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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the East Suffolk district 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 ...

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

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

and south-east of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

, and the main town in its district. Its development grew with the

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, sub ...

and as a

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

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

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

in the 1960s took over. In 2021 the built-up area had a population of 71,327 and the parish had a population of 47,879.

History

Some of the earliest signs of settlement in Britain have been found here. Flint tools discovered in the Pakefield 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 or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

Bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

and

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

ages and in the Roman 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, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

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 in tax income.Lowestoft
Domesday Book online. Retrieved 20 April 2011. Roger Bigod was the tenant in chief. The lost village of Akethorpe may have lain close by.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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Lowestoft became an important fishing town that came to challenge its neighbour,

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

.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 in June 1665 was the first in the

Second Anglo-Dutch War The Second Anglo-Dutch War, began on 4 March 1665, and concluded with the signing of the Treaty of Breda (1667), Treaty of Breda on 31 July 1667. It was one in a series of Anglo-Dutch Wars, naval wars between Kingdom of England, England and the D ...

. 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, from 1757 to 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 its hig ...

manufacturer other than Royal Worcester and Royal Crown Derby, 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 was later used 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916 in conjunction with the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

. The port was a major naval base during the war, including for armed trawlers such as '' Ethel & Millie'' and '' Nelson'' used to combat German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

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

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the town was heavily bombed by the

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

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 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 ...

. 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. In 1885 Lowestoft became a

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

which became part of the administrative county of East Suffolk in 1889, the district contained the parish of Lowestoft, from 1890 to 1907 the district also contained the parish of Kirkley. On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part of Waveney in the

non-metropolitan county A non-metropolitan county, or colloquially, shire county, is a subdivision of England used for local government. The non-metropolitan counties were originally created in 1974 as part of a reform of local government in England and Wales, and ...

of Suffolk. In 2008, a Government Boundary Committee proposed that Lowestoft become part of Norfolk, but this proposal was met with strong opposition from residents, and Lowestoft remained in Suffolk. It retained a ceremonial mayor elected annually by its district councillors and acting as charter trustees 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 Lowestoft parliamentary constituency. Before 1 April 2019, Lowestoft, as part of Waveney District Council, was divided into ten electoral wards, with Carlton Colville treated as a separate electoral area. Harbour, Kirkley, Normanston, Pakefield, 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 three were in 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 Suffolk Coastal was a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, Suffolk, Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge, Suffolk, Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Fel ...

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, fourteen 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 of 2 May, eight of the fourteen 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 and climate

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 and gives access via Oulton Broad and Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney 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 used ...

. The northern half is on the island of Lothingland. Lowestoft is mainly low-lying, with hilly areas in the north and high points of 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 deposits with gravel, with the crag exposed at coastal cliffs such as Pakefield'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, 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 A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

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. 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's wider urban area includes the suburbs and villages of Carlton Colville, Gunton, Pakefield, Oulton, Oulton Broad and Kirkley. Other outlying villages in the urban area include Blundeston, Corton, Gisleham, Kessingland and Somerleyton. 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; ) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible fo ...

. 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

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 drifters and trawlers caught fish such as herring,

cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), 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 ''Gad ...

and plaice. 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 Hamburg, Manch ...

.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 (CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre that is a part of Defra, is still located in Lowestoft. Other major traditional employers included Eastern Coach Works and engineering and shipbuilding companies clustered around the

harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...

. These included the Brooke Marine 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 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 is a former Japanese electronics manufacturer founded in 1947 by Toshio Iue, the brother-in-law of Kōnosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial, now known as Panasonic. Iue left Matsushita Electric to start his own bu ...

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 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 Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

Southern Operations base on the north shore of Lowestoft Harbour 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 Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

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.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, which when completed will be the world's largest

offshore windfarm Offshore wind power or offshore wind energy is the Electricity generation, 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 elect ...

. 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 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 mechanical work, work – for example, electricity generation, desalination, or pumping water. A machine that exploits wave power (physics), power is a wave energy converter (WEC). W ...

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

-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 A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

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 The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a Not-for-profit organi ...

.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 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! wildlife park, situated in the south at Kessingland. The town maintains a holiday park at Pakefield, operated by Pontins, and a small caravan site near its northern beach. The natural attractions of the Broads and the River Waveney 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 Oulton Broad. 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,

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

s and an Avro Vulcan.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.

Redevelopment

Lowestoft is among the more socially deprived areas in Suffolk, with Kirkley 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 union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

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 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 ...

'', 12 January 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2015. The zone, developed by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, has six redevelopment sites across Lowestoft and

. 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 projects. 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 A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

, the Players (Lowestoft) and

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

. The 800-seat Marina, operated as a charitable trust, was restored and refurbished in 2012 and its cinema upgraded to digital in 2013. 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 Oulton Broad. There are some small museums in Sparrow's Nest Park in the north of the town, including the Lowestoft War Memorial 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 navy, navies and the m ...

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, can be visited at Lowestoft Harbour. The East Anglia Transport Museum holds a collection of buses, trams and trolleybuses in Carlton Colville. 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 Saint Margaret, St. Margarets, or St. Margaret's may refer to: People In chronological order: * Saint Margaret the Virgin of Antioch (died 304) * Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093) * Saint Margaret of England (died 1192) * Saint Margaret ...

, is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

.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 closed in 2016. Services are now provided by the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston. The main burial grounds for the town are Lowestoft Cemetery and Kirkley Cemetery. The town is twinned with the town of Plaisir 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 (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

to the west of Paris.

Landmarks

Ness Point

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 wind power, converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. , hundreds of thousands of list of most powerful wind turbines, large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, were generating over ...

, 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 continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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

Sparrows Nest

Belle Vue Park (Sparrows Nest) is the site of the Royal Naval Patrol Service 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, 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 A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

. 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. 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 is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

.High Lighthouse Including North Cottage and South Cottage, Waveney
''British Listed Buildings''. Retrieved 23 October 2012. Pakefield Lighthouse, the second remaining lighthouse, can be found on the coast south of Lowestoft, between Pakefield and the village of Kessingland. Originally constructed in 1831 and decommissioned in 1864, Pakefield lighthouse is now looked after by volunteers from Pakefield Coastwatch, who operate it as a coastal surveillance station.

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'', a Shannon class lifeboat 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, an inland

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest of the lifeboat services operating around the coasts of the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. Founded in 1824 ...

station, operated at Oulton Broad 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.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.

Gull Wing Bridge

The Gull Wing Bridge is a rolling

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 ...

that spans Lake Lothing in the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, and is the largest bridge of its kind in the world to date. The bridge's surface consists of a two-lane

single carriageway A single carriageway (British English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation, central reservation/median strip to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road is a type of ...

with pedestrian and cycle footpaths on both sides. The bridge maintains a speed limit of for road traffic. The bascule span of the bridge, which opens up southwards when required, lies around above water level during high tides, with the space between the two main spans in the water being around - safety features fitted to the span walls limit shipping with a maximum width of to be able to pass through its channel. The Northern Approach Viaduct (NAV) has ground clearance of around over the railway line to station for trains. Road access in the south is via Waveney Drive, while in the north it is via Peto Way and Denmark Road.

Transport

Lowestoft railway station Lowestoft railway station (formerly Lowestoft Central) serves the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk. It 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 is ...

, 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.East Suffolk Line
. Plans for through trains to London Liverpool Street 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: lies on the line to , while is on the line to . , 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 Eastern Counties, 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 main A12 road to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

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 trunk road in England linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk, maintained and operated by National Highways. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114 road, B4114. From Peterborough ...

, 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 purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

into

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. 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, East Point Academy 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, 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.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 university, public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus university, campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and twenty-six schools of ...

and the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public university, public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass university, plate glass universities. The university comprises three camp ...

Validating Universities
, University Campus Suffolk. Retrieved 30 April 2011. but are now validated by the University of Suffolk. 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 sports 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. Nicknamed 'The Waves', Lowestoft Ladies football team won the Women's FA Cup in 1982. They beat Cleveland Spartans 2-0 at Loftus Road with Linda Curl and Angela Poppy scoring the goals. Unfortunately due to their geographical location, they were refused entry into several leagues and the club disbanded shortly afterwards. Lowestoft and Yarmouth rugby football club also 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 East Point Academy. The town's main

leisure centre A leisure centre, sports centre, or recreation centre is a purpose-built building or site, usually owned and provided by the local government authority, where people can engage in a variety of sports and exercise, and keep fit. Typical facilit ...

, 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 used ...

national park extends to Lowestoft on Oulton Broad. 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 has its club house in Lowestoft harbour.Official Website
Club website. Retrieved 21 June 2013.

Notable people

The Elizabethan pamphleteer Thomas Nashe, a father of modern journalism and a primary source for the literary milieux of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 lived at Oulton Broad for many years and wrote most of his books there. Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alderson 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, a commander at the Battle of Lowestoft 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. Vice Admiral James Dacres fought in wars against America in the 19th century and was born in the town. Claud Castleton of the Australian Army and

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient was born in Kirkley and Captain Thomas Crisp, Royal Navy officer and Victoria Cross recipient, was born in the town – one of the town's main roads is named after him. Robert William Hook, coxswain at the

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, bought Somerleyton Hall 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 Somerleyton 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. 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 Oulton Broad 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 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 and a small town shopping centre are named after him. The artist Mark Burrell (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 children's author and illustrator Michael Foreman, born in 1938, spent his childhood in Pakefield, 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 was born in Lowestoft, as were BBC Radio 4 newsreader and television presenter Zeb Soanes and DJ and BBC radio presenter Tim Westwood. Historian and author Ivan Bunn was born in Kirkley and still resides in Lowestoft. Three founder members of The Darkness rock band were educated in Kirkley (Namely Justin Hawkins, his brother Dan Hawkins and Ed Graham.) Some of their songs feature local landmarks or stories such as "

Black Shuck In English folklore, Black Shuck, Old Shuck, Old Shock or simply Shuck is the name given to a ghostly Black dog (ghost), black dog which is said to roam the coastline and countryside of East Anglia, one of many such black dogs recorded in folklore ...

". 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'', filmed at Kirkley high school (now East Point Academy) and went on to a musical career. Leanne Mitchell, winner of the first '' The Voice UK'' 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, who was educated there, and Peter Wright, a Darts World Champion who spent formative years there. Others include former Ipswich Town goalkeeper Laurie Sivell, Norwich City defenders Paul Haylock and Daryl Sutch, former football player and manager Richard Money,

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

pitcher Les Rohr and Olympic 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

* Benjamin Britten: 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: 25 June 2021. * The Royal British Legion (Lowestoft and District Branch): 17 November 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