Time and Tide Museum

About the museum

Time and Tide is housed in the former Tower Curing Works, a Victorian herring smoking factory in the Blackfriars Road area of Great Yarmouth. The factory closed in the mid-1980s and then stood empty for almost twenty years. The building is Grade II listed.

The building was converted into a museum with an investment of more than £4.5 million and opened in 2005. The conversion kept the factory’s industrial character visible, so that visitors move through the spaces where herring were once cured. The museum took over displays from Great Yarmouth’s earlier Maritime Museum, which had closed in 2002.

The galleries follow the history of the town and its people, from the Ice Age to the present day, with a strong focus on the herring fishing industry, the fishing fleet and the seaside holiday trade. The museum is run by the Norfolk Museums Service and is part of the Maritime Heritage East partnership of maritime museums. It was a finalist for the Gulbenkian Prize in 2005 and for European Museum of the Year in 2006.

Highlights

• Grade II listed Victorian herring curing works
• Displays on the herring fishing industry and the fleet
• Great Yarmouth history from the Ice Age to the present
• Hands-on areas such as seaside dressing-up and board games
• Silver Darlings Café on site

Permanent exhibition

• Great Yarmouth life – Permanent displays on the town’s history from the Ice Age to today, including the herring fishing industry, in the former curing works.

Founded

2005

Operated by

Norfolk Museums Service

Admission & discounts

Free for Norfolk Museums Pass holders, National Art Pass holders, Museums Association members, foster families, looked-after children and Children’s University members; proof of eligibility may be requested. Special exhibitions are included in the admission price. Guided tours and some events are ticketed separately.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The ground-floor displays and the courtyard are fully accessible, and lifts serve the first-floor galleries. There are accessible toilets on the ground and first floors, and an assistive listening system is available. Access packs can be collected from reception; they contain a picture board guide, companion notes, raised profile images of selected artworks, a self-guided accessible highlights tour, a spotlight torch, ear defenders and a magnifying sheet. Assistance dogs are welcome. Blue Badge spaces are in the pay-and-display car park opposite the museum on Blackfriars Road.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Hands-on areas include seaside dressing-up, a toy fishing game and board games, and holiday activities are included in the admission price. A baby changing facility is available.

Getting there & parking

By car from the A47, follow the brown heritage signs for Historic South Quay.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Silver Darlings Café on site serves refreshments and light meals, and there is a gift shop.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 40 guests.

A modern meeting room for up to 40 people can be hired; catering is available from the Silver Darlings Café. Bookings go through the Great Yarmouth museums team.

Plan your visit