Town's last boat-building family honoured in a mural

A new mural depicting the history of the last boat-building family in the Norfolk town of Sheringham has been unveiled.

The seaside town is already home to a number of murals reflecting its prominent characters and fishing heritage.

The latest work by 78-year-old artist Colin Seal was painted in honour of the Emery family, whose boat-building business was founded in 1860.

It was unveiled in the presence of three surviving members of the family - Mike, Malcolm and Jonathan Emery. The three men are great, great grandsons of Lewis Emery, who set up the business.

Mr Seal has painted a number of murals around Sheringham

The mural depicts family members at work and is painted at the workshop at 1, The Old Boathouse, in historic Lifeboat Plain.

It draws on old photographs held at Sheringham Museum and imagines the building of the Windsor Rose, one of the last crab boats to be built in Sheringham and currently held at the museum.

The new mural was commissioned by Richard Howitt and Diana Sutton, the current owners of 1, The Old Boathouse, which is now run as a holiday property let.

Mr Howitt said: “This is a brilliant piece of artwork, bringing Sheringham’s most famous boat-builders back to life.

"It will mean every one of our visitors can be part of the story of the building and will help to sustain its very special history for the next generation.

“The style means it is both a colourful and striking addition to the street scene at one of Sheringham’s key tourist spots, but also enjoys a realism which means someone approaching from the beach or along the promenade, could almost believe that the boat-builders are working today."

At one point in the 1930s there were more than 70 fishing boats operating from the town's beach