Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the

East Suffolk district East Suffolk is a local government district in Suffolk, England, which was established on 1 April 2019, following the merger of the existing Suffolk Coastal and Waveney districts. At the 2011 census, the two districts had a combined population o ...

of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

and south-east of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, and the main town in its district. The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including ...

and as a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...

with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.

History

Some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain have been found here. Flint tools discovered in the

Pakefield Pakefield is a suburb of the town of Lowestoft in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south of the centre of the town. In 1931 the parish had a population of 1774. Pakefield has boundaries with Carlton Colville and ...

cliffs of south Lowestoft in 2005 allow human habitation of the area to be traced back 700,000 years.S. Parfitt et al. (2006
'700,000 years old: found in Pakefield'
, ''British Archaeology'', January/February 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2008. Habitation occurred in the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

, Bronze and

Iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

ages and in the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and Saxon times. Several finds have been made at a Saxon cemetery at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft.Cambridge Archaeological Uni
A Roman and Saxon settlement at Bloodmoor Hill, Pakefield, Lowestoft
. Retrieved 28 November 2009.'Human influences'
, ''Waveney District landscape character assessment'' pp. 27–29, Waveney District Council, April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011. The place name derives from a Norse personal name, ''Hlothver'', and ''toft'', an

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

word for homestead.A. D. Mills (1998), ''A Dictionary of English Place-names'', 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 227. It has been spelt historically as ''Lothnwistoft'', ''Lothuwistoft'', ''Lestoffe'', ''Laistoe'', ''Loystoft'' and ''Laystoft''. The 1086

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

gives Lothuwistoft village some 16 households in three families, with ten smallholders and three slaves.Freeman E & J (2009) ''Old Lowestoft'', Stanlake publishing, p. 3.Lowestoft
, Domesday Map. Retrieved 20 April 2011. The manor formed part of the king's holding in the Hundred of Lothingland, worth about four

geld Geld may refer to: * Gelding, equine castration * Danegeld Danegeld (; "Danish tax", literally "Dane yield" or tribute) was a tax raised to pay tribute or protection money to the Viking raiders to save a land from being ravaged. It was call ...

in tax income.Lowestoft
Domesday Book online. Retrieved 20 April 2011. Roger Bigod was the tenant in chief. The lost village of

Akethorpe Akethorpe, or Akethorp, was an English village thought to have been located in what is now part of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.Akethorpe
, Domesday Map. Retrieved 21 April 2011. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, Lowestoft became an important fishing town that came to challenge its neighbour, Great Yarmouth.Lowestoft
Poppyland Publishing. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The trade, particularly for herring, continued as the town's main identity into the 20th century. The naval

Battle of Lowestoft The Battle of Lowestoft took place on during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer, Lord Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size comm ...

in June 1665 was the first in the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War or the Second Dutch War (4 March 1665 – 31 July 1667; nl, Tweede Engelse Oorlog "Second English War") was a conflict between England and the Dutch Republic partly for control over the seas and trade routes, whe ...

. Held off the coast, it was a victory for the English.Battle of Lowestoft: notes
, National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

Lowestoft Porcelain Factory The Lowestoft Porcelain Factory was a soft-paste porcelain factory on Crown Street (then Bell Lane) in Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, which was active from 1757 to 1802. It mostly produced "useful wares" such as pots, teapots, and jugs, with sh ...

, in 1757–1802, was in production for longer than any English

soft-paste porcelain Soft-paste porcelain (sometimes simply "soft paste", or "artificial porcelain") is a type of ceramic material in pottery, usually accepted as a type of porcelain. It is weaker than "true" hard-paste porcelain, and does not require either the hig ...

manufacturer other than

Royal Worcester Royal Worcester is a porcelain brand based in Worcester, England. It was established in 1751 and is believed to be the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain brand still in existence today, although this is disputed by Royal Crown De ...

and

Royal Crown Derby The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company is the oldest or second oldest remaining English porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England (disputed by Royal Worcester, who claim 1751 as their year of establishment). The company, particularly known ...

, producing domestic pots, teapots and jugs.Lowestoft
, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 14 April 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011. It stood on the site of an existing pottery or brick kiln, and used later as a brewery and malt kiln. Most of its remaining buildings were demolished in 1955.

Sir Samuel Morton Peto's arrival in 19th-century Lowestoft brought a change in the town's fortunes, including its fishing industry. To help stimulate this, Peto was given the task of building a line for the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, connecting with Reedham and the city of Norwich.Port of Lowestoft
, Lowestoft Maritime Museum, February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011. This had a profound impact on the town's industrial development – its fishing fleets could sell to markets further inland, and other industries such as engineering gained from increased trade with the continent. Peto's railway enabled Lowestoft to become a flourishing seaside holiday resort; much of Peto's seaside resort in south Lowestoft still exists, including the Grade II listed Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade terraces. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916 in conjunction with the Easter Rising. The port was a major naval base during the war, including for armed trawlers such as '' Ethel & Millie'' and ''

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

'' used to combat

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

actions in the North Sea such as that of 15 August 1917. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the town was heavily bombed by the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

for its engineering industry and role as a naval base.Prime target for bombers
''Lowestoft Journal'', 27 May 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2011.James Hoseason Obituary
''The Guardian'', 17 July 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2011. It is sometimes placed among the UK's most heavily bombed towns per head of population. The

Royal Naval Patrol Service The Royal Naval Patrol Service (RNPS) was a branch of the Royal Navy active during both the First and Second World Wars. The RNPS operated many small auxiliary vessels such as naval trawlers for anti-submarine and minesweeping operations to prot ...

was mobilised in August 1939, mainly by trawlermen and fishermen of the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

. Its depot, ''HMS Europa'', was also known locally as the ''Sparrow's Nest''.Naval War Memorial, Lowestoft
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 24 April 2011.

Governance

Lowestoft is the major settlement in the East Suffolk district. It lost its status as a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

in 1974, but retained a ceremonial mayor elected annually by its district councillors and acting as

charter trustees In England and Wales, charter trustees are set up to maintain the continuity of a town charter or city charter after a district with the status of a borough or city has been abolished, until such time as a parish council is established. Duties are ...

until 2017.Mayor of Lowestoft
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Suffolk County Council is the county authority. A

of Lowestoft was created on 1 April 2017, governed by Lowestoft Town Council, which elects a town mayor annually. The town is part of the Waveney parliamentary constituency, represented at Westminster by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Peter Aldous Peter James Guy AldousPeter Aldous - Declaration of In ...

. Former MPs include

Bob Blizzard Robert John Blizzard (31 May 1950 – 5 May 2022) was a British Labour politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Suffolk constituency of Waveney from 1997 until 2010. Early life Bob Blizzard was born on 31 May 1950 in Bury ...

, David Porter and

Jim Prior James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, (11 October 1927 – 12 December 2016) was a British Conservative Party politician. A Member of Parliament from 1959 to 1987, he represented the Suffolk constituency of Lowestoft until 1983 and then ...

, a cabinet minister and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in the Thatcher governments. Prior also represented the earlier constituency of Lowestoft. For European Union elections, Lowestoft lay in the East of England constituency. Before 1 April 2019, Lowestoft as part of

Waveney District Council Waveney may refer to: * River Waveney, a river that forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England * Waveney District, a local government district in Suffolk, England * Waveney (UK Parliament constituency) * Waveney class lifeboat, a class ...

was divided into ten electoral wards, with

Carlton Colville Carlton Colville is a civil parish and suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It is south-west of the centre of the town, in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district. The area lies along the A146 road, A146 Lowestoft to ...

treated as a separate electoral area. Harbour,

Kirkley Kirkley is a district within the town of Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located south of the centre of Lowestoft and the town's harbour and Lake Lothing. Kirkley was originally an independent vill ...

, Normanston,

, St Margarets and Whitton wards elected three councillors each, and Carlton, Gunton and Corton, Oulton and Oulton Broad wards two.Lowestoft ward map
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 6 May 2011. Of the 48 council seats in the district, 26 represented wards within Lowestoft and 3 Carlton Colville. In 2010 the council changed to a system of all seats being elected every four years.Changing to Whole Council Elections – Explanatory Document
, Waveney District Council, 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2011. On 1 April 2019, governance arrangements for Lowestoft changed with the merger of Waveney and Suffolk Coastal District Councils to form a new district council of East Suffolk. Elections were held on 2 May 2019 for the six new Lowestoft wards. The seats, 14 in all, are allocated to Carlton and Whitton (2), Gunton and St. Margarets (2), Harbour and Normanston (3), Kirkley and Pakefield (3), Lothingland (1), and Oulton Broad (3). There are also changes to wards adjacent to Lowestoft.East Suffolk District Council elections 2019
. Retrieved 26 March 2019. After the inaugural

2019 East Suffolk District Council election The inaugural East Suffolk District Council elections were held on 2 May 2019 to elect all 55 members of the newly formed East Suffolk District Council in England. This was held on the same day as other local council elections across England. ...

of 2 May, eight of the 14 Lowestoft seats over the six new wards went to the Conservatives and six to Labour. On Suffolk County Council, Lowestoft and its district are represented by eight councillors, split equally between four divisions: Gunton, Lowestoft South, Oulton and Pakefield.County council elections
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 6 May 2012. For county council elections, held every four years, Pakefield division includes Carlton Colville. After the 2017 election, seven of Lowestoft's county councillors represented the Conservatives and one Labour. In 2018, one Conservative councillor left the party and became an Independent.
"Lowestoft Journal", 5 May 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2019
"Lowestoft Journal", 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

Geography

Lowestoft, the Extreme points of the United Kingdom, easternmost town in the United Kingdom, lies on the

coast. The town is divided by Lake Lothing, which forms the inner part of

Lowestoft Harbour Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and so ...

and gives access via

Oulton Broad Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 Uni ...

and

Oulton Dyke Oulton Dyke is a freshwater stretch of water in the Norfolk Broads, located in Suffolk within the United Kingdom. The dyke connects Oulton Broad near Lowestoft to the River Waveney by means of a confluence near the village of Burgh St Peter. Oul ...

to the

River Waveney The River Waveney is a river which forms the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads. The "ey" part of the name means "river" thus the name is tautological. Course The source of the River Wavene ...

and

the Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly use ...

. The northern half is on the island of

Lothingland Lothingland is an area in the English counties of Suffolk and Norfolk on the North Sea coast. It is bound by the River Yare and Breydon Water to the north, the River Waveney to the west and Oulton Broad to the south, and includes the parts of Lo ...

. Lowestoft is mainly low-lying, with hilly areas in the north and high points of 20–30 metres (66–98 ft) above sea level.'Physical influences and ecological context'
, ''Waveney District landscape character assessment'' pp. 15–21, Waveney District Council, April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011. The rock beneath is crag-sand with overlying sand and glacial

till image:Geschiebemergel.JPG, Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains (pebbles and gravel) in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material (silt and sand), and this characteristic, known as ''matrix support'', is d ...

deposits with gravel, with the crag exposed at coastal cliffs such as

's. Areas around Lake Lothing feature alluvium silt; some marshland remains west of Oulton Broad. The sandy beaches south of the harbour have Blue Flag status.Lowestoft north of Claremont Pier
, Blue Flag. Retrieved 10 April 2011.Lowestoft south of Claremont Pier
, Blue Flag. Retrieved 10 April 2011. To the north of the harbour is an area of old sand dunes known as the Denes, along with more beaches and

Ness Point Ness Point, also known as Lowestoft Ness, is the most easterly point of England, Great Britain, the United Kingdom and the British Isles. It is located in Lowestoft in the East Suffolk district of the county of Suffolk. The site is located to th ...

, the easternmost point of the UK. Lowestoft has been subject to periodic flooding, notably in January 1953, when a North Sea swell driven by low pressure and an extreme high tide swept away many earlier sea defences and deluged most of the southern town.1953 floods – What areas were affected?
BBC Suffolk, 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the town in September 2006.Homes under water in flash floods
Fierce storms force mass evacuations in England , BBC News Website, 15 September 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2011. In December 2013, a storm surge caused severe flooding of Lowestoft and its suburbs.Fierce storms force mass evacuations in England
BBC News Website. Retrieved 30 January 2014.Lowestoft flooded
ITV news. Retrieved 30 January 2014. Lowestoft is among the UK's driest areas: annual rainfall averages under 600 mm distributed fairly evenly through the year.
, Met Office. Retrieved 10 April 2011. Mean daily summer temperatures peak at 21°C in August, when the town averages over 200 hours of sunshine, while in winter minima average 2°C. Marked snowfall is rare. Sea fog and cool onshore breezes can affect the town.

Demography

Lowestoft is Suffolk's second largest town after

, with an estimated population of 58,560 in 2010.Economic statistics and data – an overview of Waveney
Waveney District Council. Retrieved 14 August 2013.Profiles of Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds
, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 10 April 2011. Including the suburban areas of Oulton and

, which are part of the wider urban area, brought the estimated population of the built-up area to 73,755 in 2018 from 68,850 at the 2001 census. The town contains business and residential areas, with a main shopping centre just to the north of Lake Lothing. Its wider urban area includes the suburbs of Carlton Colville, Gunton, Pakefield, Oulton and Oulton Broad and the district of

. Associated outlying villages include Blundeston, Corton,

Gisleham Gisleham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Suffolk. It is on the edge of Lowestoft, around south-west of the town centre. The parish is in the East Suffolk district, situated between Carlton Colville and Kessingland. Th ...

Kessingland Kessingland is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located around south of Lowestoft on the east coast of the United Kingdom. It is of interest to archaeologists as Palaeolithic and Ne ...

and

Somerleyton Somerleyton is a village and former civil parish in the north of the English county of Suffolk. It is north-west of Lowestoft and south-west of Great Yarmouth in the East Suffolk district. The village is closely associated with Somerleyto ...

. About 10 per cent of the area population at the 2001 census was aged 75 or over and 20 per cent under 16. In general the population of several wards is slightly skewed towards the elderly. The population is mainly classed as "white", with minority ethnicities making up 1.4 per cent, compared with 8.7 per cent nationally.Gunton electoral division profile
, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Pakefield electoral division profile
, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Oulton electoral division profile
, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Lowestoft south electoral division profile
, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Waveney district profile
, Suffolk County Council, April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.D. Gardener and H. Connelly (2005
Who are the "other" ethnic groups?
,

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for t ...

. Retrieved 22 June 2008. At the 2001 census there were 27,777 households, giving an average household size of 2.40. In total 8,430 (30 per cent) were classified as one-person households, while 26 per cent included children aged 15 or under. The proportion of households without a private car was 29 per cent, whilst 22 per cent had two or more. In housing tenure, 72 per cent of homes were owner-occupied.

Economy

Originally based on fishing and engineering, the economy of Lowestoft has declined over the years.'East Coast Inshore Fishing Fleet'
''Hansard'', 14 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Although the tourism sector has grown, the major employers in the town are the wholesale and retail sector, with 18 per cent of employment. Service industries, including health, social care and education are significant employers, while manufacturing employs about 10 per cent of the workforce. Employment can vary seasonally due to the importance of tourism to the economy. In early 2011, around 10 per cent of the working population of the town claimed Jobseekers Allowance.

Traditional industries

Trawler Mincarlo, Lowestoft, 13th June 2009 (17)

Until the mid-1960s, fishing was seen as Lowestoft's main industry, although from the 1930s the percentage so employed directly and in trades associated with fishing was actually only about 10 per cent. Fleets of

drifter A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment. Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to: Films and television Films * ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey * ''Th ...

s and trawlers caught fish such as herring,

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

and

plaice Plaice is a common name for a group of flatfish that comprises four species: the European, American, Alaskan and scale-eye plaice. Commercially, the most important plaice is the European. The principal commercial flatfish in Europe, it is al ...

. Catches have diminished since the 1960sFish stocks dwindle
BBC Nation on film. Retrieved 21 April 2011. and although 100 boats remained by the 1980s, there are now only a few small boats operating out of Lowestoft, with no large trawlers.Fears for Suffolk fishing industry
BBC news website, 27 December 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Madslien.J (2008
Fishermen fight for brighter future
BBC news website, 30 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011. By 2011 just three traders remained at the town's fish market, which is under threat of closure due to redevelopment of the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...

.Fears for future of Lowestoft fish market
BBC news website, 11 March 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.End of an era beckons for Lowestoft fish market
''Eastern Daily Press'', 29 March 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011. The

Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It carries out a wide range of research, advisory, consulta ...

(CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre that is a part of

Defra DEFRA may refer to: * Deficit Reduction Act of 1984, United States law * Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom government department {{Disambiguation ...

, is still located in Lowestoft. Other major traditional employers included

Eastern Coach Works Eastern Coach WorksCompanies House extract company no 318856
...

and engineering and shipbuilding companies clustered around the harbour. These included the

Brooke Marine Brooke Marine (also known as J.W. Brooke & Co. and Brooke Yachts) was a Lowestoft-based shipbuilding firm.Brooke ...

and Richards shipbuilding companies, which together employed over a thousand men but went out of business in the 1990s, and the Norwich-based engineering company Boulton and Paul.Timber factory closure announced
BBC news website, 3 December 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Some shipbuilding and repair still goes on at the harbour.'Oldest' steamship gets £2m refit
BBC news website, 28 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.New start for grand old lady
BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

Modern economy

Major local employers include

Birds Eye Birds Eye is an American international brand of frozen foods owned by Conagra Brands in the United States, by Nomad Foods in Europe, and Simplot in Australia. The former Birds Eye Company Ltd., originally named "Birdseye Seafood, Inc." had b ...

frozen foods, with 700 workers.Farmers hit as Birds Eye, Lowestoft loses peas contract
BBC news website, 4 February 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.East Anglian pea farmers sign frozen food deal
BBC news website, 5 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011. This has been located in the town for over 60 years.Jobs safe at Birds Eye factory
BBC news website, 7 November 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The food-processing company Wessex Foods closed its Lowestoft plant in 2010 after a fire destroyed the factory and it failed to find alternative premises.Staff at fire-hit burger factory in Lowestoft lose jobs
BBC news website, 29 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Several other employers have shed labour in recent years. The

Sanyo , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the ''Fortune'' Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded by ...

plant in the town closed down in 2009 with a loss of 60 jobs,Sanyo to shut down monitor plant
BBC news website, 1 December 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011. having once employed 800.Sanyo TV monitor factory site in Lowestoft up for sale
BBC news website, 17 March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The timber company

Jeld-Wen JELD-WEN is an American company with its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company operates more than 120 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries. JELD-WEN designs, produces and distributes interior and exterior doors, wood, vinyl a ...

closed its factory in the town in 2010. From the mid-1960s to the late 1990s, the oil and gas industry provided significant employment in the area.Offshore industry timeline
Great Yarmouth Council. Retrieved 21 April 2011. For many years the

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses ** Thin-shell structure Science Biology * Seashell, a hard o ...

Southern Operations base on the north shore of

was town's largest employer. A decision to close the Shell base was finally made in 2003.Talks over Shell shutdown
BBC news website, 3 April 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2009. Oil and gas is still a major industry.Great Yarmouth and Waveney March 2010
''Shaping Norfolk's Future'', March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.International acclaim for innovation in oil and gas
, Great Yarmouth marketing initiative, 17 May 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
associated British Ports, 11 May 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The town has made efforts to develop as a centre for renewable energy in the east of England.Lowestoft transport strategy
, Suffolk County Council, 29 June 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013.Plan for £6m green energy centre
BBC news website, 25 March 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The non-profit Orbis Energy centre has been set up to draw business in the green-energy sector and features

solar thermal heating Solar thermal energy (STE) is a form of energy and a technology for harnessing solar energy to generate thermal energy for use in industry, and in the residential and commercial sectors. Solar thermal collectors are classified by the United Sta ...

.Meeting on green energy in East
BBC news website, 26 February 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.Low carbon work boosted by £80m
BBC news website, 26 December 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-21.Orbis Energy
Suffolk works. Retrieved 30 April 2011.OrbisEnergy Website
Retrieved 20 May 2009. In April 2009, Associated British Ports announced that the harbour is to become the operations centre for the 500 MW

Greater Gabbard wind farm Greater Gabbard is a 504 MW wind farm, built on sandbanks off the coast of Suffolk in England at a cost of £1.5 billion. It was completed on 7 September 2012 with all of the Siemens SWT3.6–107 turbines connected. Developed as a ...

, which when completed will be the world's largest

offshore windfarm Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the generation of electricity through wind farms in bodies of water, usually at sea. There are higher wind speeds offshore than on land, so offshore farms generate more electricity per amount of c ...

. The turbines will be located off the Suffolk coast and the Outer Harbour will be used to house the necessary operational support facilities. Other developments in the renewable energy sector include a prototype

tidal energy Tidal power or tidal energy is harnessed by converting energy from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity using various methods. Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has the potential for future electricity generation. Ti ...

generator being produced by local company 4NRGSuffolk firm's wave energy machine gets backing
BBC news website, 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-21. and

wave power Wave power is the capture of energy of wind waves to do useful work – for example, electricity generation, water desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power is a wave energy converter (WEC). Waves are generated by win ...

systems developed by Trident Energy.Wave power machine tested on land
BBC news website, 10 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union Limited was a not-for-profit member-owned financial co-operative, based in Lowestoft and operated through 18 collection points in the East Anglian counties of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and certain districts of N ...

, a savings and loans co-operative established in 1999 and operating throughout East Anglia, is based in the town. Hoseasons (now part of Awaze), a specialist in self-catering UK holidays, is also a large employment provider.

Retailing

The town centre is the main shopping area in Waveney district.Retail and Leisure Study: Summary
, Waveney District Council, 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The retail chain

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

has a store. Chadds independent department store was founded in 1907, and after nearly 100 years trading in the High Street, was taken over in 2004 by the Great Yarmouth-based Palmers group.Lowestoft
Palmers Department Store. Retrieved 30 April 2011.How we're keeping our independents
''Eastern Daily Press'', 17 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Specialist shopping areas, branded as The Historic High Street and the Triangle Market Place, have been developed on the northern edge of the centre. Several retail parks have appeared, the largest being North Quay Retail Park in Peto Way.

Tourism

Lowestoft is a traditional

, first developed as a bathing site in the 1760s. The coast has been called the " Sunrise Coast". The town's main beaches are south of the harbour, where two

pier Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

s, the Claremont and South piers, provide tourist facilities, and the East Point Pavilion the tourist information service.Suffolk's beaches: Lowestoft
BBC Suffolk. Retrieved 21 April 2011 The beach south of the Claremont Pier is a Blue Flag beach.Blue Flag awards given to 55 beaches in England
BBC news website, 22 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-22. Lifeguard facilities are provided during the summer and water sports take place along the coast. Tourism is a significant aspect of the town's economy. The town features two major attractions, the first being

Pleasurewood Hills Pleasurewood Hills is a theme park on a site between Corton and Gunton, near Lowestoft, Suffolk. History The park was created by entrepreneur Joe Larter in 1983 as a small American-themed family attraction, containing a miniature railway, C ...

Theme Park, situated on the northern edge of the town,Wipeout
BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011. while the second is the

Africa Alive! Africa Alive! Zoological Reserve, formerly known as Africa Alive! and Suffolk Wildlife Park, is a zoo located in Kessingland, Suffolk, UK. It is situated off the A12 at Kessingland south of Lowestoft. Africa Alive! Zoological Reserve is par ...

wildlife park, situated in the south at

. The town maintains a holiday park at

, operated by

Pontins Pontins is a British company operating holiday parks in the UK, founded in 1946 by Fred Pontin. Since 2011, it has been owned by Britannia Hotels. Pontins specialises in offering half-board and self-catering holidays featuring entertainment ...

, and a small caravan site near its northern beach. The natural attractions of the Broads and the

on the west edge of the town, also attract visitors and been the site for boat trips and water sports events, with companies such as Hoseasons operating hire boats from

. Between 1996 and 2012, the town hosted a major air show during the summer, dubbed the Lowestoft Airshow. A major attraction, the two-day event took place in August, and featuring a wide range of aircraft including the Red Arrows, a

Lancaster bomber The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling ...

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s and an

Avro Vulcan The Avro Vulcan (later Hawker Siddeley Vulcan from July 1963) is a jet-powered, tailless, delta-wing, high-altitude, strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A.V. Roe an ...

.Lowestoft air festival
BBC Suffolk, 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011. From 2004, it was run by Lowestoft Seafront Air Festival Ltd, a non-profit company, but suffered financial difficulties. In 2010, the event made a loss of £40,000 and raised concerns over its sustainability,Lowestoft Air Festival sponsor appeal goes nationwide
''Lowestoft Journal'' 25 February 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.Lowestoft air show in fund-raising drive
''Norwich Evening News'' 26 January 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011. whereupon further financial difficulties coupled with bad weather and low visitor numbers made the 2012 airshow the last before it was discontinued.Lowestoft Air Festival cancelled for 2013
BBC news website, 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.Lowestoft Air Show to end after cash blow
ITV Anglia, 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.Lowestoft Air Festival will "definitely" not take place again
BBC news website, 14 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014. Near the town centre is Lowestoft Maritime Museum, open from late April to late October, which has exhibits of maritime artefacts, an extensive collection of ship models and medals, marine art, fishing and the fishing industry, activities with the Royal Navy in WWII, and shipwrights' and coopers' tools. Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth at night

Redevelopment

Lowestoft is among the more socially deprived areas in Suffolk, with

the county's most deprived ward, ranking 173rd most deprived in England out of 32,486. The area attracted

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

redevelopment funding. The Waveney Sunrise Scheme invested £14.7 million, funding transport improvements and tourist facilities such as fountains on Royal Plain, as stimulants.Fountain fun
BBC Suffolk, 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Regeneration company 1st East, which focused on the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth areas, closed in 2011.Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft regeneration firm 1st East shuts
BBC news website, 27 January 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011. Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012.Dickson A (2012
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft enterprise zone interest from around the world
, ''

Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK. Founded in 1870 as a broadsheet called the ''Eastern Counties Daily P ...

'', 12 January 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2015. The zone, developed by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, has six redevelopment sites across Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth. The bid for the zone in 2011 envisaged creating 13,500 jobs by 2036.Dickson.A (2011
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft enterprise zone given the green light
, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 17 August 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011. It involved the Norfolk and Suffolk Energy Alliance and focused on developing the energy sector initially using tax incentives, simplified planning regulations and the provision of improved broadband internet services. The sites in Lowestoft are Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate. Associated British Ports, the operator of the Port of Lowestoft, published their Lowestoft Masterplan, which aims to regenerate the harbour and take advantage of renewable energy, including the new Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF) on the former SLP land at the outer harbour amongst other proejcts. The harbour is a focus of redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft through the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour Area Action Plan, submitted in February 2011.An introduction to the Area Action Plan for Central Lowestoft
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011. The plan focuses on the redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors.What is the Area Action Plan?
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.Mace. H (2010
Vision for future of Lowestoft harbour
''Eastern Daily Press'', 14 October 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.

Culture and community

The town has three theatres: the Marina, the Players (Lowestoft) and

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' ( rus, Ча́йка, r=Cháyka, links=no) is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 and first produced in 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramatises th ...

. The 800-seat Marina, operated as a charitable trust, was restored and refurbished in 2012 and its cinema upgraded to digital in 2013. A small four-screen cinema, the independently owned East Coast Cinema, underwent modest refurbishment in late 2011 to upgrade facilities and allow 3D films to be shown.

BBC Radio Suffolk BBC Radio Suffolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Suffolk. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios on St Matthews Street in Ipswich. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience ...

broadcasts to the area from its studios in

. The local weekly paper is the ''Lowestoft Journal'', which is part of the

Archant Archant Limited is a newspaper and magazine publishing company headquartered in Norwich, England. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 50 weekly newspapers, and 80 consumer and contract magazines. Archant employs around 1,250 empl ...

group. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played regularly at the Marina Theatre since 2005. Lowestoft Museum, which holds a collection of Lowestoft Porcelain and artifacts describing the town's history, is in Nicholas Everett Park in

. There are some small museums in Sparrow's Nest Park in the north of the town, including the

Lowestoft War Memorial Museum The Lowestoft War Memorial Museum is a museum located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It is housed in the World War II headquarters of the Royal Naval Patrol Service in Sparrows Nest Gardens in the north of the town. The museum ...

, the

Maritime Museum A maritime museum (sometimes nautical museum) is a museum specializing in the display of objects relating to ships and travel on large bodies of water. A subcategory of maritime museums are naval museums, which focus on navies and the milita ...

and the Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum. The Heritage Workshop Centre is also located there.'Memories of beach village in Lowestoft'
''Lowestoft Journal'', 11 February 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011. The ''Mincarlo'', the last surviving sidewinder trawler of the Lowestoft

fishing fleet A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing (as in the "tuna fishing fleet"), or all fishing vessels of ...

, can be visited at Lowestoft Harbour. The

East Anglia Transport Museum The East Anglia Transport Museum is an open-air transport museum, with numerous historic public transport vehicles (including many in full working order). It is located in Carlton Colville a suburb of Lowestoft, Suffolk. It is the only museu ...

holds a collection of buses, trams and trolleybuses in

Lowestoft retains several narrow lanes with steps running steeply seawards, known locally as "scores". They were used by fishermen and smugglers and now feature in an annual charity race.Lowestoft Scores Race
East Anglia's Children's Hospices, 2 March 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011. The borough church, dedicated to St Margaret, is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

.St Margaret, Lowestoft
Suffolk Churches site. Retrieved 24 April 2011.Church of St Margaret, Lowestoft
British listed buildings. Retrieved 24 April 2011. In the town centre is Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, a Grade II listed building in the Arts and Crafts style and the most easterly Catholic church in the British Isles. Lowestoft's town-centre library contains a local-history section and a branch of the Suffolk Record Office.Suffolk Record Office, Lowestoft Branch
National Archives. Retrieved 30 April 2011.

Lowestoft Hospital Lowestoft Hospital was a National Health Service (NHS) hospital on Tennyson Road in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It was managed by the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It provided convalescing community ...

closed in 2016. Services are now provided by the

James Paget University Hospital James Paget University Hospital is at Gorleston-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, on the A47 Lowestoft Road. It is managed by the James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital, which replaced Great Yarmout ...

in Gorleston. The main burial grounds for the town are Lowestoft Cemetery and

Kirkley Cemetery Kirkley Cemetery is a burial ground in the Kirkley area of Lowestoft in Suffolk. Located on London Road South, the cemetery is maintained by Waveney District Council and is open for traditional and Green Burials. The cemetery contains 59 war ...

. The town is twinned with the town of

Plaisir Plaisir () is a commune located in the heart of the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. It borders among others on Élancourt (south), Tr ...

in the

Yvelines Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

to the west of Paris.

Landmarks

Ness Point

, the most easterly location in the United Kingdom, is located in the town close to a 126-metre

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each yea ...

, known locally as Gulliver. At the time it was completed it was the country's tallest.Suffolk's first turbine
BBC Suffolk, 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011. At the most easterly point is a large compass rose, the ''Euroscope'', set in the ground to give the direction and distance to various cities in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

.The mess that is Ness
BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.

Sparrows Nest

Belle Vue Park (Sparrows Nest) is the site of the

memorial. The central depot for the service was in Lowestoft when it was mobilised in August 1939, on a site known as Sparrow's Nest, adjacent to the memorial. The memorial has the names of the 2,385 members of the service who died in World War II. Prior to this, it was the site of the "North Battery", which stood on the cliff and was constructed in around 1782.It was a four sided bastion set back from the cliff edge, housing four 18-pounder canon, with a guardhouse and magazine to the rear. All traces are now gone, minus two cannons with are now mounted around the memorial.

Lighthouse

Lowestoft Lighthouse Lowestoft Lighthouse is a lighthouse operated by Trinity House located to the north of the centre of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It stands on the North Sea coast close to Ness Point, the most easterly point in the United Kingdom. ...

, built in 1874 to the north of the town centre, stands 16 metres high at 37 metres above sea level, with a range of . It was automated in 1975.Lowestoft
, Trinity House. Retrieved 30 April 2011. It is the United Kingdom's most easterly lighthouse. The first two lighthouses in Lowestoft were built in 1609 on the foreshore and candlelit, to warn of the dangerous sandbanks around the coast. These were the first constructed by

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

. The Low Light was discontinued in 1706 after sea encroachment, but re-established in 1730 in a form that could be easily moved in response to further changes to the Stamford Channel and shoreline. It was discontinued in August 1923. The High Light tower was rebuilt as the present lighthouse in 1874 with the intention of displaying an electric light, but when opened paraffin oil was used instead; not until 1936 was it electrified. The lighthouse, with two cottages originally for lighthouse keepers, is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

.High Lighthouse Including North Cottage and South Cottage, Waveney
''British Listed Buildings''. Retrieved 23 October 2012.

Lifeboat station

Lowestoft Lifeboat Station, at the mouth of the outer harbour at the South Pier, is one of Britain's oldest, founded in 1801 and open to visitors throughout the year.Lowestoft Lifeboat Station
Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Retrieved 15 March 2014. The lifeboat is ''

Patsy Knight Patsy Gleaton Knight (born December 9, 1938) is an American people, American politician. She is a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 97th District, serving since 2006. She is a member of the Democratic party. Referenc ...

'', a

Shannon class lifeboat The Shannon-class lifeboat (previously FCB2 – Fast Carriage Boat 2) is the latest class of lifeboat currently being deployed to the RNLI fleet to serve the shores of the British Isles. The Shannon class is due to replace the Mersey-class lifeb ...

which replaced the Tyne class boat '' Spirit of Lowestoft'' in 2014. A former Lowestoft lifeboat was used during the Dunkirk evacuation of British forces from France in 1940. The

South Broads Lifeboat Station South Broads Lifeboat Station was an RNLI operated lifeboat stationRN ...

, an inland RNLI station, operated at

in 2001–2011.South Broads RNLI lifeboat station to close
Royal National Lifeboat Institution, 14 November 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2014.

Town Hall

Lowestoft Town Hall stands in the High Street. Various forms of local government have met or been based on this site since its establishment as a Town House and Chapel in 1570. In 1698 a new Town House was built, incorporating a ' corn cross' on the ground floor with the meeting chamber and chapel above. This in turn was replaced by the present building, designed by architect J. L. Clemence in 1857.Town Hall, Lowestoft
British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 30 August 2015. The building houses the town clock and the curfew bell, which dates from 1644 and is rung each evening at 8 p. m. The building is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

.The future of Lowestoft Town Hall
, Waveney District Council website, April 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015. In 2012, Waveney District Council announced that it planned to leave the town hall and share Suffolk County Council's offices in Riverside Road. This occurred in 2015.

Transport

Diesel Multiple Units stand at Lowestoft - geograph

Lowestoft railway station Lowestoft railway station (formerly Lowestoft Central) serves the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, and is the eastern terminus of the East Suffolk Line from and is one of two eastern termini of the Wherry Lines from (the other being ). Lowestoft i ...

, originally Lowestoft Central, is centrally placed within walking distance of the beach and the town centre. It provides services to Ipswich on the East Suffolk Line and to Norwich on the

Wherry Line The Wherry Lines are railway branch lines in the East of England, linking to and . There are 14 stations including the three termini. They form part of Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and are classified as a rural line. The line ...

.East Suffolk Line
. Through trains to

London Liverpool Street Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...

were announced in 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2011.The Wherry Lines
Retrieved 9 April 2011. Both lines were originally part of the Great Eastern Railway and are operated by Greater Anglia. The suburb of Oulton Broad has two stations: Oulton Broad North station lies on the line to

, while Oulton Broad South is on the line to .

Lowestoft North railway station Lowestoft North railway station was in Lowestoft, England. It closed in 1970. The station was located just to the east of the A12, opposite the Denes High School; a site which is now occupied by Beeching Drive. History Lowestoft North was ...

, originally operated by the

Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway The Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway (NSJR) was a British joint railway company. The NSJR was owned by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (MGNJ) and consisted of two distinct sections: a line betwee ...

, closed in 1970 with the Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth line. The site is now taken by the residential Beeching Drive. Buses in Lowestoft are mainly operated by

First Norfolk & Suffolk First Eastern Counties is a bus operator providing services in Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. It has seven depots which are part of five operating areas spread out across East Anglia. The five operat ...

, with Lowestoft bus station as the hub. They link the town with Norwich and Great Yarmouth and provide services within the town and to surrounding villages. The Excel X1 route runs a link to

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

National Express Coaches National Express is an intercity and Inter-regional coach operator providing services throughout Great Britain. It is a subsidiary of National Express Group. Most services are subcontracted to local coach companies. The company's head office i ...

stop in Lowestoft on the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

– Great Yarmouth route. The main

A12 road This is a list of roads designated A12. Entries are sorted in alphabetical order by country. * A012 road (Argentina), a road around the city of Rosario * A12 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Kufstein and the German Autobahn A 93 to Landec ...

passes through Carlton Colville, Pakefield and Kirkley in the southern area of Lowestoft, ending at the town's harbour

Bascule Bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- o ...

. It connects there to the

A47 road The A47 is a major road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114. From Peterborough eastwards, it is a trunk road (sections west of the A1 road ha ...

, which runs around the centre of town, before exiting along Great Yarmouth Road, crossing the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

into

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

. A second road from the town centre, the A1044, links the town to Oulton Broad, via its second road crossing over Lake Lothing, and connects with the A146 that runs between Lowestoft, Beccles and Norwich. Both bridges can be raised if vessels need to pass through the harbour and Lake Lothing, though this can cause congestion in the town and routes can become gridlocked.Grant could help cut congestion
BBC news website, 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-09.Faber Maunsell Limited (2009
A12 Lowestoft study: Lake Lothing third crossing feasibility study
(online). Retrieved 9 April 2011. a third crossing of Lowestoft Harbour is under construction. A southern relief road was built to divert traffic from the seafront,Seaside town relief road opened
BBC news website, 27 June 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-26. while a proposed pedestrian and cycle bridge is planned as an alternative crossing alongside the Bascule Bridge.Lowestoft's £6.25m for transport but no third road bridge
BBC Suffolk news website, 13 October 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013. Lowestoft's cycle network has routes that link areas to the town centre. About 12 per cent of residents cycle to work. The town is seen as "ideally suited" to cycling due to its relatively small size and flat landscape. Suffolk County Council aims to promote cycling by working with employers and schools and by funding a town-centre pedestrian and cycle bridge.

Education

Lowestoft has several primary and high schools, including four 11–16 high schools: Benjamin Britten Academy,

Ormiston Denes Academy Ormiston Denes Academy is a secondary school with academy status located in the northern outskirts of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. It has around 1000 students aged 11 to 16.Suffolk County CounciSchool Profile Retrieved 13 Nov ...

East Point Academy East Point Academy is an Academy (English school), academy sponsored by the Inspiration Trust, located in the Kirkley district of Lowestoft, in the English county of Suffolk. It educates children from ages 11 to 16. In its latest Ofsted inspect ...

and Pakefield High School.A to Z of schools by village/town
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011. After reorganisation, all eight middle schools in the town closed in 2011 and Pakefield High School opened.
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Post-16 education is provided at

Lowestoft Sixth Form College Lowestoft Sixth Form College is a sixth-form college in the town of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The college opened in September 2011, replacing sixth form provision in the existing high schools in Lowestoft. The college is a me ...

, which opened in September 2011 as part of the reorganisation, and at East Coast College (Lowestoft Campus), which offers a range of academic and vocational courses. East Coast College (Lowestoft Campus) provides some higher education courses through an affiliation to the

University of Suffolk The University of Suffolk is a public university situated in Suffolk and Norfolk, England. The modern university was established in 2007 as University Campus Suffolk (UCS), the institution was founded as a unique collaboration between the Univer ...

.UCS Lowestoft
, University College Suffolk. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Degrees were initially validated by the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

and the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...

Validating Universities
, University Campus Suffolk. Retrieved 30 April 2011. but are now validated by the

. The college also has courses in boat building and some to support the offshore and maritime industries that are major employers in the town.Colleges of Further Education
, British Marine Federation. Retrieved 30 April 2011. Other adult education courses are run by the County Council from a base at the town library.An introduction to community learning and skills development
Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.

Sport and leisure

Lowestoft's sport clubs and facilities include Lowestoft Town Football Club at Crown Meadow and Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club at Walmer Road. Lowestoft Cricket Club plays at the Denes Oval sport ground.Denes Oval sport ground
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Other sport clubs include Waveney Gymnastics clubWaveney Gymnastics Club
Retrieved 9 April 2011. and Rookery Park Golf Club.
. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Lowestoft and Yarmouth rugby football clubalso has its Gunton Park home based in Lowestoft. Founded in 1879, it is one of the oldest rugby union clubs in England. East Coast Hockey Club is the town's field hockey side formed in 2019 as a result of a merger between Lowestoft Railway Hockey Club and Lowestoft Ladies Hockey Club. They play their home matches at

. The town's main leisure centre, the Waterlane Leisure Centre, was redeveloped at a cost of £8 million in 2010–2011.Lowestoft leisure centre's £6.5m facelift under way
BBC news website, 27 August 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.Lowestoft leisure centre was saved from financial brink
''Eastern Daily Press'', 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013. Facilities include a gym and climbing wall as well as a 25-metre swimming pool with a movable floor.Waterlane leisure centre
, Sentinel Leisure Trust. Retrieved 9 April 2011. Lowestoft has a number of parks and recreation grounds.Parks and open spaces
, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011.

The Broads The Broads (known for marketing purposes as The Broads National Park) is a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. Although the terms "Norfolk Broads" and "Suffolk Broads" are correctly use ...

national park extends to Lowestoft on

. Water activities and boat tours can be taken here. Powerboat racing takes place throughout the summer, mainly on Thursday evenings.Power Boat Racing
Report by Head of Safety Management, Broads Authority, 20 January 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2013. Fixtures are organised by the Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club and can attract up to 1500 spectators.Oulton Broad speedboat engine thefts leads to race cancellation
BBC Suffolk news website, 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013. The

Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club The Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club is a private yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a la ...

has its club house in

Lowestoft harbour Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the most easterly UK settlement, it is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and so ...

.Official Website
Club website. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

Notable people

The Elizabethan pamphleteer

Thomas Nashe Thomas Nashe (baptised November 1567 – c. 1601; also Nash) was an Elizabethan playwright, poet, satirist and a significant pamphleteer. He is known for his novel ''The Unfortunate Traveller'', his pamphlets including ''Pierce Penniless,'' ...

, a father of modern journalism and a primary source for the literary milieux of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, was born in Lowestoft in 1567. Robert Potter, poet and translator of Greek drama, was Vicar of Lowestoft until 1804. The 19th-century writer and traveller

George Borrow George Henry Borrow (5 July 1803 – 26 July 1881) was an English writer of novels and of travel based on personal experiences in Europe. His travels gave him a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe, who figure strongly in his work. Hi ...

lived at

for many years and wrote most of his books there. Lieutenant General Sir

Edwin Alderson Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alfred Hervey Alderson, KCB (8 April 1859 – 14 December 1927) was a senior British Army officer who served in several campaigns of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. From 1915 to 1916 during the Fir ...

also lived at Oulton Broad, on a houseboat, and died in 1927 at the since-demolished Royal Hotel in Lowestoft, where he had been staying for his last month.General's Death – Sir Edwin Alderson's Lowestoft Yachting Associations, ''Lowestoft Journal'', 17 December 1927. Admiral Sir John Ashby, who commanded HMS ''Victory'' at the

Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue The Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue took place during the Nine Years' War, between 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.) and 4 June O.S. (14 June N.S.) 1692. The first was fought near Barfleur on 19 May O.S. (29 May N.S.), with later actions occurring ...

in 1692, grew up in Suffolk and is buried in Lowestoft. A memorial is sited in St Margaret's Church. Admiral

Sir Thomas Allin ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, a commander at the

on 13 June 1665 was awarded a knighthood on 24 June and appointed an Admiral of the Blue squadron. He lived in a family house in High Street until his victories enabled him to move to a grander country residence,

Somerleyton Hall Somerleyton Hall is a country house and estate near Somerleyton and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England owned and lived in by Hugh Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, originally designed by John Thomas. The hall is Grade II* listed on the National Heri ...

. Vice Admiral James Dacres fought in wars against America in the 19th century and was born in the town.

Claud Castleton Claud Charles Castleton, VC (12 April 1893 – 29 July 1916) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Early life Clau ...

VC of the Australian Army was born in Kirkley and Captain Thomas Crisp V.C., Royal Navy officer, was born in the town – one of the town's main roads is named after him. Robert William Hook,

coxswain The coxswain ( , or ) is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from ''cock'', referring to the cockboat, a type of ship's boa ...

at the RNLI in Lowestoft from 1853 to 1883 and who has been credited with saving more than 600 lives in his career, with Lowestoft RNLI and with private companies. He was born in Lowestoft, lived and worked there all his life, and is buried in Lowestoft Cemetery. Sir

Samuel Morton Peto Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet (4 August 1809 – 13 November 1889) was an English entrepreneur, civil engineer and railway developer, and, for more than 20 years, a Member of Parliament (MP). A partner in the firm of Grissell and Peto, he ...

, bought

in 1843 and has one of the town's main roads named after him. He was influential in developing the town's railway links and harbour. Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft, lived at Oulton Broad, and tested craft in

at Fritton Lake. The astronomer Fiammetta Wilson was born in the town in 1864, with a birth name of Helen Francis Worthington. Economist Sir Dennis Holme Robertson was born in Lowestoft in 1890. He was educated on a scholarship at Eton, and read Classics and Economics at Trinity College, Cambridge before teaching at Cambridge University, working closely with

Keynes John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in m ...

. The philanthropist Howard Hollingsworth, co-founder of Bourne & Hollingsworth Department Store, visited Lowestoft in 1908 and later bought and renovated the burnt-out Briar Clyffe House and grounds on Gunton Cliff.26 January 2006, "Howard Hollingsworth, Lowestoft's first Freeman" – by Colin Dixon
Lowestoft Archaeological and Local History Society, 26 January 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2013. He became a Lowestoft benefactor, and on the death of his friend Nicholas Everitt, bought his estate at

and gave it to Lowestoft for a public park.Evidences to title to the North Cove Hall Estate
National Archives. Retrieved 14 July 2013. He was made the first Freeman of the Borough of Lowestoft in 1929. Roland Aubrey Leighton, fiancé of Vera Brittain, immortalised in her WW1 autobiography ''Testament of Youth'', lived with his family at Heather Cliff on Gunton Cliff. The composer

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

was born in Lowestoft in 1913. He has been called "without a doubt the greatest English classical composer of the last century"Kennedy.M (2002
Makeshift studio listed
''The Guardian'', 17 October 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2011. and "the only person of real celebrity to have emerged from darkest Lowestoft."M. Foreman (2004
Lowestoft's Dark stars
''The Guardian'', 19 February 2004. Retrieved 28 April 2011.

The Benjamin Britten High School Benjamin Britten Academy (formerly The Benjamin Britten High School) is a coeducational secondary school located in the northern outskirts of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. It caters for scholars aged 11 to 18. It is also home to the Suffolk C ...

and a small town shopping centre are named after him. The artist

Mark Burrell Mark Burrell (b. 1957) is a British Artist, born and resident in Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK. He spent a year during his childhood in Libya. Returning to Lowestoft he studied art at Lowestoft College but considers himself self-taught. Burrell has ...

(born in Lowestoft in 1957) has a studio in the town and often features Lowestoft's landmarks and local people in his paintings. He is a leading member of the

North Sea Magical Realists The North Sea Magical Realists are a collective of artists resident on the North Sea coast whose art is loosely influenced by the aesthetics of Magical Realism Magical is the adjective for magic. It may also refer to: * Magical (horse) Mag ...

. The children's author and illustrator Michael Foreman, born in 1938, spent his childhood in

, where his mother kept a grocer's shop. He went to Pakefield Primary School, and played on Hilly Green – stories of which are recorded in his book ''War Boy''. The author and illustrator James Mayhew lived in the town and studied at Lowestoft School of Art. Photographer George Davison was also born in Lowestoft. Jayne-Marie Barker, author of the Inspector Allen mysteries, grew up at Oulton Broad and has used Lowestoft as an inspiration for her books.Oulton Broad author to make Lowestoft appearance
''Lowestoft Journal'', 28 September 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2014. Author Mark Dawson was born in the town. The comedian and actor

Karl Theobald Karl Julian Theobald (born 5 August 1969) is an English actor and comedian. He has played 'Landlord' in ''Plebs'' and Martin Dear in Channel 4 sitcom ''Green Wing''. Early life Theobald was born in Great Yarmouth, to Wendy Theobald. He grew ...

was born in Lowestoft, as were BBC Radio 4 newsreader and television presenter

Zeb Soanes Zebedee Soanes (born 24 June 1976) is a British radio presenter who presents the weekday evening music show ''Smooth Classics at Seven'' on Classic FM. He was previously a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 4 Extr ...

and DJ and BBC radio presenter

Tim Westwood Timothy Westwood (born 3 October 1957) is a British DJ and presenter. He is often referred to by other DJs and artists appearing on his shows simply as Westwood. He was described by ''The Guardian'' in 2022 as "a veteran of the hip-hop scene ...

. Three founder members of The Darkness rock band were educated in

; some of their songs feature local landmarks or stories.

Lil' Chris Christopher James Hardman (26 August 1990 – 23 March 2015), known by the stage name Lil' Chris, was a British singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality from Lowestoft, England. He came to prominence in 2006 after appearing on the ...

featured in

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

's ''

Rock School ''Rock School'' (also known as ''Gene Simmons' Rock School'') is a British reality television series starring Gene Simmons from the rock band Kiss, in which he has a short time to turn a class of schoolchildren into a fully fledged rock band ...

'', filmed at Kirkley high school (now

) and went on to a musical career.

Leanne Mitchell Leanne Mitchell (born 14 December 1983) is an English singer and songwriter, best known for winning the first series of ''The Voice UK'' on 2 June 2012. Mitchell released her debut solo single " Run to You" on 3 June 2012. Her debut self-ti ...

, winner of the first ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing competition television series. Created by John de Mol, it premiered on BBC One during the spring television cycle on 24 March 2012. Based on the original '' The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice ...

'' series, lives in the town.Oulton Broad singer Leanne Mitchell faces final stage fight in BBC One show The Voice
''Lowestoft Journal'', 1 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2016. Sports people associated with Lowestoft include the England football captain

Terry Butcher Terry Ian Butcher (born 28 December 1958) is an English football manager and former player. He works as an academy coach for Ipswich Town. During his playing career as a defender, Butcher captained the England national team, winning 77 caps ...

, who was educated there, and Peter Wright, a Darts World Champion who spent formative years there. Others include former

Ipswich Town Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...

goalkeeper

Laurie Sivell Laurence Sivell (born 6 February 1951 in Lowestoft) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League as a goalkeeper for Ipswich Town and Lincoln City. Sivell spent 15 years with Ipswich Town, between 1969 and 1984. He mad ...

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

defenders

Paul Haylock Paul Haylock (born 24 March 1963) is an English former professional footballer. Career Haylock, a full-back, came through the youth system at Norwich City and was part of the Norwich team that won promotion to Division One in 1982 and won the F ...

and Daryl Sutch, former football player and manager

Richard Money Richard Money (born 13 October 1955) is an English former footballer and manager who was most recently manager of National League club Hartlepool United. Before this, he managed Cambridge United, overseeing the side's return to the Football Leag ...

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

pitcher Les Rohr and

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece b ...

Bronze medal-winning middleweight boxer Anthony Ogogo.

Freedom of the Town

The following individuals, military units, organisations and groups have received the Freedom of the Town of Lowestoft.

Individuals

: 28 July 1951. (Borough of Lowestoft) *John Wylson: 25 June 2021 *Christopher Brooks: 25 June 2021, formally conferred at a ceremony on 27 November 2021.

Organisations and groups

The Excelsior The Excelsior () was a four-star hotel located at 281 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Island, in Hong Kong. It was owned and operated by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, a member of the Jardine Matheson Group, and served as the Manda ...

: 25 June 2021.

Notes

References

External links

Lowestoft Town CouncilNation on Film – the rise and fall of the fishing industry on England's east coast
BBC website. {{Authority control Towns in Suffolk Populated coastal places in Suffolk Port cities and towns of the North Sea Seaside resorts in England Benjamin Britten Beaches of Suffolk Civil parishes in Suffolk Waveney District