Editing Cley next the Sea

{{short description|Village in Norfolk, England}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Cley next the Sea
| country = England
| region = East of England
| shire_district = [[North Norfolk]]
| shire_county = [[Norfolk]]
| civil_parish = Cley next the Sea<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cleyparishcouncil.org.uk/ |title=Cley Parish Council |website=www.cleyparishcouncil.org.uk |access-date=19 April 2018}}</ref>
| static_image_name = Windmill Reed beds Cley.jpg
| static_image_caption = [[Cley Windmill]]
| population = 401
| population_ref = (2021 census)
| area_total_km2 = 8.38
| population_density = 
| os_grid_reference = TG045436
| coordinates = {{coord|52|57|09|N|01|02|35|E|display=inline,title}}
| post_town = HOLT
| postcode_area = NR
| postcode_district = NR25
| dial_code = 01263
| constituency_westminster = [[North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|North Norfolk]]
| london_distance = {{cvt|129|mi|km}}
}}
[[File:Cley next the Sea church St Margaret.JPG|thumb|240px|[[St Margaret's, Cley]]]]

'''Cley next the Sea''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|eɪ|}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|l|aɪ|}}) is a village and [[civil parish]] on the [[River Glaven]] in the [[England|English]] county of [[Norfolk, England|Norfolk]].

Cley next the Sea is located {{Convert|4.1|mi|km}} north-west of [[Holt, Norfolk|Holt]] and {{Convert|25|mi|km}} north-west of [[Norwich]].

==History==
The village's name is of [[Anglo-Saxon]] origin and derives from the [[Old English]] for 'clay'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key to English Place-names |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Norfolk/Cley%20next%20to%20the%20Sea |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=kepn.nottingham.ac.uk}}</ref>

In the [[Domesday Book]], Cley is recorded as a settlement of 38 households located in the [[Hundred (county division)|hundred]] of [[Holt, Norfolk|Holt]]. In 1086, the village formed parts of the [[East Anglia]]n estates of [[William the Conqueror|King William I]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cley [next the Sea] {{!}} Domesday Book |url=https://opendomesday.org/place/TG0443/cley-next-the-sea/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=opendomesday.org}}</ref>

A ruined building on the marshes is known as [[Blakeney Chapel]]; despite its name, it is in Cley parish, and probably never had a religious purpose. It is a [[listed building|Grade II listed building]] and [[scheduled monument]] which was likely an old iron smeltery.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=REMAINS OF BLAKENEY CHAPEL AT TG 043 452, Cley Next the Sea |num=1172376 |access-date=2024-12-12 }}</ref>

Cley was once one of the busiest ports in England, where grain, [[malt]], fish, spices, coal, cloth, barley and oats were exported or imported. The many [[Flemish gable]]s in the town are a reminder of trade with the [[Low Countries]]. But despite its name, Cley has not been "next the sea" since the 17th century, due to [[land reclamation]].

Some of the buildings that once lined the [[quay]] remain, notably the 18th-century [[Cley Windmill]]. The windmill, a five-storey [[tower mill]], was owned by the family of singer [[James Blunt]] for many decades<ref name="blunt">{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/05/18/music_feature_james_blunt_interview_200505_feature.shtml |title=Norfolk – Entertainment – James Blunt interview |publisher=BBC |date=18 May 2005 |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> and operated as a [[bed and breakfast]]. The mill was sold in 2006, but continues to operate as a bed and breakfast on a non-profit making basis. It was used as a backdrop of the 1949 film ''[[Conspirator (1949 film)|Conspirator]]'' with [[Elizabeth Taylor]]. Cley Mill has often been depicted by local artists and was the subject of a painting by the 20th-century English landscape artist, [[Rowland Hilder]].<ref>{{NHLE |desc=CLEY MILL, Cley Next the Sea |num=1049823 |access-date=2024-12-12 }}</ref>

After a devastating fire in 1612 destroyed 117 buildings, much of Cley was rebuilt in the prevailing architectural styles of the time.<ref name="heritage.norfolk.gov.uk">{{Cite web |title=Parish-Summary-Cley-next-the-Sea-(Parish-Summary) - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?TNF267-Parish-Summary-Cley-next-the-Sea-(Parish-Summary) |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}</ref>

Cley Hall is dated to 1770 and is a red-brick country house. The hall has been Grade II listed since 1952.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=CLEY HALL, Cley Next the Sea |num=1373453 |access-date=2024-12-12 }}</ref>

After the silting up of the port, Cley had to find another industry; in the late 19th century, it became a holiday resort. The poet [[Rupert Brooke]] was staying in Cley with classics professor [[Francis Macdonald Cornford]] and his wife, the poet [[Frances Cornford]], early in August 1914 when news came that Britain had entered what was to become the [[First World War]]. Brooke had dreamt about the war and woke to find it a reality. He did not speak to his hosts all day until Frances Cornford said, "But Rupert, '''you''' won't have to fight?" to which Brooke replied, "We shall '''all''' have to fight".<ref>Hollis, Matthew: [[Now All Roads Lead to France]] – The Last Years of Edward Thomas, Faber & Faber, London, 2011</ref>

During the [[Second World War]], significant defences (including [[Mortar (weapon)|mortar]] pits, [[Defensive fighting position|slit trenches]] and [[bunker]]s) were built in Cley to defend against a possible [[Nazi Germany|German]] invasion.<ref name="heritage.norfolk.gov.uk"/> There was also a [[prisoner-of-war camp]] in Cley during the conflict.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MNF46290 - Norfolk Heritage Explorer |url=https://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF46290 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[2021 United Kingdom census|2021 census]], Cley next the Sea has a population of 401 people which shows a decrease from the 437 people recorded in the [[2011 United Kingdom census|2011 census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cley Next The Sea (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/north_norfolk/E04006402__cley_next_the_sea/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref>

The [[A149 road|A149]], between [[King's Lynn]] and [[Great Yarmouth]], runs through the centre of the village, causing congestion in the summer months due to the tight, narrow streets.{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}}

==St Margaret's Church==
{{Main|St Margaret's, Cley}}
Cley next the Sea's parish church is dedicated to [[Saint Margaret of Antioch]] and is located on Cley Green. St Margaret's dates from the 14th century and has been Grade I listed since 1960.<ref>{{NHLE |desc=CHURCH OF ST MARGARET, Cley Next the Sea |num=1172407 |access-date=2024-12-12 }}</ref>

St Margaret's was built at the expense of the mercantile [[de Vaux family]] and was built by the mason, [[William de Ramsey]], though the construction was halted during the [[Black Death]]. The church boasts several carved roundels, an elaborate Medieval [[Baptismal font|font]] as well as a damaged set of royal arms from the reign of [[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Norfolk Churches |url=http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cley/cley.htm |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.norfolkchurches.co.uk}}</ref>

==Cley Marshes==
{{main|Cley Marshes}}
[[File:Cley Mill, Norfolk.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Cley towermill stands at the edge of the village, next to the coastal marshes and a network of drainage channels]]
The marshes around Cley are internationally important for their populations of rare breeding and visiting birds. Cley Marshes bird reserve has been in the care of the [[Norfolk Wildlife Trust]] since 1926, making it the oldest county Wildlife Trust reserve in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk/Wildlife-in-Norfolk/Reserves/Cley-Marshes.aspx |title=Cley Marshes |publisher=Norfolk Wildlife Trust |access-date=26 March 2013}}</ref> Among resident breeding birds are [[pied avocet|avocet]], [[bearded tit]], [[Eurasian bittern|bittern]], [[western marsh harrier|marsh harrier]] and [[Eurasian spoonbill|spoonbill]]. Winter visitors include [[brent goose]], [[Eurasian wigeon]], [[northern pintail|pintail]] and many species of [[wading birds]]. Cley, like neighbouring [[Salthouse]], is ideally situated at the apex of the North Norfolk coast as a staging ground for passage migrants, vagrants and rarities of all kinds. A new eco-friendly visitor centre opened in 2007 containing a café, shop, viewing areas (including viewing from a camera on the reserve), exhibition area, interpretation and toilets. The view from the visitor centre across the marsh to the sea is breathtaking. Cley Marshes is the home of the Bird Information Service, publishers of ''[[Birding World]]''. The shingle bank holds large numbers of [[Glaucium flavum|yellow horned poppy]].

==Sea defences==
The [[Salt marsh|salt]] and [[Freshwater marsh|fresh water marshes]] used to be very well protected. However the cost of replenishing the shingle spit grew too much for the village to sustain. Once the repairing stopped, it became easier for waves to get through; in 1953 a large storm, measured at {{cvt|5.12|m|ft}} above ordnance datum (see [[North Sea flood of 1953]]) hit the [[North Norfolk]] coast and the shingle ridge was mostly destroyed. A further storm surge in 1978 measured {{cvt|4.19|m|ft}} above ordnance datum and the protection measures confined flooding to the marshes and A149 coast road. The North Norfolk Shoreline Management Plan introduced by the [[Environment Agency]] has proposed a number of strategies in the light of continual erosion and predicted [[sea level rise|rising sea levels]] caused by [[global warming]]: these include ''Advance the line'', ''Hold the line'', ''[[Managed retreat]]'' and ''Do nothing''. Even after extensive public consultation there is widespread local concern that the marshes will be lost to the North Sea.

==Notable residents and appearance in media==
[[File:BBC Balloon over Cley.jpg|thumb|right|[[BBC One]] [[History of BBC television idents|balloon]] over Cley]]
* William Jones was a merchant here in the 18th century. His daughter, [[Charlotte Jones (painter)|Charlotte Jones]], became a noted Royal [[Portrait miniature|miniature portrait]] painter.<ref name=odnb>Annette Peach, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/14986 'Jones, Charlotte (1768–1847)'], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 17 Jan 2015</ref>
* Singer and songwriter [[James Blunt]] spent time, in his early years, at his grandfather's and later his father's [[Cley Windmill|windmill]] in the village.<ref name=blunt/>
* [[Cley Hall|Cley Old Hall]] was used as a location in the 1982 film ''[[The Ploughman's Lunch]]''. During July 1997 the BBC filmed one of its [[BBC One]] [[History of BBC television idents|balloon idents]], which ran from 1997 to 2002, in the village.

== Governance ==
Cley next the Sea is part of the [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] of Coastal for local elections and is part of the [[Non-metropolitan district|district]] of [[North Norfolk]].

The village's national constituency is [[North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|North Norfolk]], which has been represented by the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Steff Aquarone|Steff Aquarone MP]] since 2024.

==War memorials==
Cley next the Sea's war memorials are two stone tablets inside St.Margaret's Church. They list the following names for the [[First World War]]:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Roll of Honour - Norfolk - Cley Next The Sea |url=https://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/CleyNextTheSea.html |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.roll-of-honour.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Geograph:: Caister to Croxton :: War Memorials in Norfolk |url=https://www.geograph.org.uk/article/War-Memorials-in-Norfolk/5 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=www.geograph.org.uk}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Rank
!Name
!Unit
!Date of Death
!Burial
|-
|2Lt.
|Raven Couzens-Hardy
|4th Bn., [[Norfolk Regiment]]
|9 Oct. 1917
|[[Tyne Cot]]
|-
|PO
|Henry Rowe
|[[HMS Invincible (1907)|''HMS Invincible'']]
|31 May 1916
|[[Portsmouth Naval Memorial|Portsmouth Memorial]]
|-
|POSt
|Frank Whatley
|[[HMS Aboukir (1900)|''HMS Aboukir'']]
|22 Sep. 1914
|[[Portsmouth Naval Memorial|Portsmouth Memorial]]
|-
|Sgt.
|Ernest W. E. Gibbs
|2nd Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|5 Jun. 1916
|[[Kirkee War Cemetery]]
|-
|Cpl.
|John T. Rayner
|10th Bn., [[Essex Regiment]]
|4 Mar. 1918
|[[Grand Seraucourt|Seraucourt Cemetery]]
|-
|St1C
|Herbert W. Ellwood
|''H.M. Tug Desire''{{Efn|The Desire was sunk by [[SM UB-34]] off the coast of [[Filey]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]].}}
|20 Jan. 1918
|[[Chatham Naval Memorial|Chatham Memorial]]
|-
|Bsth.
|James W. Grimes
|[[HMS Invincible (1907)|''HMS Invincible'']]
|31 May 1916
|[[Portsmouth Naval Memorial|Portsmouth Memorial]]
|-
|Gnr.
|Valentine H. Pinchen
|101st Bty., [[Royal Garrison Artillery]]
|29 Aug. 1918
|[[Tourgéville|Tourgéville Cemetery]]
|-
|Gnr.
|Charles A. Gidney
|L Bty., [[Royal Horse Artillery]]
|8 Sep. 1914
|[[Baron, Oise|Baron Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|George W. Weston
|1st Bn., [[Bedfordshire Regiment]]
|27 Mar. 1918
|[[Cremona|Cremona Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Herbert Holman
|4th Bn., Bedfordshire Regt.
|14 Jan. 1918
|[[Villers-Plouich|Fifteen Ravine Cem.]]
|-
|Pte.
|William E. Barnes
|[[2nd Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles|2nd (British Columbia Mtd.) Bn.]], [[Canadian Expeditionary Force|CEF]]
|29 Sep. 1916
|[[Vimy memorial|Vimy Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|John E. Barnes
|[[18th Battalion (Western Ontario), CEF|18th (Western Ontario) Bn.]], CEF
|15 Sep. 1916
|[[Vimy memorial|Vimy Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Bert W. E. Gibbs
|11th Bn., [[East Yorkshire Regiment]]
|4 May 1917
|[[Duisans|Duisans Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|George H. Drinkwater
|13th Bn., East Yorks.
|30 Jul. 1917
|[[Neuville-St Vaast|La Targette Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Ralph Barnes
|1st Bn., [[Essex Regiment]]
|13 Aug. 1915
|[[Helles Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Frederick J. Bishop
|10th Bn., Essex Regt.
|17 Oct. 1916
|[[Contay British Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Bertie F. Rowe
|2nd Bn., [[Norfolk Regiment]]
|4 Jul. 1916
|[[Basra War Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Harold J. Woodhouse
|2/4th Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|17 May 1915
|St Margaret's Churchyd.
|-
|Pte.
|Cecil J. Bolton
|1/5th Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|19 Apr. 1917
|[[Jerusalem Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Herbert W. Williamson
|7th Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|20 Nov. 1915
|[[Lillers|Lillers Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Frank Loades
|8th Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|19 Jul. 1916
|[[Thiepval Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Cecil A. Gathercole
|9th Bn., Norfolk Regt.
|20 Nov. 1917
|[[Ribécourt-Dreslincourt|Ribécourt Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Frederick W. Brett
|1/4th Bn., [[Northumberland Fusilers]]
|25 Oct. 1916
|[[Thiepval Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Robert W. T. Leeder
|3/4th Bn., [[Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)|Queen's Royal Regiment]]
|5 Oct. 1917
|[[Tyne Cot]]
|-
|Pte.
|Albert G. Jeary
|1st Bn., [[Royal Warwickshire Regiment|Royal Warwickshire Regt.]]
|12 Oct. 1916
|[[Thiepval Memorial]]
|-
|St2C
|James G. Elvin
|[[HMS Vivid (shore establishment 1890)|''HMS Vivid'']]
|13 Sep. 1918
|St Margaret's Churchyd.
|-
|Dhd.
|George W. Grimes
|H.M. Trawler ''St Ives''
|21 Dec. 1916
|[[Chatham Naval Memorial|Chatham Memorial]]
|-
|Mr.
|Lewis R. Mann
|[[Merchant Marine]]{{Efn|Mann was killed as a passenger aboard the [[SS Fabala]] which was sunk by [[SM U-28 (Germany)|SM U-28]].}}
|28 Mar. 1915
|[[Callestick|Callestick Cemetery]]
|}
And, the following for the [[Second World War]]:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Rank
!Name
!Unit
!Date of Death
!Burial
|-
|Lt.
|Charles G. Bird
|[[HMS Exeter (68)|''HMS Exeter'']]
|1 Mar. 1942
|[[Plymouth Naval Memorial]]
|-
|Sgt.
|William Voellner
|[[No. 103 Squadron RAF]]
|26 Aug. 1944
|[[Littlehampton|Littlehampton Cemetery]]
|-
|Sgt.
|Fred Yarham
|5th Bn., [[Royal Norfolk Regiment]]
|1 Mar. 1943
|[[Yokohama|Cremation Cem., Yokohama]]
|-
|Cpl.
|Jack P. Ramm
|2nd Bn., [[Royal Norfolk Regiment]]
|4 May 1944
|[[Kohima War Cemetery]]
|-
|LS
|Francis A. Lewis
|[[HMS Exmoor (L61)|''HMS Exmoor'']]
|25 Feb. 1941
|[[Chatham Naval Memorial]]
|-
|LS
|Sidney G. Twiddy
|[[HMS Usk (N65)|''HMS Usk'']]
|3 May 1941
|[[Chatham Naval Memorial]]
|-
|Pte.
|Frank H. Dawson
|7th Bn., [[Black Watch]]
|19 Apr. 1945
|[[Rheinberg War Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|Eric V. Brett
|5th Bn., [[Royal Norfolk Regiment]]
|21 May 1943{{Efn|Brett died of [[Cholera]] whilst a prisoner of the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]].}}
|[[Kanchanaburi War Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|William N. Clarke
|5th Bn., Royal Norfolks.
|21 Sep. 1943
|[[Chungkai War Cemetery]]
|-
|Pte.
|George W. E. Clarke
|6th Bn., Royal Norfolks.
|18 Jan. 1942
|[[Kranji War Memorial]]
|}

==References==

=== References ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cley next the Sea}}

{{Civil Parishes of North Norfolk}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cley next the Sea]]
[[Category:Villages in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Norfolk]]
[[Category:Beaches of Norfolk]]
[[Category:North Norfolk]]
[[Category:Coastal erosion in the United Kingdom]]