Caister-on-Sea, Norfolk - <>

Caister-on-Sea, also known colloquially as Caister, is a settlement in Norfolk in England, United Kingdom, close to the large town of Great Yarmouth. It is a seaside resort and busy holiday destination on the "Golden Mile", with its main attraction being its sandy "Georgian Beach". It is home to Great Yarmouth race course. At the 2001 census it had a population of 8,756 and 3,970 households, the population increasing to 8,901 at the 2011 Census. It used to be served by Caister-on-Sea railway station. There was also a Caister Camp Halt, opened in 1933 to serve the holiday camp mentioned below. However, both were closed in 1959, after which Great Yarmouth railway station, 4km to the south, became the nearest station. The wind farm at Scroby Sands has thirty 2 - megawatt wind turbines, 2.5km off shore.HistoryCaister's history dates back to Roman times. In around AD 200 a fort was built here as a base for a unit of the Roman army and navy. However its role as a fort appears to have been reduced following the construction of the Saxon Shore fort at Burgh Castle on the other side of the estuary in the later part of the 3rd century.In the 1950s, a building near the south gate was excavated in advance of a housing development. These buildings certainly do not appear to be very military as they include a hypocaust and painted wall plaster as well as female jewellery, and it has been suggested that this building may have been an officer’s house, or possibly a ‘seamen's hostel’ which may be a polite name for a brothel. The site appears to have been abandoned in the 5th century, but 150 Saxon burials have been found to the south of the enclosure. The remains excavated in the 1950s are now managed by English Heritage and are open to the public.

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