The Cromer Moraine - A study of its progressive reclamation

Abstract

The Cromer Moraine forms a distinctive geographical region near the coast of the northern part of the County of Norfolk. A pronounced characteristic of this region is the widespread cover of heathland, far less extensive than in former times. This heathland appears in its turn to have developed from an original woodland cover which was destroyed by the depredations of man and his domesticated animals. It has been necessary first to delimit the region as accurately as possible and this has been accomplished by means of a detailed study of local topography and of well-sections. The earliest evidence of the location of heathland comes from the Domesday Survey and this has been confirmed by references to heathland in various other documents down to 1750. By the middle of the eighteenth century the new developments in agriculture, or 'Norfolk Husbandry' as it was called, became widely known and practised, resulting in this region in a greatly accelerated reclamation of heathland; so that by the time of the Tithe Survey (1838-42) less than a hundred years later over 4000 acres of heath had been reclaimed. A most valuable milestone in the study of this progressive reclamation is provided by Faden's Map published in 1794. Reclamation continued, though more slowly, through the nineteenth century till it came to a standstill with the onset of the agricultural depression in 1879, after which there was very little until the emergency demands of the Second World War (1939/45) gave fresh impetus to reclamation. Heathland has also been reclaimed for purposes other than agriculture - in the development of the urban centres of Cromer and Sheringham and the construction of golf courses. More recently the public attitude towards reclamation has altered considerably, and the heath and woods of the Moraine are now carefully preserved for their value as scenic assets to the coastal resorts and tourist centres.