More... history

1931 8th May saw the last ever Lowestoft tram service, driven by the oldest driver who had been with the service since 1903. In almost 28 years the trams had carried around 80 million passengers, and driven about 8 million miles.

Annott's free grammar school was founded.

Lowestoft was badly damaged in a substantial fire in 1645. Beginning in a fish house at the base of Lighthouse Score, buildings as far south as Rant Score and to the west of High Street around Crown Street were damaged or destroyed. 

Zeppelin was shot down over the sea near Lowestoft, the date of which coming close to the moment when Robert Leckie arrived at the station and yet to make his mark and be known as one of “the Zeppelin killers from Canada”.

1914 - 1918 First World War eventually meant that Lowestoft Corporation Transport trams women drivers, inspectors and conductors were introduced

1920 - The Corporation installed poles and span wires were erected for trolleybuses. But the overhead wires were never installed, and trolley buses never graced our streets.

1927 The first Corporation bus service was introduced, along the seafront. The redundant trolleybus poles were used for street lighting.

1928 The bus service was extended to other areas, and in 1929 it was introduced along the route of the tramway.

Early in 1903 construction started of the Tramway from Florence Road in Pakefield to Yarmouth Road in north Lowestoft. A spur was built along Denmark Road to the tramshed (still there)in Rotterdam Road

In the autumn of 1908 a hydroplane of the two-plane variety was tried with success on the Norfolk Broads, and over 20 miles per hour was reached with only 12 H.P. Surprise, as the little craft was named, was owned by Mr. M. Brooke, of Lowestoft, and had a length of 13 ft., with a 5 ft. 6 in. beam. She was built purely for experimental purposes, so did not take part in any of the public speed contests.

1872 - 74 The present High Light was built. It had a new optical revolving light, flashing at half-minute intervals.

1881 Low Light now also flashes. And had to be moved 80 yards inland, because of erosion.

1894 Low Light moved inland again.

1923 Low Light extinguished, as the Stanford Channel was no more.

1974 the High Light is now fully automatic.

Early in 1903 construction started of the Tramway from Florence Road in Pakefield to Yarmouth Road in north Lowestoft. A spur was built along Denmark Road to the tramshed (still there)in Rotterdam Road. It was 3 ft 6 ins gauge, with the rails imported from Germany. 

1832 Low Light rebuilt with brick foundation to stop it falling into the sea

1832 Pakefield Lighthouse (red light) built to help navigate through the channel between the Barnard and Newcombe Sands. The station was made of brick.

1850 Pakefield Light House moved to Kessingland because the channel had shifted. The Pakefield LH tower is still there, in the holiday centre. The light was finally extinguished in 1864.

1676 Samuel Pepys was elected a Master of the Trinity Brethren, and immediately sanctioned a new Lowestoft lighthouse. A  new Lighthouse tower was constructed, built of brick, this time on the cliffs. This became known as Lowestoft High Light. Trinity in its earlier records sometimes refers to the northernmost of the two Ness Point foreshore lights as the 'upper' light, which can be confusing.(drawing p93).

Christopher Saxton map showed Easton Ness as the most easterly point of Great Britain. Over the next decades, the action of the sea caused the salient to migrate north, to Lowestoft Ness.

As the sandbanks shifted and Pakefield lighthouse was declared redundant and closed in 1864. The lighthouse’s 10m high tower has since been used as a war-time oservation post, store-room and holiday camp darkroom. 

1706 the remaining Low Light ceased operation, possibly because "...the sea overwhelmed it..." (p97 Lights of East Anglia by Neville Long, 1983)

1735 Low Light moved because of changes to Stan(d)ford Channel

This postcard is amazingly franked 31st July 1914, just four days before Britain declared war . The message reads "Having a [illegible] time here. [Illegible illegible] great excitement in the camp here about the war. We are [illegible] to a nice? tea."

 Inland harbour created by joining Lake Lothing with North Sea. Before that, everything was done on the beach. The inner harbour is formed by Lake Lothing whilst the outer harbour is constructed from breakwaters.

The Domesday Book gives Lothuwistoft village a population of some 16 households in three families, with ten smallholders and three slaves.

Lowestoft’s name is derived from the Viking personal name Hlothver, and toft, a Viking word for 'homestead'. The town's name has been spelt variously: Lothnwistoft, Laistoe, Lestoffe, Loystoft and Laystoft.  

** see this on our history timeline ***

The naval Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665 was the first of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Held 40 miles (64 km) off the coast, it was a clear victory for the English over the Dutch.

Lowestoft was bombarded by the German Navy on 24 April 1916 in conjunction with the Easter Rising.

see also our Lowestoft maritime timeline page

#LowestoftDaysOfChristmas 7th day.. SECOND LIGHTHOUSE "Lowestoft...oldest established Lighthouse Station in Great Britain" (Caister had the first Trinity House leading lights (1607) - and Lowestoft was second (1609))

This is a timeline of Lowestoft's Lighthouse Stations. 

When a fish-house, in the southern part of the town, was entirely washed away, and another fish-house and barn were so exceedingly damaged, as to make it necessary to have them taken down. credit:Gillingwaters History of Lowestoft.   

On this day King George II was rescued from the sea on Lowestoft beach in 1737.

Way back in January storms revealed some of the buried remains of the Eleni V disaster.

East Suffolk Council have commissioned specialists to properly investigate how much oil remains and and to provide evidence for next steps.

Councillor James Mallinder, cabinet member for the Environment added: “Any excavations at the site may affect the rate of coastal erosion, and the surrounding environment, and so any decision about removing the deposits will be carefully considered.”

North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone "The North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) covers Lowestoft High Street and Scores, the Sparrow’s Nest Park and the Whapload Road area.   The aim of the HAZ is to promote the renovation and repair of historic buildings and public spaces to stimulate the economic revival of the area.

1670's The Lowestoft Lights were re-built again. A few years previously John Clayton had erected a coal-light a couple of miles north at Corton. Clayton's efforts to build lighthouses at various locations around the coast were seen by Trinity Brethren as being a threat to their monopoly.

Thirty-three years after she first prepared Lely’s Flagmen of Lowestoft for display, Senior Paintings Conservator Elizabeth Hamilton-Eddy prepares them for the Queen’s House.

credit: National Maritime Museum 

North Lowestoft Men's Shed is working hard to find somewhere to be.

On Denmark Road there's a old, empty warehouse. It's owned by Network Rail. It would make a great green Shed.

Network Rail are thinking of demolishing it. But NLMS is in the mix and fighting hard. We're negotiating, and meeting Network Rail on the premises sometime in the week beginning 21st June.

Heritage Auctions, HA.com have kindly sent us high resolution images of a famous book actually signed by Lowestoft architect George Glover (1811-1890)  Book: A parallel of the ancient architecture with the modern (1773)

Three maps of our Historic High Street, showing the Tramway. 

It means that for the first time in five years, Lowestoft now has its own dedicated, large-scale tourist information office once more.

Mr Aldous met some of the volunteer team that have helped to open, and will run, the new facility.

Martin Halliday, Community Rail Norfolk Development Officer, said: “We have had a steady flow of visitors all morning and have received some lovely comments about the new facility with many people delighted that Lowestoft has its own Tourist Information Office once again.”

A piece of railway history has returned to Lowestoft with a new sign installed at Coke Ovens Junction, half a mile to the west of the town’s railway station. The name of the junction disappeared in 1970 when the Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth line closed.

The present Bascule Bridge was lowered into position during the weekend of 18th-19th December 1971. The bridge itself opened to traffic on Monday 20th March 1972 and was officially opened on Friday 24th March 1972.

A project funded by the Arts Council is calling on people to share memories of a town's now-closed department store.

Tuttles Tales will examine Tuttles in Lowestoft, Suffolk, which closed in 1981, through personal stories and physical memorabilia.

The stories will be collated to inspire a production of the same name at The Seagull Theatre in March 2024.

A £10m transformation of a former town hall building will bring "social and economic benefit", a council said.

The granting of planning permission means the building in Lowestoft, Suffolk, will become a multi-use hub and will include a cafe, gallery and a community event space. CREDIT: BBC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-67433556 

#LowestoftDaysOfChristmas 10th day.. FROM SWAN INN and CROMWELL's HQ to well loved shops in many guises. Nos. 41-42 High Street, as seen today, are replacement buildings for "The Swan" inn, which once occupied the site and served as one of Lowestoft's premier hostelries during the 16th and 17th centuries. It was where Oliver Cromwell stayed overnight on 14 March 1643/44, when he came to Lowestoft (from Cambridge) with a force of cavalry, having heard tell of a shipment of arms either entering or leaving the town (it has never been established which).