A Victorian herring curing works now houses a new museum celebrating Great Yarmouth's maritime and fishing history. The new "Time and Tide" museum in Great Yarmouth opened in July 2004.
The architect responsible for the conversion, Nigel Sunter from the Norwich office, sought to retain as much of the original character of the Grade II listed curing works as possible - including the ingrained smell of smoked fish. The curing works, on a deceptively large triangular-shaped site, had to be made safe before it could be surveyed having been derelict (and the subject of arson attacks) since 1989.
Work began on site in 2002. Elements such as the tall and aromatic smoke houses and two metre deep pits or steeps in which fish were soaked in brine for weeks have been kept and form a significant part of the museum tour. Another section of the new museum incorporates an alleyway, known in Great Yarmouth as a row, which is a reconstruction of the original narrow lanes that once led away from the quayside. The most dramatic modern addition is the steel mast in the courtyard. This rises 20 metres above the cobbled floor and supports a series of tensioned fabric canopies reminiscent of the sails of the thousands of fishing boats which once moored in Great Yarmouth's harbour.
