Scratby

---

title: "Scratby" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["ormesby-st-margaret-with-scratby", "villages-in-norfolk", "borough-of-great-yarmouth", "seaside-resorts-in-england"] description: "Seaside resort in Norfolk, England" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scratby" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Seaside resort in Norfolk, England ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox UK place"]

Field	Value
country	England
coordinates
os_grid_reference	TG510156
official_name	Scratby
shire_district	Great Yarmouth
shire_county	Norfolk
region	East of England
civil_parish	Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby
constituency_westminster	Great Yarmouth
postcode_district	NR29
postcode_area	NR
post_town	GREAT YARMOUTH
dial_code	01493
static_image_name	Scratby village sign - geograph.org.uk - 6668335.jpg
static_image_caption	Scratby Village Sign
::

| country = England | coordinates = | os_grid_reference = TG510156 | official_name = Scratby | population = | population_ref = | area_total_km2 = | shire_district = Great Yarmouth | shire_county = Norfolk | region = East of England | civil_parish = Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby | constituency_westminster = Great Yarmouth | postcode_district = NR29 | postcode_area = NR | post_town = GREAT YARMOUTH | dial_code = 01493 | london_distance = |static_image_name = Scratby village sign - geograph.org.uk - 6668335.jpg |static_image_caption= Scratby Village Sign Scratby is a seaside village within the parish of Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby in the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. Scratby is situated 7 mi north of Great Yarmouth. The village forms part of the wider Great Yarmouth Urban Area. The village is adjacent to the small village of California to the south and the village of Hemsby to the north.

History

Scratby was first recorded in the Domesday Book as "in the hundred of East Flegg and the county of Norfolk."

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described the village as follows:

::quote

::

The village grew in size in 1848, due to the discovery of 16th century gold coins in nearby California. As a result, the-then small village grew in popularity as a seaside resort alongside Scratby.

Geography

Scratby is adjacent to the small built-up area of California to the south and is close to the villages of Hemsby to the north and Ormesby St Margaret to the southwest. The North Sea is to the east.

All Saints Parish Hall and Old Methodist Church

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Old_Methodist_chapel,Scratby-geograph.org.uk-_3606965.jpg" caption="The former Methodist church, opened in 1894, closed in 2012 and now a private residence."] ::

The village is served by All Saints Parish Hall off Beach Road. An old church is believed to have once occupied the site. The hall is used for community events.

There was also a Methodism church on Scratby Road. It was opened in 1894 and continued to be used until 2012 when it was closed. It has since been converted to a private residence.

Scratby Hall

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Scratby-Hall-1976.jpg" caption="Scratby Hall"] ::

Scratby Hall was built by John Fisher in about 1750, possibly incorporating elements from an earlier building. It was acquired by John Ramey, a lawyer and mayor of Great Yarmouth, who moved into the property on his retirement, having previously leased it to the diarist Sylas Neville. Ramey's daughter Abigail lived in the house following the death in 1786 of her husband, Reverend Alexander Home, 9th Earl of Home. The house underwent substantial additions during the 19th century. From 1949 to the mid-1980s, the home and estate served as Duncan Hall School. After the closure of the school, the Hall became a private residence. It was damaged by a fire in 1989.

Transport

Buses

Scratby is served by the "Coastal Clipper" bus service running from Martham to Great Yarmouth and on to Lowestoft via Hemsby, Caister-on-Sea, Gorleston-on-Sea, James Paget Hospital, Hopton-on-Sea and Corton. The route is operated by First Eastern Counties. Additional bus services from the village include: Hemsby-Great Yarmouth, Caister-Great Yarmouth-James Paget Hospital and Bradwell-Caister.

Railway

The village was once served by a railway halt on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway between Yarmouth Beach and Melton Constable. Scratby Halt railway station was opened on the 17 July 1933 and was closed in September 1939. It reopened in June 1948 and closed permanently on the 27 September 1958.

Notes

References

1. "Scratby {{!}} Domesday Book".
2. (2016-02-06). "'The new 'Gold Rush'.... but haven’t we been here before?'".
3. "All-Saints'-Church-Scratby - Norfolk Heritage Explorer".
4. "All Saints Parish Hall – Scratby – A Norfolk Parishes site".
5. GENUKI. "Genuki: Scratby Methodist Chapel (later Church), Scratby, Primitive Methodist, Norfolk".
6. Thornborow, Philip. "Scratby Primitive Methodist Chapel, Norfolk".
7. "Scratby House, Norfolk, designs for alterations to the house for John Ramey Esq, c1777, unexecuted (7)". [[Sir John Soane's Museum]] Collection Online.
8. A G Overill, Secretary, Old Duncanians Association, Great Yarmouth Mercury, 20 August 2009.
9. (16 April 2025). "1, 1A - Coastal Clipper - Martham,Repps Road - Lowestoft,Bus Station".
10. "Scratby – Bus Times".
11. (2018-04-22). "Chuffing along to yesteryear’s rail halts".
12. Shorland-Ball, Rob. (2023-04-20). "The Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway to Poppyland: From the Midlands to Norfolk & Norwich". Pen and Sword Transport.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::