Fame and the famousMr F. Locker, later to call himself Locker-Lampson built Newhaven Court on the Norwich Road in 1884 and was visited by many famous people of the day such as Lord Tennyson the poet, Sir Ernest Shackleton the explorer, Oscar Wilde the playwright, who also wrote "A woman of no importance" whilst staying at Felbrigg. Winston Churchill when he was First Lord of the Admiralty was a guest but this was not his first visit, in 1885 he stayed in Chesterfield Lodge in West St whilst on holiday with his Nanny. Others include: Albert Einstein, Epstein the sculptor, The King of Greece and Princess Ileana. Queen Alexandra stayed with Lord Hillingdon at Overstrand Hall, and the Empress Elizabeth of Austria stayed for two months in a wing of Tuckers Hotel in 1887. She was terrified of being poisoned so all her food preperation had to be supervised, including having a cow milked outside her window. Prince Edward (King Edward VII) used to come to Cromer to play golf, he was a patron of the club and stayed with the Maharajah of Cooch Behar who owned Tudor House in Cliff Avenue. With the building of the theatre at the end of the pier, many famous faces have worked there, and it appeared in the television series "September Song" which starred comedian Russ Abbot. in the 1970's the pier was in "Danger UXB" (unexploded Bomb) about a bomb disposal squad in the last war, starring Anthony Andrews. This information was compiled by Penny Ling |