Kirkley is an area of the town of
Lowestoft
Lowestoft ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk (district), East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : . As the List of extreme points of the United Kingdom, most easterly UK se ...
in the
East Suffolk district of the
English county
The counties of England are a type of subdivision of England. Counties have been used as administrative areas in England since Anglo-Saxon times. There are three definitions of county in England: the 48 ceremonial counties used for the purpo ...
of
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
. It is located south of the centre of Lowestoft and the town's harbour and
Lake Lothing. Kirkley was originally an independent village but is now part of the
urban conurbation of Lowestoft. In 2011 the ward had a population of 7,439.
History
Kirkley was briefly mentioned in the
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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
at which time it formed part of
William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...
's estates and was held by
Roger Bigot.
[ Suckling. A. (1846) 'Kirkley', ''The history and antiquities of the County of Suffolk: volume 1'' pp.260-269]
available online
. Retrieved 2011-04-18. The area is described as a village with a population of around 433 by Suckling in 1846, with its main industry being fishing.
The former parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St John. The church had fallen into disrepair by 1640, with restoration taking place at some point in the 18th Century.
[Page.A (1844) 'Kirkley Parish', ''Topographical and genealogical, The County of Suffolk'']
. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
In 1847, from his base at
Somerleyton Hall, entrepreneur
Samuel Morton Peto brought the railway to Lowestoft. A new resort was built by Peto in the then rural parish of Kirkley and along the south beach. Peto sponsored construction of St John's church on the corner of Belvedere Road for the inhabitants of the new town. This was damaged by flooding and finally demolished in 1977.
Peto's legacy can be seen throughout Kirkley, including Wellington Terrace and Gardens (where there is a commemorative plaque to him), period seafront houses and Kensington Gardens. Kirkley is also the site of Britten House, a large Victorian house in Kirkley Cliff Road where the composer
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...
was born in 1913.
In 1901 the parish had a population of 6,465. On 1 April 1907 the parish was abolished and merged with Lowestoft.
Redevelopment
In 2019 Kirkley hosted the ‘sunrise first light festival’ on the beach. Kirkley was part of the Waveney Sunrise Scheme and has received regeneration finance from the
EU.
Culture and community
The local high school is
East Point Academy which teaches students from ages 11–16.
The
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre, which is a part of
Defra, is located in the Kirkley area.
Kirkley has a
Non-League football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
club
Kirkley and Pakefield Football Club who play at Walmer Road.
[Suffolk F]
List of football clubs in Suffolk
. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
Notable people
*
Claud Castleton V.C. of the Australian Army was born in Kirkley.
* Three founder members of the rock band
The Darkness were educated in Kirkley.
*
Lil' Chris featured in
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's ''
Rock School'' programme filmed at
Kirkley High School and went on to have a musical career.
See also
*
Kirkley Cemetery
References
{{East Suffolk
Populated places in Suffolk
Former civil parishes in Suffolk
Lowestoft