The Place

The Palmers building has a long history in Great Yarmouth town centre. In its heyday, the family-run department store was a community hub as much as a business, serving generations of residents.

Palmers' story began in June 1837, when Garwood Burton Palmer opened a small linen and drapery shop in Great Yarmouth Market Place. His brother, Nathaniel, joined him in 1844. When Garwood Palmer died in 1888, the business transferred into the hands of Nathaniel Palmer's sons, becoming known as Palmer Brothers.

Over the next two decades they extended and developed the store, adding more departments. By 1907 it was 30 times larger than it had been in 1837. Palmers has survived two major fires and bomb damage, and in 1902 it became the first building in Great Yarmouth to be illuminated by electricity.

Palmers was owned and run by descendants of the store's original founder until 2018, when it was acquired by Beales Department Stores.

On 18 February 2020 it was announced that all Beales stores were to close. The Great Yarmouth store closed on 18 March 2020, ending 183 years of trading.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council bought the Palmers building in 2021 with the goal of relocating learning and training functions into a single, high-profile building in the centre of Great Yarmouth. The £17 million project to convert the former department store into a state of the art educational facility began in 2022.

The top-to-bottom refurbishment of the five-storey building is hugely complex, as it balances the requirements of the new facility with the heritage of the 188-year-old building. Builders have uncovered many interesting architectural features, some of which have been hidden for years. These include a narrow door, believed to be part of a house that used to sit within the building, and an ornate stained glass window, featuring the letter 'P' for Palmers. The project will preserve as many of these historical details as possible, so the building's visitors can learn more about Great Yarmouth's history.

To bolster the positive impact on the borough, the construction company responsible for delivering the project, Morgan Sindall, has committed to most of its labour coming from within a 20-mile radius. The company is also using local small to medium-sized businesses as suppliers, as well as working with a number of students from local colleges.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council leader, Carl Smith, said, "We are determined to improve the lives of residents, and this investment in education and learning is part of our drive to help employability and the borough's economy."