The much needed land for the development of accommodation was put up for auction from 1885. The main suppliers of land for these auctions were Lord Suffield and Benjamin Bond-Cabbell, whose mother had owned the Cromer Hall Estate and refused to sell land for development. When Benjamin gained control of the estate he worked hard to develop Cromer, chiefly by auctioning off much of his land. The first auction was held in 1885 and as a result an ornamental garden and several “substantial” houses were built. Further auctions were held in 1890 and 1891 for Ben Bond-Cabbell’s land and in June and September of 1887 for Lord Suffield’s property.
More accommodation was then provided, by the building of the Grand hotel, the Metropole (1894) and the Royal Links (1895). By 1908 there were 125 proprietors of apartments, 11 boarding houses and 12 hotels.
The railways did much to encourage this development, with the Great Eastern Railway company providing ‘special’ trains for spectators and journalists travelling to the auctions. The trains could also be used to transport building materials needed for the development of Cromer.
As well as building materials the trains also brought welcome tourists to Cromer. One popular method of advertising was the use of Clement Scott’s ideal ‘Poppyland’ picture to bring in the tourists the tourists.
Clement Scott was a drama critic of the Daily Telegraph who was sent to Cromer to write an article in 1883. He was enchanted by the area between Overstrand and Sidestrand near to Cromer, which he named ‘Poppyland’, although he disliked Cromer itself. In 1886 his poems and articles were published in a book called ‘Poppyland Papers’. The image he created attracted artists, writers and rich people who arrived in increasing numbers. He described ‘Poppyland’ as a “quiet, dream-haunted, restful spot” where the “air seems to be purer”.
Railway companies and those wishing to develop Cromer, such as Ben Bond-Cabbell, exploited the ‘Poppyland Papers’ by linking Cromer to Poppyland. If anyone wanted to visit Poppyland they had to take the train to Cromer, using the accommodation and entertainment there. This changed Cromer by helping the trade through sale of souvenirs and also by increasing the tourist population of Cromer because Poppyland was described as such a perfect, ‘dream-haunted’ place.
The Cromer Hall Sale Particulars used Poppyland by including favourable quotes from Clement Scott’s ‘Poppyland Papers’ to help sell land and houses. This encouraged people to buy land around Cromer for development, proving to be a fairly useful part in Cromer’s change from watering-place to seaside resort. The railways also exploited Cromer, using a poster of a lady and two children having fun in Poppyland to sell train tickets.
More and more people were buying those tickets and taking their holidays in Cromer. The railways had ensured that the holiday-makers could be of all classes and so different entertainment needed to be built; such as coconut shies for the lower class. When this started to happen the upper class felt that something was being lost to them, that the “Cromer beloved to artists and wearied brain workers is about to be lost to us forever”, to the “cheap tripper”, to provide amusement for “the many rather than the few”. This was how they felt in 1887, only ten years after the first railway had been built. So to appease the gentry, a new pier was to be built, completed in 1901 and there was to be “nothing on the pier which will in any way tend to lower the tone of the place”. The railways brought down pressmen who were introduced to the “beauties of ‘Poppyland’”. The occasion was a good opportunity to “obtain free publicity for Cromer in the national and regional press”. The pier and new promenade cost £50,000 which is evidence of how important Cromer had become to be able to spend that much on its sea front. Cromer had to change its facilities in order to keep the visitors who “for years have favoured the town on account of its quietude and invigorating air”.
These were the same loyal families who had enjoyed the entertainment provided by the local fishing and coal industries. The coal shipping trade soon ended with the coming of the railways; they were so much quicker and safer than ships. The fishing trade also benefited from the railways, as the fish could be transported further around the land also quicker and easier. Former fishermen could find work taking day-trippers round Cromer in their boats and employment could also be found with the opening of new bathing machines, as well as new souvenir shops and tea rooms for the lower classes brought in by the railways. This was important for Cromer as it meant that there was more income for the town than just from fishing and coal trades.
To conclude, Cromer changed in many different ways with the coming of the railways. The population almost tripled from 1881-1911, many new hotels and houses were built to accommodate the newcomers, the beautiful Poppyland was discovered and exploited and new attractions and facilities were built to cater for all visitors to Cromer. All of these changes helped Cromer to develop into an ideal holiday resort, and all were linked in some way to the railways.
