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Moving to Wells-next-the-Sea with Hamiltons Removals
Wells-next-the-Sea is world-famous for its wide, sandy beach and its picture-postcard town centre, which have attracted plenty of film-makers and tourists in recent years. Here Hamiltons removals, who can offer high-end removals if you are interested in moving house to Wells-next-the-Sea, look at the town’s history, facilities and house prices.
The History
Wells-next-the-Sea was originally just called Wells because of the number of spring wells the town had. These rose through the chalk foundations which were common in the region. In the 14th Century, however, the ‘next-the-sea’ suffix was added, to distinguish the town from other places called Wells across the UK.
The town was a seaport even before the name change, with grain and coal the major exports and imports. It was also a fishing port with its own fleet of vessels, catching Cromer crabs, lobsters, mussels, skate and King’s Lynn brown shrimps. While the town’s importance as a port has declined, the fishing fleet remains – a fact reflected in the local restaurants, which usually have plenty of seafood on the menu.
The Facilities
The beach at Wells-next-the-Sea is part of the Holkham Estate and is around a mile from the town. If you want to conserve your energy before you get to the sand and the sea, you can take the Wells Beach bus service. Many wading birds can be seen on the foreshore, including oystercatchers and avocets.
The town lies in the Norfolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the lack of light pollution also means it’s ideal for stargazing as well as birdwatching. And if you prefer crustaceans to birds, then you can always go crabbing on the quay.
Independent shops are the order of the day in the town centre with plenty of local butchers, bakers, greengrocers and fishmongers (although there is a Co-op as well). Wells Maltings, which also houses the town’s tourist information centre, is now the hub of the local arts scene.
If you are looking for a day out, try nearby Holkham Hall – the 18th century country house is open to the public on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays. There is also a full programme of events in the grounds of the estate including concerts and theatrical performances, as well as seasonal events at Easter, Halloween and Christmas.
Transport Links
The town is on the main A149 coast road between Holkham and Stiffkey and is often winding and quite narrow. There is a Coasthopper bus service which operates seven days a week and runs hourly on Mondays to Saturdays and almost hourly on Sundays and public holidays.
Although the town no longer has a mainline train station (one line west to King’s Lynn was never reinstated after 1953 storm damage, while the line to Norwich and further south was a victim of the Beeching cuts of the 1960s) there is still a heritage steam railway which attracts plenty of visitors. The Wells and Walsingham line is a 10 ¼ inch gauge railway and uses part of the old tracks.
House Prices
All these facilities and seaside views come at a price if you are interested in moving house to Wells-next -the-Sea. Rightmove reports that the average price of a home in the town is now in excess of £0.5 million, although terraced and semi-detached properties are usually considerably cheaper.
There is also a local charity, Homes for Wells, which helps provide homes for local people; they currently own or manage 30 houses in and around the town and they buy properties with the help of grants and loans.
Moving House to Wells-next-the-Sea with Hamiltons Removals
As a leading Norfolk removals company, we can help with all aspects of your move to Wells-next-the-Sea. We can offer optional extras, such as packing and unpacking all your possessions (even if they are large or unusual items) and cleaning your old home. We can help with domestic and commercial moves to all parts of Norfolk, including Cromer, Sheringham, Burnham Market, King’s Lynn, Diss or the county town of Norwich.
To learn more about our high-end removals to Norfolk, follow this link or call us on 01379 855203.
Top Trends from the UK’s Self-Storage Industry
The self-storage industry is continuing to thrive in a difficult environment – that’s the key message from the Self-Storage Association UK (SSSAUK) in their 2023 annual report which has just been released. Here Hamiltons Removals, who offer high-quality storage facilities in East Anglia, focus on some of the report’s key trends.
The Survey Itself
This year’s survey was one of the biggest the association has ever undertaken. It uses information from the 2022 calendar year, although the report itself was compiled in the first two months of this year.
Around one in four of all the self-storage companies across the UK completed the questionnaire, and they account for 40% of the total storage space available. In total, 57 companies, who have 602 storage facilities between them, answered the survey.
The Key Facts and Figures
- The occupancy rate of all self-storage units was stable at 83.3% of the total available space. The report notes that this is a good thing, as companies should always have space available to attract new customers.
- The so-called churn rate has risen slightly but remains below pre-pandemic levels at 81%. The churn rate is measured by the total number of move-outs in a year divided by the total amount of units that were occupied during that period.
- Three out of every four companies now allow you to reserve your unit online.
- A death in the family is still one of the key personal reasons for using self-storage.
- Those people moving house, or renovating their property, are three times more likely to use self-storage than anyone else.
The Challenges
In 2021, the industry was recovering from the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. However, last year the difficulties came from the high rate of inflation, and specifically soaring interest and mortgage rates.
Both of these had a negative effect on house sales, which is one of the key drivers when it comes to booking up storage space. However, in the rental market many tenants have had no choice but to look for smaller properties because of rising rents. This, says the report, will lead to increased demand for storage facilities as the tenants downsize.
Also, as many people are having difficulties with the high cost of living, some renovation projects may be being put on the back burner. The storage companies themselves have highlighted issues with increasing staff and energy costs, which – in some cases – has led to a rise in the rental rates being charged.
What About the Future?
In spite of the difficulties, most providers have good reason to remain optimistic about the remainder of 2023 and next year. Four out of every five consumers say that their self-storage unit offers good value for money, and one in five customers have rented out their unit for more than five years.
There will always be a demand for self-storage (because of life events, such as moving house, divorces and deaths) and businesses will always need somewhere to put their stock. The storage businesses surveyed said they planned to open or acquire more than 100 new stores in the months ahead.
The report also mentions the need for storage companies to offer high-quality customer service, such as being able to buy packaging and other storage materials on-site and allowing commercial customers to carry out business from the unit (possibly via a trade counter).
Storage Facilities in East Anglia from Hamiltons Removals
At Hamiltons Removals, we have two Safe’n’Stored sites at Harleston and Aldeby, both on the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Harleston has self-storage rooms of varying sizes, while Aldeby has self-storage containers ranging from 5’ to 20’ in size, making it ideal for larger items, such as motorbikes and caravans. Both sites are protected by CCTV cameras.
Both depots are now open as usual and our Harleston site sells a range of high-quality packing materials via our online shop. We would recommend you use these if you are storing any furniture and clothing in particular as we stock various specialist products such as sofa covers (which you can also use for moving house) and wardrobe cartons.