California, Norfolk

California is a seaside village within the parish of Ormesby St Margaret with Scratby in the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. California is situated 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Great Yarmouth. The village forms part of the wider Great Yarmouth Urban Area. The village is adjacent to the older and larger village of Scratby to the north and is a short distance from Caister-on-Sea to the south.

The hamlet acquired its name when a number of 16th century gold coins were discovered on the beach in 1848 at a time when the California Gold Rush was in the news.^[1][2]

California forms a small built up area with nearby Scratby and is close to the villages of Caister-on-Sea to the south, Ormesby St Margaret to the west and Hemsby beyond Scratby to the north. The North Sea is to the east.

California has a wide, sand and shingle beach and several caravan parks. There is also a tearoom and a pub.^[3][4][5]

California is served by the "Coastal Clipper" bus service running from Martham to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft via Hemsby, Caister-on-Sea, Gorleston-on-Sea, James Paget Hospital, Hopton-on-Sea and Corton, which is operated by First Eastern Counties.^[6] Additional bus services from the village include: Hemsby-Great Yarmouth, Caister-Great Yarmouth-James Paget Hospital and Bradwell-Caister.^[7]

The village was once served by a railway halt on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway between Yarmouth Beach and Melton Constable.^[8] California 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 with the line fully closing on the 2 March 1959. The halt has since been demolished and is now occupied by California Road and a house is now on the site of the former halt site.