William Balls monument at Cromer Old Cemetery
William Balls Monument approximately 20m west of the cemetery chapel, Cromer Old Cemetery, Holt Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9EB
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1471822
- Date first listed:
- 18-Aug-2020
- List Entry Name:
- William Balls monument at Cromer Old Cemetery
- Statutory Address:
- William Balls Monument approximately 20m west of the cemetery chapel, Cromer Old Cemetery, Holt Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9EB
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
| Buildings |
| Scheduled monuments |
| Parks and gardens |
| Battlefields |
| Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1471822
- Date first listed:
- 18-Aug-2020
- List Entry Name:
- William Balls monument at Cromer Old Cemetery
- Statutory Address 1:
- William Balls Monument approximately 20m west of the cemetery chapel, Cromer Old Cemetery, Holt Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9EB
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- William Balls Monument approximately 20m west of the cemetery chapel, Cromer Old Cemetery, Holt Road, Cromer, Norfolk, NR27 9EB
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- North Norfolk (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Cromer
- National Grid Reference:
- TG2117541954
Summary
Headstone dating from about 1881 commemorating William Balls.
Reasons for Designation
The William Balls Monument at Cromer Old Cemetery is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest:
* this is an unusual headstone with a relief carving depicting the ship from which the deceased fell.
Historic interest:
* it commemorates the sad death of a young man at sea.
Group value:
* it has group value with the cemetery chapel and three other listed headstones.
History
The land for Cromer Cemetery was donated by B B Cabell of Cromer Hall in 1860. There was originally a private path between the cemetery and the hall. A quarter of the cemetery was reserved for dissenters, the rest was consecrated for Anglicans. The cemetery closed to burials in 1908.
Details
Headstone. c1881. Carved stone. The headstone has slightly narrowed sides and a curved top with an oval relief panel of a ship in a heavy sea and under lowering clouds. The inscription records William Balls, the husband of Frances Martha Balls, who died aged 25, having fallen from the lugger, Egmere, in the gale of Oct. 29, 1880.
SOURCE. The deceased's granddaughter, Mrs. Joan Witham, has verified the faint inscription and reports that the family tradition is that the relief illustrates the Egmere.
This is a very unusual and fine headstone which not only records fully a young man's death at sea but also shows a relief carving of the ship from which he fell. Forms a group with the listed Chapel and three other listed headstones in the cemetery.
Sources
Websites
Norfolk Heritage Explorer, accessed 5 August 2020 from http://www.heritage.norfolk.gov.uk/record-details?MNF33459-Cromer-Cemetery-Holt-Road&Index=30683&RecordCount=57338&SessionID=13e49eb9-a409-4f1f-8738-a5f6b107c499
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 24-Jun-2026 at 05:29:45.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.