Seaside pleasures at Hunstanton

Amateur footage of Hunstanton beach and Sandringham in Wolferton from artist Pippa Miller

A sunrise shines over the sea at Hunstanton. In the morning a speed boat whizzes through the sea, with water-skier in tow. On the beach children are pony trekking and people stroll along the thriving promenade. Fairground attractions are plentiful including the merry-go-round, slides and roller-skating rink. Under the setting sun a dog plays on the deserted beach with reckless abandon. Gulls nest in the dominant cliff face overlooking the rocky beach. The cliff is notable for the striped nature of its carrstone and chalk rock layers. Next we see Old Hunstanton’s Llghthouse, standing next to the ruined stone remains of St Edmund's Chapel. The film concludes in Wolferton, in the impressive Sandringham Estate. We are guided through the various trees, plants and stone statues on the estate grounds, as well as the grand facade of Sandringham House itself.

Featured Buildings

Sandringham House, Old Hunstanton Lighthouse, Ruins of St Edmund's Chapel,

Keywords

Seaside; Fairground; Beach

Other Places

Wolferton, Norfolk Sandringham, Norfolk

Background Information

This family film was captured by celebrated Norwich artist Pippa Miller (1905-2006). Born in Oulton Broad to a boat-building family, Philippa Miller moved to her adopted city of Norwich to teach art and craft, from 1930, at what is now the Sewell Park Academy. Her love of both painting and of the Broadland remained a constant throughout her life, nurtured early in childhood when the Miller family would take to the water in a converted wherry, and Pippa would join her parents in painting the unfolding scenes. Two exhibitions of her paintings were held at Norwich Cathedral in 2005, her centenary year; “An Artist’s War” and “An Artist's Broadland”. Pippa Miller died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 101. "The famous red and white striped cliffs at Hunstanton in Norfolk, UK, are an eye-catching attraction...The stripes in the cliffs are caused by layers of different-coloured rock. The main layers are: Carrstone. This is the brown layer and consists of sandstone - sand cemented together by iron oxide (rust). In places where the cement is stronger, the rock is darker and less crumbly. There are no fossils in this layer apart from a little fossilised wood. Chalk. The red and white chalk is made of limestone. Limestone forms in warm tropical climates, which suggests that Hunstanton's climate was once warmer than it is today! The colour of the red chalk is due to iron staining." https://www.hunstanton-info.com/hunstanton-useful-information/hunstanton-cliffs