The land outside of the walls of Great Yarmouth was called the Denes, and was used for the grazing of cattle, public hangings and for the fishermen to spread out their nets to dry. So established was the use, that King Edward I stipulated that no more than five windmills were to be built on the Denes, lest it interfere with the fishing.

This policy continued until 1750, when Doctor Russell’s report promoting sea water as a health remedy was published, which put seaside towns ‘in vogue’. This new fashion for the upper classes of society resulted in three new wells being sunk in the Denes close to the seashore, for the medicinal seawater, in addition to the wells already there to cater for the townsfolk. Entrepreneurs seeing that there was money to be made in this phenomena, started exploiting these wells, and in 1759 a Bath house was built. It used a system of horse mills to raise the seawater at every tide into reservoirs, from where it was then distributed by pipes into the baths. A charge was made for the use of the facilities, and although it was not cheap, high attendances were recorded everyday.

Nearly opposite this Bath house was a Jetty, which had been there since 1560, and was built to provide a landing stage for the increasing number of vessels using the port of Great Yarmouth. After being swept away and rebuilt a couple of times, one was finally rebuilt in 1808 extending 456 feet into the sea, and a Guide to Great Yarmouth published in 1817 described it as “ A most interesting walk, as the cool refreshing sea breezes which are equally enjoyed here, as they are at sea.” Soon after this, small boarding houses were being built to house the drones of visitors who wanted a piece of this healthy atmosphere.

Now because of the unrest in Europe with fears of Napoleon Bonapart, and with a fair amount of military officers in Great Yarmouth, it was decided that the Denes was as good a place as any to practice military manoeuvres. In 1809 a Royal Naval Hospital was built on the Denes, which was later incorporated into the Militia Barracks.

Even after the first rush of the people wanting Dr. Russell’s remedies, the Denes were still largely undeveloped, not because of lack of funds or interest, but because of fear expressed by wealthy tradesmen. They were worried that the shopping centre might move away from the market place, located in the centre of the walled town, and so destroying their businesses. As a result, they influenced the Corporation into creating a resolution in 1810, that restricted the types of buildings that could be constructed on the Denes. The rules that were laid down stated, that no buildings should be higher than 20 feet and that they should not be let as shops or public houses, and that the leases could be held for no longer than 21 years. This had the effect that the Tradesmen wanted, in that it virtually brought the building on the Denes to a standstill, with only a few houses built here and there.

In 1810 the officers in the Barracks decided that they wanted to race their horses on a proper track, and so they constructed a race course on the Denes. These races were well known drawing together the fashionable personages of all the neighbouring districts and also increased the popularity of the town when family and friends of the officers came to visit, which helped to promote Great Yarmouth as a fashionable resort. After the Battle of Waterloo, in 1819, a Monument commemorating the work of Lord Nelson was constructed in the middle of the race course, standing some 144 feet tall. Even though this was taller than the resolution passed, it was felt that it was not offensive to the tradesmen.

During the middle of the 19th Century, the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act saw the reversal of the ‘tradesmen’s’ policy, and the Denes began to assume something of their present day aspect. The Royal Hotel was constructed and opened in 1840, replacing a small house and garden, which at its time, used to be the last building southwards on the seafront.

What was to become the present Marine Parade was still only a dirt track.