But at its sale by auction by the Admiralty Receiver, he was outbid by a private collector, into whose possession it passed. If the Admiralty is compelled by a law, the existence of which, in the interest of science, is much to be regretted, to take possession of such objects, the proper course would seem to be that the salvors should be amply remunerated, and the specimens handed over to one of the national or public collections."

Oliver Locker Lampson, another prominent figure in Cromer, records, "it was his [Savin's] early fascination for fossils which brought him into international prominence. He acquired a European reputation as the discovered of hitherto unknown species of maammals, which he catalogued with becomeing modesy and patience".

George Baker (95) recalls Alfred SavinThe Friends of Cromer Museum, the society is fortunate to have two members in 2025 who recollect Alfred Savin. George Baker, born 1920, writes, "I knew Mr Savin as a schoolboy. If you found anything on the beach and you did not know what it was, you took it to him. He lived in Beach Road in a house ... which is still there. You knocked at the door and a lady answered and you told her you wanted to see Mr Savin and she would point to a door up a flight of stairs, so you went up and knocked. He'd call 'Come in' and you would find him sitting in a tall-backed grey chair which I think was specially made as I never saw another to be as draught-proof as possible and one side had a high side with a glass panel so he could see who had come in.

"I took what I found on the beach which he told me was an elephant's tooth. Then before you left he would take you to a chest of drawers and show you what was in them. Butterflies and moths on pins with their names under them, or fossils.

"One day I took what turned out to be amber and he told me how you could tell by putting a small piece of paper on the table, rub the amber on the sleeve then put it near the paper which, if it was amber, would pick it up.

"He was a very nice man who always had time for you and show you interesting things. I also remember my father telling me when he wrote a book on Cromer my grandmother bought a copy and then corrected it!"

We don't know the 'W' who penned an appreciation of Alfred Savin on his death in 1948 for the local newspaper; a cutting of the document is in the Cromer Museum collection.

"THE LATE MR SAVIN

"AN APPRECIATION

"The passing of Mr. A. C. Savin removes the last of the old celebrities of Cromer whose names were household words in the district 40, 50 and 60 years ago.

"Alfred Savin was in many ways a remarkable man, and his visitors were many, most of them interested in something on which Savin was an acknowledged authority. The little room in Beach Road, Cromer, filled with cases of specimens of one kind and another, opened its door very frequently to distinguished people from all parts of the country who wanted information which they knew A.C.S. could give.

"Fossils probably interested him more than anything, and his unique collection, the majority of which were found by himself, are now in the British Museum. It is not too much to say that he knew more about fossils than anyone in the British Isles.

"Butterflies, moths and coins also had their attractions, and even last summer he spent many long days in the country round Cromer searching for specimens. I believe his collection is now in the Castle Museum at Norwich.

The cutting by 'W' with an appreciation"As one would expect from a man verging on 90, he lived somewhat in the past, and an attentive listener could be sure of an interesting hour when he discoursed on Cromer in the olden days. Some 10 or 12 years ago he was persuaded to collect his notes together with a history of Cromer, and a somewhat extraordinary book was the result, for he traced the history of the town and its inhabitants for the past 150 years and more, giving the most minute details. Commander Olive Locker Lampson, in a preface, says· " What a rare character this blend oil poet and practical man. What luck for us that a connoisseur of his seasoned learning and dispassionate research should have ransacked the records of Cromer and produced this captivating book."

"And we shall visit him no more; but he will long be remembered as one of Cromer's notable citizens, a quiet unassuming and likeable personality with an extraordinary knowledge of many things. He was fond of the company of young people, and the writer can recall many happy hours spent with Alfred 50 or more years ago on geological expeditions, skating at Felbrigg (for A.C.S. was an ardent and clever exponent of figure skating, and would take any amount of trouble to teach young people), birds' nesting and scouring the countryside for butterflies.

"He was one of the original members of Cromer Golf Club, and in his younger days was to be seen on the Links frequently; cricket and football also claimed his attention.

"One is sad when it is realised that Alfred has gone, but the memory of a most likeable and engaging personality remains. The last of his generation, nd one whom his old friends will greatly miss.

"W."