Guide to West Runton
Thinking of West Runton, it’s easy now to imagine just another local North Norfolk village given over now almost completely to the summer tourist and holiday home trade and offering as you would expect. Caravan sites, chip shops, supermarkets and amusement arcades and local village shops that have now regrettably given up in later days completely to all things touristy. This as you would expect is alien to all local folk but as more and more places become holiday or second homes it’s not then difficult to understand how this trend has come about.
The rich sandy shoreline of West Runton beach with its ageing sea defences is flanked by tall cliffs that are both charming and majestic and feature for many miles along this quintessential stretch of Norfolk coastline, giving over eventually to flatter clay marshes to the west and to sand dunes and dune-grasses the south-easterly run of the coastline. All offer unique habitats to many of the most rarest bird species to be found anywhere in the British isle's.
West Runton has until recently had a hidden past unravelled elsewhere and dating back perhaps millions of years hidden in an outcrop off Cliff structure, known as the Cromer ridge and was settled from the Quaternary period of warmer climate (beginning about 1.8 million years ago). Unequally, a freshwater rock bed appears after some 300 meters along the cliff and in part is more than 1.5 meters thick, found mostly at the base of the cliff and is recognized by its very dark nature and contrastingly against the other cliff materials. It is also saturated with fossils of all types from, fish, molluscs, plant life and mammals - the most famous of which was the recent unearthing of the West Runton Elephant 'Woolly mammoth' remains, discovered following cliff erosion after a storm. I am sure that many more prehistoric remains may become visible over more years to come due the continuing wrath of the sea and higher than ever sea levels that threaten our coast line. That said in this location it is well worth a visit, especially at low tide after stormy conditions and indeed whilst you still can.
The more recent phenomenon was the West Runton Pavilion. A plain looking structure built Pre war hosting dances in the 40’s 50’s & 60’s 60's and extended in the 70's and was nothing great to look at, but it was to become an institute that was so often a warm up place for many great Bands of the time including such famous names as AC/DC, Slade, Suzi Quatro, Madness Hawkwind UB40, Alvin Stardust, Judas priest, Elvis Costello, King Crimson, Adam & The Ants, the list goes on and perhaps the most infamous Sex Pistols (1976) without Sid Vicous, but including Johny Rotten and Nancy Spongen. Indeed many bands played here before embarking on there UK tours. Sadly though the West Runton pavilion has long since been demolished after much controversy from the younger ones, but councillors cash and developers will always win in the end and this loss is just one more loss to the region for the younger generation of then and today. Thankfully though, I was there at the time and I must have seen over 100 bands play, some legendry, few disappointing. It was also a venue for many Discos that could become quite packed in the summer as the tourist trade swelled the numbers to almost bursting point.
West Runton pavilion was strictly standing only, with just a few seats around the edges, there was a bar area that dispensed numerous cans of High alcohol ‘Breaker malt liquor’ (in a distinctive green and gold tin) and Stella lager as well as some pretty warm flat beers in plastic pint vessels. The burgers and chips, sausage and chips or just chips, where not much better than the warm beer, however nobody cared as it was what the 1980's where all about, getting drunk having a good time and partying.
Text author and copyright © 2007 : Chris Crane
 West Runton Photo Gallery
The story of West Runton Pavilion |
West Runton
Photo Gallery
West Runton
West Runton
West Runton
|
