Underwater off Cromer

A part of the 'Alfred Savin' project has been to try and understand the changes in the coastline of Cromer over the last million years when mammoths and many other creatures roamed the area - but also the last 2,000 years of historical settlement. We have been assisted greatly by volunteer divers of the East Anglian (Branch 11) of the British Sub Aqua Club and we are developing a few pages on this site from their finds. Some very settled days over June-August have helped provide good conditions for diving and photography.

With the further help of the Admiralty Marine Data Portal it has been possible to identify a number of features some 400 or more metres off the Cromer beaches which warrant further investigation, and the divers have been working their way around these.

You can click on the blue markers on the map for more information on what has been found at that location. We have generally used the term 'Features'. For the principal identification of what the feature is, one of the terms we have used is 'Built flint'. This is to differentiate it from 'Flint' in its natural state, as used elsewhere in the database. The description 'wall' does not necessarily indicate the wall of a building, it could be part of a wharf or part of a defensive feature against the encroaching sea.

For some of the features, we can add little information at present, for others we can make some suggestions and provide pictures.We'll gradually be adding more data to this site with a primary aim of understanding the extent of the settlement which was once off Cromer, the town of Shipden.

Keep track of these pages as we add pictures, videos and charts - but be prepared for perhaps more questions than answers. The story and legend of Shipden and Church Rock have been told since the substantial flooding of the coastline in the 14th century, so there's quite a bit to think through!