Plan for lifeboat-themed flats in former museum

Maritime House used to be a refuge for shipwrecked sailors, before serving as a museum

A former seafront museum could be converted into nautical-themed holiday flats and a cafe.

Maritime House once housed Great Yarmouth's Maritime Museum, which closed in 2004 when the Time and Tide Museum opened.

After that it was used by Great Yarmouth Borough Council as a tourist information centre with offices and a conference room.

However, the building - originally a sailors' home to accommodate victims of shipwreck - has stood empty and vandalised since it closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Councillors voted to put the building up for sale in February after ideas to create a permanent museum for relics found on The Gloucester shipwreck were rejected.

The Sailors' Home was built in 1861 as a refuge for shipwrecked seamen

The sailor's home, established by philanthropist George Harcourt, was completed in 1861. It was initially known as The Great Yarmouth Beachmen and Fishermen's Institute, British and Foreign Sailors' Home and Refuge for the Shipwrecked of All Nations.

The building's new owner, listed in planning documents as Kenzoku Holdings Ltd, said it intended to theme the flats and cafe, with donations made to the local RNLI lifeboat station with each booking and through the cafe.

A statement, submitted as part of the application, said: "The applicant's intention is to sympathetically redevelop the building with the primary focus and vision to create a maritime/nautical themed concept throughout.

"The applicant seeks to ensure the building not only retains its name but also seeks to recognise its rich history.

"Every guest and customer who enters this building will leave with a greater awareness and understanding of the ‘Maritime House story’ from being a home for Shipwrecked Sailors through to being a museum and tourist information point for visitors.

"The applicant recognises the importance of this listed building to the local community and fully intends on creating a vibrant and sustainable operation whilst protecting the listed status of the building."

The apartments would be named after Mr Harcourt, as well as Lord Nelson, Cromer lifeboatman Henry Blogg, James Sharman, a Great Yarmouth victim of the Royal Navy's press gangs, and David Bartleman, who died after defending Great Yarmouth from a pirate attack in 1781.