Hopton-on-Sea

Hopton-on-Sea should not be confused with the village of Hopton which is in Suffolk but near to the Norfolk town of Diss. There is also a Haven Caravan Park, named Hopton Holiday Village, and a Hopton near Wirksworth in Derbyshire

Hopton-on-Sea
Hopton beach
Hopton-on-Sea  Hopton-on-Sea shown within Norfolk
Area	5.63 km2 (2.17 sq mi)
Population	2,970 (Census 2011)
– density	528/km2 (1,370/sq mi)
OS grid reference	TM5399
District	Great Yarmouth
Shire county	Norfolk
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	GREAT YARMOUTH
Postcode district	NR31
Dialling code	01502
Police	Norfolk
Fire	Norfolk
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Great Yarmouth
List of places UK England Norfolk

Hopton-on-Sea is a village, civil parish and seaside resort on the coast of East Anglia in the county of Norfolk. It is located some 8 km south of the town of Great Yarmouth and very close to the UK's most easterly point, Lowestoft Ness.

History

The original church of St Margaret's burnt down in 1865 was replaced the following year by a new church of the same name designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon. It is in the Victorian neo-Norman style and contains stained glass by William Morris and Burne-Jones. The old church ruins are being restored to form a cultural centre for the village.

Governance

The civil parish was, until 1974, in the county of East Suffolk. It has an area of 5.63 km² and in the 2011 census had a population of 2,970 in 1,325 households. For the purposes of local government, the parish falls within the district of Great Yarmouth.

Present

The village maintains two local convenience stores, a village primary school, and several amusement arcades, a bookmakers, a hair salon, take-away food venues and a chip shop.

It has a regular, if infrequent bus service to Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. It once had its own station Hopton railway station, linking it to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, but this has now closed.

The village is also home to Potters Resort, the first permanent, mixed use holiday camp in the UK, founded in 1920. Potters Resort was also the first holiday village in the United Kingdom to be awarded five stars by the English Tourist Board in 2002. Potters remains family owned and is the last privately owned holiday village of its kind, employing approximately 560 permanent staff making it the largest private sector employer in the area.

Every January, Hopton-On-Sea hosts the World Indoor Bowls Championships at Potters Resort with players, spectators, the BBC and many others staying in the village for what is regarded as the biggest event in the bowls calendar.

Notable former residents include comedians Joe Pasquale and Eddie Large, children's presenter Dave Benson Phillips, and footballers Mark Noble and Laurie Sivell.