Port of Wells-next-the-Sea granted Heritage Harbour title

And now Wells-next-the-Sea has received a special honour: The first place in Norfolk to receive 'Heritage Harbour' status. 

Robert Smith, Wells' harbour master, said he was delighted with the accolade, which has so far only been given to around 10 of the country's harbour towns.

READ MORE: In pictures: A bird's eye view of Wells-next-the-Sea

Mr Smith said: “Wells is not a typical modern UK seaside resort and is not trying to be.

"Locals and visitors still feel the sense of stepping back in time among the modern facilities and Heritage Harbour status will help protect and encourage this ethos."

Robert Smith, Wells Harbour Master, with the new Heritage Harbour sign on the entrance to Wells (Image: Wells Harbour Commissioners)

Four bodies - the Maritime Heritage Trust, National Historic Ships, Shipshape Network and Historic England - started awarding Heritage Harbour status several years ago to places of "historic maritime significance".

The project aims to help revitalise historic ports and harbours, safeguard traditional skills and infrastructure, and promote cultural activity and tourism based on their seafaring legacy. 

A scene at Wells harbour after flooding in 1978. Wells has just been awarded 'Historic Harbour' status. (Image: Archive / A Taste of Wells)

And there is a royal coincidence in Wells achieving the title just as King Charles III begins his reign.

When the Port of Wells set up the Wells Harbour Commissioners 360 years ago in 1663, his namesake, King Charles II, was on the English throne.  

Mr Smith added: “This year’s plans aim to connect our community and its visitors as we celebrate our past and future.

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"Heritage Harbour status gives us the perfect accolade to mark the 1663 milestone.

“We are celebrating the port and town’s maritime past and future, while importantly, maintaining the Port of Wells as a working harbour, and not just a static attraction.”

READ MORE: The Albatros restaurant ship to return to Wells.

To mark the anniversary the commissioners - a group of volunteers who work to preserve and develop the Port of Wells - have created a timeline of the town’s maritime and social history since the 17th Century, which will go on display at the Quayside.

A maritime trail app is also being developed, which will allow locals and visitors to explore the town's maritime heritage on a self-guided walking tour, using their mobile phones. 

And there will also be an 'audible exhibition inside Wells' old tide recording station - an elevated hut next to the harbour office.

Heritage Harbour signage has also been added to the main Wells-next-the-Sea town entry signs.

A sanctuary for mariners - Wells' seafaring story

Protected by rare salt marshes behind a sand bar, Wells-next-the-Sea has been a safe haven for ships and boats for at least 600 years.

In Tudor times it was one of England’s major harbours. It continued to be a thriving, busy centre for shipping and the maritime industry in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when its stone quay and many of the large buildings, yards and houses that still dominate the look and feel of the town were built. 

A scene from the east end of Wells harbour in the 1800s. (Image: A taste of Wells / Matthew Usher)

Commercial shipping suffered with the coming of the railway in 1857 but the harbour continued to be busy up to the First World War, and there was a revival in the 1970s and 1980s.

Cargoes of grain brought from Europe by the Dutch sailing ketch Albatros continued until the 1990s.

Albatros was said to be the last commercial trading vessel under sail in Europe, and later became a floating restaurant, permanently docked on the Quayside. She is currently undergoing a refurbishment in Essex, but is due to return to Wells soon. 

Wells retains a vibrant fishing fleet, with hard-working boats regularly joined by other visiting commercial and fishing vessels from all over the UK and Europe.

The old tide recording station in Wells will host an 'audible exhibition where people can learn more about the town's maritime heritage. (Image: David Harper)

Wells harbour, pictured in 2005 (Image: James Bass)

Robert Smith, Wells Harbour Master with the Heritage Harbour signage added to the main Wells-Next-the-Sea town entry signs (Image: Wells Harbour Commissioners)

Ships in Wells harbour in 1982. (Image: Newsquest Library)