View source for Lowestoft

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Suffolk, England}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
|official_name = Lowestoft
|country = England
|type = [[Town]] and [[civil parish]]
|region = East of England
|static_image_name = Lowestoft beach and outer harbour.jpg
|static_image_alt = Image of Lowestoft seafront and harbour
|static_image_caption = Lowestoft beach and outer harbour
|static_image_2_name = 
|static_image_2_alt = 
|static_image_2_caption = 
|area_total_sq_mi = 
|area_total_km2 = 21.43
|area_footnotes = 
|population = 71,327
|population_ref = (2021 census){{efn|The population of the built-up area, including [[Carlton Colville]], [[Oulton Broad]] and [[Oulton, Suffolk|Oulton]] parishes.}}
|os_grid_reference = TM548933
|map_type = 
|map_alt = Map showing the location of Lowestoft within Suffolk
|coordinates = {{coord|52.48|1.75|dim:5000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|label_position = 
|post_town = Lowestoft
|postcode_area = NR
|postcode_district = NR32, NR33
|dial_code = 01502
|constituency_westminster = [[Lowestoft (UK Parliament constituency)|Lowestoft]]
|civil_parish = Lowestoft
|shire_district = [[East Suffolk District|East Suffolk]]
|shire_county = [[Suffolk]]
|london_distance_mi = 110
|london_direction = south-west
|website = {{URL|https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/|Lowestoft Town Council}}
|hide_services = 
| parts_type               = Areas of the town
 | p1                       = [[Carlton Colville]] (Town)
 | p2                       = [[Corton, Suffolk|Corton]] (Village)
 | p3                      = [[Gunton, Suffolk|Gunton]]
 | p4                      = [[Kirkley]]
 | p5                       = [[Lowestoft End]]
 | p6                       = [[Normanston]]
 | p7                       = [[Oulton Broad]]
 | p8                       = [[Pakefield]]
}}
'''Lowestoft''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|əʊ|(|ɪ|)|s|t|ɒ|f|t|,_|ˈ|l|əʊ|s|t|ə|f}} {{respell|LOH|(ih)|stoft|,_|LOH|stəf}}) is a coastal town and [[civil parish]] in the [[East Suffolk (district)|East Suffolk]] district of [[Suffolk]], England.<ref name="OL40">OS Explorer Map OL40: The Broads: (1:25 000) : {{ISBN|0 319 24086 X}}.</ref> As the [[List of extreme points of the United Kingdom|most easterly UK settlement]], it is {{convert|38|mi|km|0}} north-east of [[Ipswich]] and {{convert|22|mi|km|0}} south-east of [[Norwich]], and the main town in its district. Its development grew with the [[fishing industry]] and as a [[seaside resort]] with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, [[Petroleum industry|oil and gas exploitation]] in the [[North Sea]] in the 1960s took over. In 2021 the built-up area had a population of 71,327<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/suffolk/E63002827__lowestoft/|title=Lowestoft|publisher=City Population|accessdate=10 August 2024}}</ref> and the parish had a population of 47,879.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/east_suffolk/E04012678__lowestoft/|title=Lowestoft|publisher=City Population|accessdate=10 August 2024}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="cba">S. Parfitt et al. (2006) [http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba86/feat1.shtml '700,000 years old: found in Pakefield'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719132907/http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba86/feat1.shtml |date=19 July 2012 }}, ''British Archaeology'', January/February 2006. Retrieved 24 December 2008.</ref>

Habitation occurred in the [[Neolithic]], [[Bronze Age|Bronze]] and [[Iron Age|Iron]] ages and in the [[Roman Britain|Roman]] and [[Anglo-Saxons|Saxon]] times. Several finds have been made at a Saxon cemetery at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft.<ref name="cau">Cambridge Archaeological Unit [http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archcom/projects/summarys/html98_9/cc2313.htm A Roman and Saxon settlement at Bloodmoor Hill, Pakefield, Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606000317/http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archcom/projects/summarys/html98_9/cc2313.htm |date=6 June 2011}}. Retrieved 28 November 2009.</ref><ref name="wavlandscapehist">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=742 'Human influences'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115702/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=742 |date=19 July 2011}}, ''Waveney District landscape character assessment'' pp. 27–29, Waveney District Council, April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.</ref> The place name derives from a [[Norsemen|Norse]] personal name, ''Hlothver'', and ''toft'', an [[Old Norse]] word for homestead.<ref name="mills">A. D. Mills (1998), ''A Dictionary of English Place-names'', 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 227.{{ISBN|0-19-280074-4}}</ref> It has been spelt historically as ''Lothnwistoft'', ''Lothuwistoft'', ''Lestoffe'', ''Laistoe'', ''Loystoft'' and ''Laystoft''.

The 1086 [[Domesday Book]] gives Lothuwistoft village some 16 households in three families, with ten smallholders and three slaves.<ref name=freeman>Freeman E & J (2009) ''Old Lowestoft'', Stanlake publishing, p. 3.</ref><ref name="ddmap">[http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TM5593/lowestoft/ Lowestoft] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012010412/http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TM5593/lowestoft/ |date=12 October 2012}}, Domesday Map. Retrieved 20 April 2011.</ref> The manor formed part of [[William the Conqueror|the king's]] holding in the [[Mutford and Lothingland Hundred|Hundred of Lothingland]], worth about four [[Money|geld]] in tax income.<ref name="ddmap"/><ref name="ddbook">[http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/suffolk4.html#lowestoft Lowestoft], Domesday Book online. Retrieved 20 April 2011.</ref> [[Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk|Roger Bigod]] was the tenant in chief.<ref name="ddbook"/> The lost village of [[Akethorpe]] may have lain close by.<ref name="ddmapake">[http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TM5493/akethorpe/ Akethorpe] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100810144206/http://www.domesdaymap.co.uk/place/TM5493/Akethorpe/ |date=10 August 2010}}, Domesday Map. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

In the [[Middle Ages]], Lowestoft became an important fishing town that came to challenge its neighbour, [[Great Yarmouth]].<ref name="edplow"/><ref name="poppy">[http://www.poppyland.co.uk/index.php?s=LOWESTOFT Lowestoft], Poppyland Publishing. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> The trade, particularly for [[herring]], continued as the town's main identity into the 20th century.

In the [[First English Civil War]] Lowestoft's sympathies were [[Cavalier|Royalist]] partly due to her commercial rivalry with the Parliamentarian [[Great Yarmouth]]<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Allin, Thomas|volume=1|pages=332–333|authorlink=John Knox Laughton|last=Laughton|first=John Knox}}</ref> and in 1643 was [[siege of Lowestoft|seized]] by Royalist sympathisers, who were defeated and captured by [[Eastern Association]] troops led by [[Oliver Cromwell]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Wedgwood|first=C.V. |author-link=C.V. Wedgwood|year=1970|title=The King's War: 1641-1647|location=London|publisher=Fontana}}</ref> the only civil war battle in Suffolk. The naval [[Battle of Lowestoft]] in June 1665 was the first in the [[Second Anglo-Dutch War]]. Held {{convert|40|mi|km}} off the coast, it was a victory for the English.<ref name="battlepic">[http://www.nmmprints.com/image/356789/willem-van-de-velde-the-elder-the-battle-of-lowestoft-3-june-1665-after-the-blowing-up-of-the-eendracht Battle of Lowestoft: notes] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008115219/http://www.nmmprints.com/image/356789/willem-van-de-velde-the-elder-the-battle-of-lowestoft-3-june-1665-after-the-blowing-up-of-the-eendracht |date=8 October 2011}}, National Maritime Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

[[Lowestoft Porcelain Factory]], from 1757 to 1802, was in production for longer than any English [[soft-paste porcelain]] manufacturer other than [[Royal Worcester]] and [[Royal Crown Derby]], producing domestic pots, teapots and jugs.<ref name="edplow">[http://www.edp24.co.uk/norfolk-life/village-guide/lowestoft_1_213647 Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610221151/http://www.edp24.co.uk/norfolk-life/village-guide/lowestoft_1_213647 |date=10 June 2011}}, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 14 April 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011.</ref> 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.

[[File:Lowestoft.JPG|thumb|alt=Lowestoft's Yacht Basin in 1929|Lowestoft's Yacht Basin in 1929]]
[[Samuel Morton Peto|Sir Samuel Morton Peto]]'s arrival in 19th-century Lowestoft brought a change in the town's fortunes, including its fishing industry.<ref name="poppy"/> To help stimulate this, Peto was given the task of building a line for the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, connecting with [[Reedham, Norfolk|Reedham]] and the city of Norwich.<ref name="lmmport">[http://www.lowestoftmaritimemuseum.org.uk/portoflowestoft.htm Port of Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722063950/http://www.lowestoftmaritimemuseum.org.uk/portoflowestoft.htm |date=22 July 2011}}, Lowestoft Maritime Museum, February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="lmmport"/> Peto's railway enabled Lowestoft to become a flourishing [[seaside resort|seaside holiday resort]]; much of Peto's seaside resort in south Lowestoft still exists, including the [[Listed building|Grade II listed]] Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade terraces.<ref name="poppy"/><ref name="lmmport"/>

During [[World War I]], Lowestoft was [[Bombardment of Yarmouth and Lowestoft|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 ''[[Armed trawler Ethel & Millie|Ethel & Millie]]'' and ''[[Armed trawler Nelson|Nelson]]'' used to combat [[German Empire|German]] [[U-boat]] actions in the North Sea such as [[Action of 15 August 1917|that of 15 August 1917]]. In [[World War II]] the town was heavily bombed by the [[Luftwaffe]] for its engineering industry and role as a naval base.<ref name="ww2bombing">[http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/prime_target_for_bombers_1_506586 Prime target for bombers], ''Lowestoft Journal'', 27 May 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2011.</ref><ref name="hoseasonobit">[https://www.theguardian.com/global/2009/dec/07/james-hoseason-obituary James Hoseason Obituary], ''The Guardian'', 17 July 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2011.</ref> It is sometimes placed among the UK's most heavily bombed towns per head of population.<ref name="ww2bombing"/> The [[Royal Naval Patrol Service]] was mobilised in August 1939, mainly by trawlermen and fishermen of the [[Royal Naval Reserve]]. Its depot, ''HMS Europa'', was also known locally as the ''Sparrow's Nest''.<ref name="memorialist">[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-485848-naval-war-memorial-lowestoft Naval War Memorial, Lowestoft], British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref>

==Governance==
Lowestoft is the major settlement in the [[East Suffolk (district)|East Suffolk]] district. In 1885 Lowestoft became a [[municipal borough]] which became part of the administrative county of [[East Suffolk (county)|East Suffolk]] in 1889, the district contained the parish of Lowestoft, from 1890 to 1907 the district also contained the parish of [[Kirkley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10095979|title=Relationships and changes Lowestoft MB through time|publisher=[[A Vision of Britain through Time]]|accessdate=3 September 2024}}</ref> On 1 April 1974 the district and parish were abolished and became part of [[Waveney District|Waveney]] in the [[non-metropolitan county]] of Suffolk.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1972/2039/schedule/part/35/made|title=The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972|publisher=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|accessdate=3 September 2024}}</ref> 
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.<ref>{{cite web | title=County switch mooted for Lowestoft | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2008/08/14/places_lowestoft_norfolk_20080814_feature.shtml }}</ref> It retained a ceremonial mayor elected annually by its district councillors and acting as [[charter trustees]] until 2017.<ref name="mayor">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=425&categoryID=1001 Mayor of Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927000456/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=425&categoryID=1001 |date=27 September 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> [[Suffolk County Council]] is the county authority. A [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] of Lowestoft was created on 1 April 2017, governed by Lowestoft Town Council, which elects a town mayor annually.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://s3-eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/lgbce/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/32379/Waveney-District-Council-Reorganisation-of-Community-Governance-Order-2017.pdf |title=Waveney District Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2017 |publisher=Lgbce |access-date=16 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/about-the-council/town-mayor/ |access-date=24 December 2020 |title=Town Mayor |author=Lowestoft Town Council}}</ref>

The town is part of the [[Lowestoft (UK Parliament constituency)|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, Lowestoft|Whitton]] wards elected three councillors each, and Carlton, Gunton and Corton, Oulton and Oulton Broad wards two.<ref name="elecmap">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=645&categoryID=200033&pageNumber=3 Lowestoft ward map] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115929/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=645&categoryID=200033&pageNumber=3 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 6 May 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="fouryearelec">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=129 Changing to Whole Council Elections&nbsp;– Explanatory Document] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115946/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=129 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council, 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2011.</ref>

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 (district)|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.<ref name="East Suffolk District Council elections">[https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/elections/election-types/district-council-elections/east-suffolk-district-council-elections/ East Suffolk District Council elections 2019] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326103117/https://www.eastsuffolk.gov.uk/elections/election-types/district-council-elections/east-suffolk-district-council-elections/ |date=26 March 2019}}. Retrieved 26 March 2019.</ref> 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.<ref name="ccelec">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=105&categoryID=200033&pageNumber=3 County council elections] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719120004/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=105&categoryID=200033&pageNumber=3 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 6 May 2012.</ref> 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.<ref name="lowjournal5May2017">[https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/conservatives-take-all-but-two-seats-in-local-elections-in-waveney-1-5004793] "Lowestoft Journal", 5 May 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2019</ref><ref name="lowjournal1Aug2018">[https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/councillor-expelled-from-conservatives-over-islamaphobic-comments-1-5634064] "Lowestoft Journal", 1 August 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2019.</ref>

==Geography and climate==
{{climate chart
|Lowestoft
|1.8|6.6|50.8
|1.8|6.7|35.3
|3.2|9.2|40.4
|4.8|11.0|41.5
|7.9|14.4|39.8
|10.6|17.7|47.4
|13.0|20.2|44.3
|13.3|20.6|50.5
|11.2|18.2|52.8
|8.4|14.1|57.5
|4.6|9.9|61.2
|3.0|7.6|54.9
|float=right
|source=[http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/lowestoft.html Met Office]
}}
Lowestoft, the [[Extreme points of the United Kingdom|easternmost town in the United Kingdom]], lies on the [[North Sea]] coast. The town is divided by [[Lake Lothing]], which forms the inner part of [[Port of Lowestoft|Lowestoft Harbour]] and gives access via [[Oulton Broad]] and [[Oulton Dyke]] to the [[River Waveney]] and [[the Broads]]. The northern half is on the island of [[Lothingland]].

Lowestoft is mainly low-lying, with hilly areas in the north and high points of {{cvt|20–30|metres}} above sea level.<ref name="wavlandscape">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=742 'Physical influences and ecological context'] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115702/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=742 |date=19 July 2011}}, ''Waveney District landscape character assessment'' pp. 15–21, Waveney District Council, April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="wavlandscape"/> Areas around Lake Lothing feature alluvium silt; some marshland remains west of Oulton Broad.<ref name="wavlandscape"/> The sandy beaches south of the harbour have [[Blue flag beach|Blue Flag]] status.<ref name="northclaremont">[http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Blue+Flag+beaches%2fmarinas/2010/Northern+Hemisphere/England/EastOfEngland/Lowestoft+North+of+Claremont+Pier Lowestoft north of Claremont Pier] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927090612/http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Blue+Flag+beaches%2fmarinas/2010/Northern+Hemisphere/England/EastOfEngland/Lowestoft+North+of+Claremont+Pier |date=27 September 2011}}, Blue Flag. Retrieved 10 April 2011.</ref><ref name="southclaremont">[http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Blue+Flag+beaches%2fmarinas/2010/Northern+Hemisphere/England/EastOfEngland/Lowestoft+South+of+Claremont+Pier Lowestoft south of Claremont Pier] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927090725/http://www.blueflag.org/Menu/Blue+Flag+beaches%2fmarinas/2010/Northern+Hemisphere/England/EastOfEngland/Lowestoft+South+of+Claremont+Pier |date=27 September 2011}}, Blue Flag. Retrieved 10 April 2011.</ref> 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 [[North Sea flood of 1953|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.<ref name="bbc53">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/dont_miss/floods/flood_areas/flooded_areas2.shtml 1953 floods&nbsp;– What areas were affected?], BBC Suffolk, 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the town in September 2006.<ref name="bbc25sep06">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/norfolk/5378080.stm Homes under water in flash floods], Fierce storms force mass evacuations in England |BBC News Website, 15 September 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> In December 2013, a [[storm surge]] caused severe flooding of Lowestoft and its suburbs.<ref name=bbc6dec13>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-25228834 Fierce storms force mass evacuations in England], BBC News Website. Retrieved 30 January 2014.</ref><ref name=itv6dec13>[http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2013-12-06/lowestoft-town-centre-flooded/ Lowestoft flooded], ITV news. Retrieved 30 January 2014.</ref>

Lowestoft is among the UK's driest areas: annual rainfall averages under 600&nbsp;mm distributed fairly evenly through the year.<ref name="metoffice">[http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/lowestoft.html Lowestoft 1971–2000 averages] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111019064917/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/lowestoft.html |date=19 October 2011}}, Met Office. Retrieved 10 April 2011.</ref> Mean daily summer temperatures peak at 21&nbsp;°C in August, when the town averages over 200 hours of sunshine, while in winter minima average 2&nbsp;°C.<ref name="metoffice"/> Marked snowfall is rare. Sea fog and cool onshore breezes can affect the town.

{{Weather box|location = Lowestoft, elevation: {{convert|15|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1889–2010
| collapsed = 
| metric first = y
| single line  = y
| Jan record high C = 14.4
| Feb record high C = 17.0
| Mar record high C = 21.7
| Apr record high C = 23.9
| May record high C = 26.8
| Jun record high C = 30.0
| Jul record high C = 32.4
| Aug record high C = 30.8
| Sep record high C = 27.8
| Oct record high C = 24.6
| Nov record high C = 19.4
| Dec record high C = 15.2
| Jan high C = 7.2
| Feb high C = 7.6
| Mar high C = 9.8
| Apr high C = 12.7
| May high C = 15.7
| Jun high C = 18.7
| Jul high C = 21.1
| Aug high C = 21.2
| Sep high C = 18.6
| Oct high C = 14.7
| Nov high C = 10.6
| Dec high C = 7.8
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 4.9
|Feb mean C = 5.0
|Mar mean C = 6.8
|Apr mean C = 9.3
|May mean C = 12.2
|Jun mean C = 15.1
|Jul mean C = 17.5
|Aug mean C = 17.6
|Sep mean C = 15.3
|Oct mean C = 12.0
|Nov mean C = 8.1
|Dec mean C = 5.5
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 2.6
| Feb low C = 2.4
| Mar low C = 3.8
| Apr low C = 5.8
| May low C = 8.7
| Jun low C = 11.4
| Jul low C = 13.8
| Aug low C = 14.0
| Sep low C = 11.9
| Oct low C = 9.2
| Nov low C = 5.5
| Dec low C = 3.1
| year low C =
| Jan record low C = -11.2
| Feb record low C = -11.7
| Mar record low C = -8.9
| Apr record low C = -3.6
| May record low C = -1.7
| Jun record low C = 0.6
| Jul record low C = 3.9
| Aug record low C = 3.9
| Sep record low C = 1.1
| Oct record low C = -2.8
| Nov record low C = -6.1
| Dec record low C = -10.0
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 51.1
| Feb precipitation mm = 43.7
| Mar precipitation mm = 40.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 34.7
| May precipitation mm = 50.0
| Jun precipitation mm = 49.5
| Jul precipitation mm = 57.6
| Aug precipitation mm = 63.9
| Sep precipitation mm = 55.7
| Oct precipitation mm = 68.8
| Nov precipitation mm = 65.1
| Dec precipitation mm = 59.9
| year precipitation mm = 
| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 11.2
| Feb precipitation days = 9.8
| Mar precipitation days = 8.7
| Apr precipitation days = 8.2
| May precipitation days = 7.3
| Jun precipitation days = 8.6
| Jul precipitation days = 8.9
| Aug precipitation days = 8.7
| Sep precipitation days = 8.6
| Oct precipitation days = 11.5
| Nov precipitation days = 12.8
| Dec precipitation days = 12.2
| year precipitation days = 117.4
| Jan sun = 52.8
| Feb sun = 79.6
| Mar sun = 121.8
| Apr sun = 186.3
| May sun = 208.5
| Jun sun = 191.7
| Jul sun = 200.3
| Aug sun = 202.7
| Sep sun = 156.4
| Oct sun = 111.1
| Nov sun = 63.2
| Dec sun = 44.4
| year sun = 
| source = [[Met Office]]<ref name="Met Averages">{{cite web |url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/u134xcy4j|title= Lowestoft 1991–2020 averages |access-date=25 February 2022|publisher=Met Office}}</ref>
| source 2 = [[Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute|KNMI]]<ref>{{cite web| url = https://eca.knmi.nl//download/millennium/millennium.php| title = Indices Data – Lowestoft Station 1843| access-date = 12 February 2020| publisher = [[KNMI (institute)|KNMI]]| archive-date = 9 July 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180709010608/https://eca.knmi.nl//download/millennium/millennium.php| url-status = dead}}</ref>

}}

==Demography==
Lowestoft is Suffolk's second largest town, after [[Ipswich]], with an estimated population of 58,560 in 2010.<ref name=wav2010>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928223545/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=157&categoryID=100002&pageNumber=1 Economic statistics and data – an overview of Waveney], Waveney District Council. Retrieved 14 August 2013.</ref><ref name="scccensuslow">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/Environment/FactsAndFigures/2001Census/ Profiles of Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923013937/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/Environment/FactsAndFigures/2001Census/ |date=23 September 2011}}, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 10 April 2011.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/suffolk/E34004315__lowestoft/ City Population site. Retrieved 26 October 2020.]</ref> The town's wider urban area includes the suburbs and villages of [[Carlton Colville]], [[Gunton, Suffolk|Gunton]], [[Pakefield]], [[Oulton, Suffolk|Oulton]], [[Oulton Broad]] and [[Kirkley]]. Other outlying villages in the urban area include [[Blundeston]], [[Corton, Suffolk|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.<ref name="scccensuslow"/> 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.<ref name="guntonprofile">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202449/58GuntonElectoralDivisionprofile1.pdf Gunton electoral division profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308154352/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202449/58GuntonElectoralDivisionprofile1.pdf |date=8 March 2012}}, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="pakefieldprofile">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202385/63PakefieldElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf Pakefield electoral division profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308154524/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202385/63PakefieldElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf |date=8 March 2012 }}, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="oultonprofile">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202384/62OultonElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf Oulton electoral division profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919165253/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202384/62OultonElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf |date=19 September 2011}}, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="lowsouthprofile">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202451/61LowestoftSouthElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf Lowestoft south electoral division profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308154557/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/F3AE2F7D-6C7D-427A-8078-EC8757BAB0C0/202451/61LowestoftSouthElectoralDivisionprofile.pdf |date=8 March 2012}}, Suffolk County Council, September 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name=wavprofile>[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7DDDC88A-3DEF-44F5-8E7A-B93F7B724C3F/0/WaveneyDistrictprofile.pdf Waveney district profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308154618/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/7DDDC88A-3DEF-44F5-8E7A-B93F7B724C3F/0/WaveneyDistrictprofile.pdf |date=8 March 2012}}, Suffolk County Council, April 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="ONS who">D. Gardener and H. Connelly (2005) [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf Who are the "other" ethnic groups?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528025158/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/articles/nojournal/other_ethnicgroups.pdf |date=28 May 2008}}, [[Office for National Statistics]]. Retrieved 22 June 2008.</ref>

At the 2001 census there were 27,777 households, giving an average household size of 2.40.<ref name="scccensuslow"/> In total 8,430 (30 per cent) were classified as one-person households, while 26 per cent included children aged 15 or under.<ref name="scccensuslow"/> 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.<ref name="scccensuslow"/>

==Economy==
Originally based on fishing and engineering, the economy of Lowestoft has declined over the years.<ref name="aldous">[https://web.archive.org/web/20111122142421/http://services.parliament.uk/hansard/Commons/ByDate/20101014/mainchamberdebates/part008.html 'East Coast Inshore Fishing Fleet'], ''Hansard'', 14 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> Although the tourism sector has grown, the major employers in the town are the wholesale and retail sector, with 18 per cent of employment.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} 
Service industries, including health, social care and education are significant employers, while manufacturing employs about 10 per cent of the workforce.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Employment can vary seasonally due to the importance of tourism to the economy.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}} In early 2011, around 10 per cent of the working population of the town claimed [[Jobseekers Allowance]].{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

===Traditional industries===
[[File:Trawler Mincarlo, Lowestoft, 13th June 2009 (17).JPG|right|thumb|Traditional trawler, the [[Mincarlo (trawler)|Mincarlo]], now a museum ship]]
Until the mid-1960s, fishing was seen as Lowestoft's main industry,<ref name="poppy" /> although from the 1930s the percentage so employed directly and in trades associated with fishing was actually only about 10 per cent.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}} Fleets of [[Drifter (fishing boat)|drifter]]s and [[Fishing trawler|trawler]]s caught fish such as [[herring]], [[cod]] and [[plaice]]. Catches have diminished since the 1960s<ref name="bbcfilm">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/fishing/background_decline.shtml Fish stocks dwindle], BBC Nation on film. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> and although 100 boats remained by the 1980s, there are now only a few small boats operating out of Lowestoft, with no large trawlers.<ref name="aldous"/><ref name="bbcfish27dec07">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/7154055.stm Fears for Suffolk fishing industry], BBC news website, 27 December 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="bbcfish080630">Madslien.J (2008) [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7448361.stm Fishermen fight for brighter future], BBC news website, 30 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> By 2011 just three traders remained at the town's fish market, which is under threat of closure due to redevelopment of the [[Port of Lowestoft|port]].<ref name="bbc30mar11">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-12908874 Fears for future of Lowestoft fish market], BBC news website, 11 March 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref><ref name="edp29mar11">[http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/end_of_an_era_beckons_for_lowestoft_fish_market_1_843560 End of an era beckons for Lowestoft fish market], ''Eastern Daily Press'', 29 March 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> The [[Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science]] (CEFAS), a large fisheries research centre that is a part of [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|Defra]], is still located in Lowestoft.<ref name="aldous"/>

Other major traditional employers included [[Eastern Coach Works]] and engineering and shipbuilding companies clustered around the [[Port of Lowestoft|harbour]].<ref name="poppy"/><ref name="aldous"/> These included the [[Brooke Marine]] and [[Richards (Shipbuilders) Ltd|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 & Paul Ltd|Boulton and Paul]].<ref name="poppy"/><ref name="bbc03dec09">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/8393399.stm Timber factory closure announced], BBC news website, 3 December 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> Some shipbuilding and repair still goes on at the harbour.<ref name="bbc28jun08">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7479338.stm 'Oldest' steamship gets £2m refit], BBC news website, 28 June 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="bbcwherry">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2008/01/23/albion_gc_feature.shtml New start for grand old lady], BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

===Modern economy===
[[File:Lowestoft 10-4-2004.jpg|thumb|Windfarm construction in Lowestoft harbour|alt=Image of harbour with windfarm construction]]
Major local employers include [[Birds Eye]] frozen foods, with 700 workers.<ref name="aldous"/><ref name="bbc04feb10">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/suffolk/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8498000/8498194.stm Farmers hit as Birds Eye, Lowestoft loses peas contract], BBC news website, 4 February 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="bbc05oct10">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11477579 East Anglian pea farmers sign frozen food deal], BBC news website, 5 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> This has been located in the town for over 60 years.<ref name="bbc07nov03">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/3250011.stm Jobs safe at Birds Eye factory], BBC news website, 7 November 2003. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="bbc29oct10">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-11653120 Staff at fire-hit burger factory in Lowestoft lose jobs], BBC news website, 29 October 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

Several other employers have shed labour in recent years. The [[Sanyo]] plant in the town closed down in 2009 with a loss of 60 jobs,<ref name="bbc12jan09">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7825112.stm Sanyo to shut down monitor plant], BBC news website, 1 December 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> having once employed 800.<ref name="bbc17mar10">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8571847.stm Sanyo TV monitor factory site in Lowestoft up for sale], BBC news website, 17 March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> The timber company [[Jeld-Wen]] closed its factory in the town in 2010.<ref name="bbc03dec09"/>

From the mid-1960s to the late 1990s, the [[Petroleum industry|oil and gas industry]] provided significant employment in the area.<ref name="offshore">[http://www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/offshore-industry-timeline.pdf Offshore industry timeline], Great Yarmouth Council. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> For many years the [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]] Southern Operations base on the north shore of [[Port of Lowestoft|Lowestoft Harbour]] was town's largest employer.<ref name="offshore"/> A decision to close the Shell base was finally made in 2003.<ref name="bbcshell">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2909843.stm Talks over Shell shutdown], BBC news website, 3 April 2003. Retrieved 14 June 2009.</ref> Oil and gas is still a major industry.<ref name="yartoft">[http://www.shapingnorfolksfuture.org.uk/content/economic-intelligence-members/March%20Yartoft.pdf Great Yarmouth and Waveney March 2010] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323002733/http://www.shapingnorfolksfuture.org.uk/content/economic-intelligence-members/March%20Yartoft.pdf |date=23 March 2012}} ''Shaping Norfolk's Future'', March 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="gymi">[http://www.gymi.co.uk/news/info.php?refnum=7&startnum=70 International acclaim for innovation in oil and gas] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323002733/http://www.gymi.co.uk/news/info.php?refnum=7&startnum=70 |date=23 March 2012}}, Great Yarmouth marketing initiative, 17 May 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="abpoil">[http://www.abports.co.uk/news2000629.htm Lowestoft delivers gas platform], associated British Ports, 11 May 2000. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

The town has made efforts to develop as a centre for [[renewable energy]] in the east of England.<ref name=scctran11>[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/assets/suffolk.gov.uk/Environment%20and%20Transport/Planning/2011-06-29%20Lowestoft%20Transport%20Strategy.pdf Lowestoft transport strategy] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327221318/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/assets/suffolk.gov.uk/Environment%20and%20Transport/Planning/2011-06-29%20Lowestoft%20Transport%20Strategy.pdf |date=27 March 2014}}, Suffolk County Council, 29 June 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013.</ref><ref name="bbc25mar05">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/4380747.stm Plan for £6m green energy centre], BBC news website, 25 March 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> The non-profit Orbis Energy centre has been set up to draw business in the green-energy sector and features [[Passive solar building design|solar thermal heating]].<ref name="bbc26feb07">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/6398857.stm Meeting on green energy in East], BBC news website, 26 February 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="bbc26dec07">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7159542.stm Low carbon work boosted by £80m], BBC news website, 26 December 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-21.</ref><ref name="sworksorbis">[https://web.archive.org/web/20120322232541/http://www.suffolkworks.co.uk/suffolk.asp?slevel=0z219z403&parent_id=403 Orbis Energy], Suffolk works. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref><ref name=orbis>[http://www.orbisenergy.net/ OrbisEnergy Website]. Retrieved 20 May 2009.</ref> 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 wind power|offshore windfarm]]. The turbines will be located {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} 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 power|tidal energy]] generator being produced by local company 4NRG<ref name="bbc02feb11">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-12350707 Suffolk firm's wave energy machine gets backing] BBC news website, 2 February 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-21.</ref> and [[wave power]] systems developed by Trident Energy.<ref name="bbc02nov10">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-11675222 Wave power machine tested on land], BBC news website, 10 November 2010. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

Hoseasons (now part of [[Awaze]]), a specialist in self-catering UK holidays, is also a large employment provider.<ref>[http://rainbowsaversangliacu.onesuffolk.net/contact-us/ Your Credit Union] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207035023/http://rainbowsaversangliacu.onesuffolk.net/contact-us/ |date=7 February 2015}} Rainbow Saver Anglia Credit Union (retrieved 6 February 2015)</ref>

===Retailing===
The town centre is the main shopping area in Waveney district.<ref name="retail">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=197 Retail and Leisure Study: Summary] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115634/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=197 |date=19 July 2011 }}, Waveney District Council, 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> 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 [[Great Yarmouth]]-based Palmers group.<ref name="palmers">[http://www.palmerstores.com/our-stores/Lowestoft-72.php Lowestoft], Palmers Department Store. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref><ref name="edp17jan07">[http://www.edp24.co.uk/norfolk-life/how_we_re_keeping_our_independents_1_694095 How we're keeping our independents], ''Eastern Daily Press'', 17 January 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> 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===
[[File:Lowestoft beach crowd - geograph.org.uk - 1420548.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Lowestoft beach crowd|Lowestoft beach at the airshow]]
Lowestoft is a traditional [[seaside resort]], first developed as a bathing site in the 1760s.<ref name="edplow" /> The coast has been called the "[[The Sunrise Coast|Sunrise Coast]]". The town's main beaches are south of the harbour, where two [[pier]]s, the [[Claremont Pier|Claremont]] and South piers, provide tourist facilities, and the East Point Pavilion the tourist information service.<ref name="edplow"/><ref name="bbcaug07">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2005/07/04/coast05beaches_lowestoft_feature.shtml Suffolk's beaches: Lowestoft], BBC Suffolk. Retrieved 21 April 2011</ref> The beach south of the Claremont Pier is a [[Blue Flag beach]].<ref name=bbc22may13>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-22614601 Blue Flag awards given to 55 beaches in England], BBC news website, 22 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-22.</ref> Lifeguard facilities are provided during the summer and water sports take place along the coast.<ref name="bbcaug07"/> Tourism is a significant aspect of the town's economy.<ref name=scctran11/>

The town features two major attractions, the first being [[Pleasurewood Hills]] Theme Park, situated on the northern edge of the town,<ref name="hills">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2007/02/22/wipeout_work_begins_campbell_feature.shtml Wipeout], BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> 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]],<ref name="yartoft"/> and a small caravan site near its northern beach. The natural attractions of the [[The Broads|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]].<ref name="yartoft"/>

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 [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster bomber]], [[Supermarine Spitfire|Spitfire]]s and an [[Avro Vulcan]].<ref name="bbcair">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2009/07/21/lowestoft_airshow_2009_feature.shtml Lowestoft air festival], BBC Suffolk, 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> 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,<ref name="lj25feb11">[http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/lowestoft_air_festival_sponsor_appeal_goes_nationwide_1_813162 Lowestoft Air Festival sponsor appeal goes nationwide], ''Lowestoft Journal'' 25 February 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref><ref name="evnews26jan11">[http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/news/lowestoft_air_show_in_fund_raising_drive_1_783931 Lowestoft air show in fund-raising drive], ''Norwich Evening News'' 26 January 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref> whereupon further financial difficulties coupled with bad weather and low visitor numbers made the 2012 airshow the last before it was discontinued.<ref name=bbc25jul12>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-18979621 Lowestoft Air Festival cancelled for 2013], BBC news website, 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.</ref><ref name=anglia25jul12>[http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2012-07-25/lowestoft-air-show-to-end-after-cash-blow/ Lowestoft Air Show to end after cash blow], ITV Anglia, 25 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2013.</ref><ref name=bbc14mar14>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-26576410 Lowestoft Air Festival will "definitely" not take place again], BBC news website, 14 March 2014. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref>

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===
[[File:Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth at night.jpg|thumb|upright|Lowestoft (right) and [[Great Yarmouth]] (left) at night]]
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.<ref name=wavprofile/> The area attracted [[European Union]] redevelopment funding. The Waveney Sunrise Scheme invested £14.7 million, funding transport improvements and tourist facilities such as fountains on Royal Plain, as stimulants.<ref name="fountains">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2005/06/21/lowestoft_fountains_feature.shtml Fountain fun], BBC Suffolk, 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref><ref name="sccsunrise">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/BusinessAndConsumer/RegenerationAndCommunityDevelopment/LowestoftSunriseScheme.htm Lowestoft Sunrise Scheme] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308154655/http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/BusinessAndConsumer/RegenerationAndCommunityDevelopment/LowestoftSunriseScheme.htm |date=8 March 2012}}, Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> Regeneration company 1st East, which focused on the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth areas, closed in 2011.<ref name="bbc27jan11">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12298500 Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft regeneration firm 1st East shuts], BBC news website, 27 January 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

[[Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone]] was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012.<ref name=edp12jan12>Dickson A (2012) [http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/great_yarmouth_and_lowestoft_enterprise_zone_interest_from_around_the_world_1_1174961 Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft enterprise zone interest from around the world] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923233908/http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/great_yarmouth_and_lowestoft_enterprise_zone_interest_from_around_the_world_1_1174961 |date=23 September 2015 }}, ''[[Eastern Daily Press]]'', 12 January 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2015.</ref> 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.<ref name="edp17aug11">Dickson.A (2011) [http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/business-features/great_yarmouth_and_lowestoft_enterprise_zone_given_the_green_light_1_996462 Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft enterprise zone given the green light] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113085144/http://www.edp24.co.uk/business/business-features/great_yarmouth_and_lowestoft_enterprise_zone_given_the_green_light_1_996462 |date=13 November 2011}}, ''Eastern Daily Press'', 17 August 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="edp17aug11"/> The sites in Lowestoft are Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate.<ref name=edp12jan12/>

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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lowestoft Masterplan |url=https://vision.abpmer.net/lowestoft-masterplan/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=vision.abpmer.net}}</ref> The harbour is a focus of redevelopment proposals for Lowestoft through the Lake Lothing and Outer Harbour [[Area Action Plan]], submitted in February 2011.<ref name="aap">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=117&categoryID=200140&pageNumber=2 An introduction to the Area Action Plan for Central Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115839/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=117&categoryID=200140&pageNumber=2 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> The plan focuses on the redevelopment of [[Brownfield land|brownfield site]]s in and around the harbour area to create jobs, particularly in the renewable energy and retailing sectors.<ref name=scctran11/><ref name="aapwhat">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=117&categoryID=200140&pageNumber=1#pagenavbox What is the Area Action Plan?] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115858/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=117&categoryID=200140&pageNumber=1 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref><ref name="edp14oct10">Mace. H (2010) [http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/vision_for_future_of_lowestoft_harbour_1_679054 Vision for future of Lowestoft harbour], ''Eastern Daily Press'', 14 October 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.</ref>

==Culture and community==
The town has three theatres: the [[Marina Theatre|Marina]], the Players (Lowestoft) and [[The Seagull (theatre)|The Seagull]]. The 800-seat Marina, operated as a charitable trust, was restored and refurbished in 2012 and its cinema upgraded to digital in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/25172212.temporary-marina-theatre-closure-lowestoft-3m-revamp/|title=Temporary Marina Theatre closure in Lowestoft for £3m revamp|work=East Anglican Daily Times}}</ref> The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra has played regularly at the Marina Theatre since 2005.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-15033450|title=Royal Philharmonic Orchestra extends Marina Theatre residency|work=BBC News|date=23 September 2011}}</ref>

Lowestoft Museum, which holds a collection of Lowestoft Porcelain and artifacts describing the town's history, is in Nicholas Everett Park in [[Oulton Broad]].<ref name="edplow"/> There are some small museums in Sparrow's Nest Park in the north of the town, including the [[Lowestoft War Memorial Museum]], the [[Lowestoft Maritime Museum|Maritime Museum]] and the Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum. The Heritage Workshop Centre is also located there.<ref name="lowj11feb11">[http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/memories_of_beach_village_in_lowestoft_1_799169?action=login 'Memories of beach village in Lowestoft'], ''Lowestoft Journal'', 11 February 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.</ref> The [[Mincarlo (trawler)|''Mincarlo'']], the last surviving [[fishing trawler|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]].

[[File:Churchyard, St. Margaret, Lowestoft - geograph.org.uk - 910808.jpg|right|thumb|[[St. Margaret's Church, Lowestoft]]]]
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.<ref name="edplow"/><ref name="scoresrace">[http://www.each.org.uk/News+and+Press+Office/news_releases/02_Mar_11_lowestoft_scores_race Lowestoft Scores Race], East Anglia's Children's Hospices, 2 March 2011. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref> The borough church, dedicated to [[St. Margaret's Church, Lowestoft|St Margaret]], is a [[Grade I listed buildings in East Suffolk District|Grade I listed building]].<ref name="suffchurch">[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/lowesmarg.html St Margaret, Lowestoft], Suffolk Churches site. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref><ref name="listchurch">[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-391277-church-of-st-margaret-lowestoft Church of St Margaret, Lowestoft], British listed buildings. Retrieved 24 April 2011.</ref> In the town centre is [[Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Lowestoft|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.<ref>[https://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101208940-church-of-our-lady-star-of-the-sea-waveney Our Lady Star of the Sea, Waveney] from British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 20 July 2018</ref><ref>[http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/lowesstar.html Our Lady Star of the Sea, Lowestoft] from SuffolkChurches.co.uk. Retrieved 20 July 2018</ref>

Lowestoft's town-centre library contains a local-history section and a branch of the Suffolk Record Office.<ref name="sro">[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon/searches/locresult_details.asp?LR=175 Suffolk Record Office, Lowestoft Branch], National Archives. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> [[Lowestoft Hospital]] closed in 2016. Services are now provided by the [[James Paget University Hospital]] in Gorleston.<ref>[https://www.jpaget.nhs.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2019.]</ref> 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]] department in the [[Île-de-France (region)|Île-de-France]] to the west of Paris.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Thomas Chapman |date= 9 July 2018 |title=Four decades of friendship celebrated as town welcomes French visitors |url=https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/22910168.four-decades-friendship-celebrated-town-welcomes-french-visitors/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |pages=Lowestoft Journal |language=en}}</ref>

==Landmarks==

=== Ness Point ===
[[Ness Point]], the [[Extreme points of the United Kingdom|most easterly location in the United Kingdom]], is located in the town close to a 126-metre [[wind turbine]], known locally as Gulliver.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Gulliver' the Tallest Wind Turbine in the UK – Ness Point Information |url=https://www.ness-point.co.uk/information/tallest-wind-turbine-in-the-uk-gulliver/ |access-date=2022-07-23 |language=en-US}}</ref> At the time it was completed it was the country's tallest.<ref name="gulliver">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2004/12/14/lowestoft_wind_turbine_feature.shtml Suffolk's first turbine], BBC Suffolk, 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

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]].<ref name="ness">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/suffolk/content/articles/2008/09/01/ness_point_murphy_feature.shtml The mess that is Ness], BBC Suffolk, 2008. Retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>

=== 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.<ref name="memorialist" /> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone, Lowestoft, Suffolk: Landscape assessment {{!}} Historic England |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/90-2019 |access-date=2022-07-23 |website=historicengland.org.uk |date=4 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

===Lighthouse===
{{main|Lowestoft Lighthouse}}
[[File:Lowestoft Denes lighthouse - geograph.org.uk - 229057.jpg|Lowestoft Lighthouse|thumb|right]]
[[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 {{convert|23|nmi|km}}. It was automated in 1975.<ref name="trinityhouse">[http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses/lowestoft.html Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414043256/http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouses/lowestoft.html |date=14 April 2011}}, Trinity House. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> 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]]. 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<ref name="lightlist"/> 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]].<ref name="lightlist">[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-391372-high-lighthouse-including-north-cottage- High Lighthouse Including North Cottage and South Cottage, Waveney], ''British Listed Buildings''. Retrieved 23 October 2012.</ref>

[[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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakefield Coastwatch |url=http://www.pakefieldcoastwatch.co.uk |website=Pakefield Coastwatch |access-date=5 March 2025}}</ref>

===Lifeboat station===
{{main|Lowestoft 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.<ref name=rnli>[http://rnli.org/findmynearest/station/Pages/Lowestoft-Lifeboat-Station.aspx Lowestoft Lifeboat Station], [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]]. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref> The lifeboat is ''[[RNLB Patsy Knight (ON 1312)|Patsy Knight]]'', a [[Shannon class lifeboat]] which replaced the [[Tyne class lifeboat|Tyne class]] boat ''[[RNLB Spirit of Lowestoft (ON 1132)|Spirit of Lowestoft]]'' in 2014. A former Lowestoft lifeboat was used during the [[Dunkirk evacuation]] of British forces from France in 1940.<ref name=rnli/> The [[South Broads Lifeboat Station]], an inland [[RNLI]] station, operated at [[Oulton Broad]] in 2001–2011.<ref name=rnliob>[http://rnli.org/NewsCentre/Pages/South-Broads-RNLI-lifeboat-station-to-close.aspx South Broads RNLI lifeboat station to close], [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]], 14 November 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2014.</ref>

===Town Hall===
{{main|Lowestoft Town Hall}}
[[File:Lowestoft Town Hall, Historic High Street.jpg|thumbnail|left|Lowestoft 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 [[market cross|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.<ref name=halllist>[http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-391325-town-hall-suffolk#.VeNysrTpjdk Town Hall, Lowestoft], British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref> The building houses the town clock and the curfew bell, which dates from 1644 and is rung each evening at 8 p. m.<ref>[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=2326 Welcome to Lowestoft Town Hall] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912061407/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=2326 |date=12 September 2015}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref> The building is a [[Listed building|Grade II listed building]].<ref name=wdc2015hall>[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/townhallsite The future of Lowestoft Town Hall] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623164538/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/townhallsite |date=23 June 2015}}, Waveney District Council website, April 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.</ref>

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.<ref name=wdc2015hall/>

===Gull Wing Bridge===
{{main|Gull Wing Bridge}}
The Gull Wing Bridge is a rolling [[bascule bridge]] that spans [[Lake Lothing]] in the town of Lowestoft, Suffolk, England, and is the largest bridge of its kind in the world to date.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kanaris |first=Sotiris |date=2022-10-21 |title=Future of Bridges {{!}} Lowestoft's record-breaking, congestion-busting bascule bridge |url=https://www.newcivilengineer.com/the-future-of/future-of-bridges-lowestofts-record-breaking-congestion-busting-bascule-bridge-21-10-2022/ |access-date=2022-12-04 |magazine=New Civil Engineer |language=en}}</ref><ref name="gullwingsize">{{Cite web |date=2024-03-09 |title=Final stage of Gull Wing Bridge installation begins in Lowestoft |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4nmer67nl5o |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The bridge's surface consists of a two-lane [[single carriageway]] with pedestrian and cycle footpaths on both sides. The bridge maintains a speed limit of {{cvt|30|mi/h|km/h|-1}} for road traffic.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Lothing Third Crossing |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643633/Annex_A_Part4_.pdf |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |access-date=23 November 2021 |page=4 }}</ref>

The bascule span of the bridge, which opens up southwards when required,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Lothing Third Crossing |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/643633/Annex_A_Part4_.pdf |website=assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |access-date=23 November 2021 |page=5 }}</ref> lies around {{convert|12|m}} above water level during high tides,<ref>{{cite web |title=Lake Lothing Third River Crossing |url=https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/254396/Consultation-Lake-Lothing-Third-River-Crossing-pc140918.pdf |website=broads-authority.gov.uk |access-date=22 November 2021 |page=2 |date=2018}}</ref> with the space between the two main spans in the water being around {{convert|35|m}} - safety features fitted to the span walls limit shipping with a maximum width of {{convert|32|m}} to be able to pass through its channel.<ref>{{cite report|last=Horne|first=Stephen|title=Lake Lothing Third Crossing|url=https://gullwingbridge.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Navigation-Risk-Assessment.pdf|website=gullwingbridge.co.uk|date=February 2021|access-date=23 November 2021|publisher=Suffolk County Council|page=9}}</ref> The Northern Approach Viaduct (NAV) has ground clearance of around {{convert|6|m|adj=on}} over the railway line to {{rws|Lowestoft}} station for trains.<ref>{{cite report|last1=Surl|first1=Rob|last2=Baker|first2=Ian|last3=Diver|first3=Thomas|last4=Santhakumar|first4=R|title=Lake Lothing Third Crossing Business Case |url=https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010023/TR010023-000372-7.4%20-%20Outline%20Business%20Case.pdf|website=infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk|access-date=23 November 2021|date=June 2018|page=55}}</ref> Road access in the south is via Waveney Drive, while in the north it is via Peto Way and Denmark Road.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Lake Lothing (Lowestoft) Third Crossing Order 201[*] |url=https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/wp-content/ipc/uploads/projects/TR010023/TR010023-000414-7.8%20-%20Mitigation%20Route%20Map.pdf |website=infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk |access-date=20 November 2021 |page=2 |date=June 2018}}</ref>

==Transport==
[[File:09.01.20 Lowestoft 755424 and 755327 (49364254117).jpg|thumb|Trains at Lowestoft station|alt=Image trains at railway station]]
[[Lowestoft railway station]], 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]].<ref name="eastsuff">[http://www.eastsuffolkline.com/home.html East Suffolk Line] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526095011/http://www.eastsuffolkline.com/home.html |date=26 May 2011}}. Plans for through trains to [[Liverpool Street railway station|London Liverpool Street]] were announced in 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref><ref name="wherry">[http://www.wherrylines.org.uk/ The Wherry Lines]. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> Both lines were originally part of the [[Great Eastern Railway]] and are operated by [[Greater Anglia]]. The suburb of Oulton Broad has two stations: {{rws|Oulton Broad North}} lies on the line to {{rws|Norwich}}, while {{rws|Oulton Broad South}} is on the line to {{stnlnk|Ipswich}}.

{{rws|Lowestoft North}}, originally operated by the [[Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway]], closed in 1970 with the [[Yarmouth–Lowestoft Line|Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth]] line. The site is now taken by the residential Beeching Drive.

[[Buses in Lowestoft]] are mainly operated by [[First Bus East of England|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 (Great Britain)|A12 road]] to [[London]] passes through Carlton Colville, Pakefield and Kirkley in the southern area of Lowestoft, ending at the town's harbour [[Bascule Bridge]]. It connects there to the [[A47 road]], which runs around the centre of town, before exiting along Great Yarmouth Road, crossing the [[county]] [[border]] into [[Norfolk]].

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 road|A146]] that runs between Lowestoft, Beccles and Norwich.<ref name=scctran11/> 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.<ref name=scctran11/><ref name="bbc12sep07">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/6991761.stm Grant could help cut congestion], BBC news website, 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2011-04-09.</ref><ref name="highways">Faber Maunsell Limited (2009) [http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=378 A12 Lowestoft study: Lake Lothing third crossing feasibility study] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115236/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/download.php?fileID=378 |date=19 July 2011}} (online). Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> {{as of|2021|06}} a [[Gull Wing Bridge|third crossing]] of Lowestoft Harbour is under construction. A southern relief road was built to divert traffic from the seafront,<ref name="sccsunrise"/><ref name=bbc27jun06>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/5120424.stm Seaside town relief road opened], BBC news website, 27 June 2006. Retrieved 2013-01-26.</ref> while a proposed pedestrian and cycle bridge is planned as an alternative crossing alongside the Bascule Bridge.<ref name="bbc13oct11">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-15289409 Lowestoft's £6.25m for transport but no third road bridge], BBC Suffolk news website, 13 October 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2013.</ref>

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.<ref name=scctran11/> Suffolk County Council aims to promote cycling by working with employers and schools and by funding a town-centre pedestrian and cycle bridge.<ref name=scctran11/>

==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]].<ref name="sccschools">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/ListOfSuffolkSchools/AtoZofSuffolkschoolsbyvillagetown.htm A to Z of schools by village/town], Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> After reorganisation, all eight middle schools in the town closed in 2011 and Pakefield High School opened.<ref name="sccsor">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/Schools/SuffolkSchoolOrganisationReview/Lowestoft.htm School organisation review: Lowestoft], Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> Post-16 education is provided at [[Lowestoft Sixth Form College]], which opened in September 2011 as part of the reorganisation, and at [[Lowestoft College|East Coast College (Lowestoft Campus)]], which offers a range of academic and vocational courses.

[[Lowestoft College|East Coast College (Lowestoft Campus)]] provides some higher education courses through an affiliation to the [[University of Suffolk]].<ref name="ucslowestoft">[http://www.ucs.ac.uk/SchoolsAndNetwork/Ourcampusnetwork/UCSLowestoft/UCS%20Lowestoft.aspx UCS Lowestoft] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514210129/http://www.ucs.ac.uk/SchoolsAndNetwork/Ourcampusnetwork/UCSLowestoft/UCS%20Lowestoft.aspx |date=14 May 2011 }}, University College Suffolk. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> Degrees were initially validated by the [[University of East Anglia]] and the [[University of Essex]]<ref name="ucsvalid">[http://www.ucs.ac.uk/About/ValidatingUniversities/ValidatingUniversities.aspx Validating Universities] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513074103/http://www.ucs.ac.uk/About/ValidatingUniversities/ValidatingUniversities.aspx |date=13 May 2011}}, University Campus Suffolk. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> 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.<ref name="maritimecourses">[http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/careers_home/students_and_school_leavers/training_providers__colleges/colleges_of_further_education.aspx Colleges of Further Education] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722105136/http://www.britishmarine.co.uk/careers_home/students_and_school_leavers/training_providers__colleges/colleges_of_further_education.aspx |date=22 July 2011}}, British Marine Federation. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref> Other adult education courses are run by the County Council from a base at the town library.<ref name="adulted">[http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/CommunityLearningAndSkillsDevelopment/ An introduction to community learning and skills development], Suffolk County Council. Retrieved 30 April 2011.</ref>

==Sport and leisure==
Lowestoft's sport clubs and facilities include [[Lowestoft Town F.C.|Lowestoft Town Football Club]] at Crown Meadow and [[Kirkley & Pakefield F.C.|Kirkley & Pakefield Football Club]] at Walmer Road. Lowestoft Cricket Club plays at the Denes Oval sports ground.<ref name="wdcdenessg">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=438&categoryID=644 Denes Oval sport ground] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719115223/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=438&categoryID=644 |date=19 July 2011}}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> Other sport clubs include Waveney Gymnastics club<ref name="gym">[http://www.waveneygymnastics.org/ Waveney Gymnastics Club]. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> and Rookery Park Golf Club.<ref name="rookery">[http://www.rookeryparkgolfclub.co.uk/pages.php/index.html Rookery Park Golf Club] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108043255/http://www.rookeryparkgolfclub.co.uk/pages.php/index.html |date=8 November 2011}}. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref>

Nicknamed 'The Waves', [[Lowestoft Ladies F.C.|Lowestoft Ladies]] football team won the [[Women's FA Cup]] in [[1982 WFA Cup final|1982]]. They beat [[Middlesbrough F.C. Women|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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hanson |first1=Reece |title=Lowestoft Ladies' incredible FA Cup final triumph remembered in new book |url=https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/20642068.lowestoft-ladies-incredible-fa-cup-final-triumph-remembered-new-book/ |website=Eastern Daily Press |date=6 October 2021 |access-date=8 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Slegg Chris |first1=Gregory Patricia |title=A History of the Women's FA Cup |date=2021 |publisher=thehistorypress |isbn=9780750996594 |page=74}}</ref>

Lowestoft and Yarmouth rugby football club<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lowestoft and Yarmouth Rugby Club |url=http://www.lyrugby.club/ |access-date=26 October 2021 |website=www.lyrugby.club}}</ref> 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<ref>{{Cite web |title=East Coast Hockey Club |url=https://www.eastcoasthockeyclub.co.uk/ |access-date=26 October 2021 |website=www.eastcoasthockeyclub.co.uk}}</ref> 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]], the Waterlane Leisure Centre, was redeveloped at a cost of £8 million in 2010–2011.<ref name="bbc27aug09">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-11111345 Lowestoft leisure centre's £6.5m facelift under way], BBC news website, 27 August 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref><ref name=edp27may13>[http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics/lowestoft_leisure_centre_was_saved_from_financial_brink_1_2211168 Lowestoft leisure centre was saved from financial brink], ''Eastern Daily Press'', 27 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.</ref> Facilities include a gym and climbing wall as well as a 25-metre swimming pool with a movable floor.<ref name="bbc27aug09"/><ref name="sentinel">[http://sentinel.onesuffolk.net/facilities/Waterlane-Leisure-Centre/ Waterlane leisure centre] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124005223/http://sentinel.onesuffolk.net/facilities/Waterlane-Leisure-Centre |date=24 November 2013}}, Sentinel Leisure Trust. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref> Lowestoft has a number of parks and recreation grounds.<ref name="wdcparks">[http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200073 Parks and open spaces] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314163930/http://www.waveney.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200073 |date=14 March 2011 }}, Waveney District Council. Retrieved 9 April 2011.</ref>

[[The Broads]] national park extends to Lowestoft on [[Oulton Broad]]. Water activities and boat tours can be taken here. [[Powerboating|Powerboat racing]] takes place throughout the summer, mainly on Thursday evenings.<ref name=powerboats>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120315143750/http://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/broads/live/authority/meetings/broads-authority/2012/01-20/%5Breport%5D%20Power%20Boat%20Racing%20ba200112.pdf Power Boat Racing], Report by Head of Safety Management, Broads Authority, 20 January 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2013.</ref> Fixtures are organised by the Lowestoft and Oulton Broad Motor Boat Club and can attract up to 1500 spectators.<ref name=powerboats/><ref name=bbc21jun13>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-23002916 Oulton Broad speedboat engine thefts leads to race cancellation], BBC Suffolk news website, 21 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.</ref> The [[Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club]] has its club house in [[Port of Lowestoft|Lowestoft harbour]].<ref name=rnsyc>[http://www.rnsyc.net Official Website] Club website. Retrieved 21 June 2013.</ref>

==Notable people==
The Elizabethan pamphleteer [[Thomas Nashe]], a father of modern journalism and a primary source for the literary milieux of [[William Shakespeare]], was born in Lowestoft in 1567.<ref>Nicholl, Charles. ''A Cup of News: The Life of Thomas Nashe''. Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1984, p. 11.</ref> [[Robert Potter (translator)|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.<ref name="lj17dec27">General's Death – Sir Edwin Alderson's Lowestoft Yachting Associations, ''Lowestoft Journal'', 17 December 1927.</ref>

Admiral [[John Ashby (Royal Navy officer)|Sir John Ashby]], who commanded [[HMS Royal James (1675)|HMS ''Victory'']] at the [[Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue]] in 1692, grew up in Suffolk and is buried in Lowestoft. A memorial is sited in St Margaret's Church. Admiral [[Sir Thomas Allin, 1st Baronet|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]].{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} Vice Admiral [[James Richard Dacres (1788–1853)|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]] recipient was born in Kirkley{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} 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 [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution|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]], 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. [[Christopher Cockerell|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 [[Dennis Robertson (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 [[John Maynard Keynes|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.<ref name="local2006">[http://www.lowestoftlocalhistory.co.uk/archive/feb06.htm 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.</ref> 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.<ref name=na>[http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=175-849&cid=-1#-1 Evidences to title to the North Cove Hall Estate], National Archives. Retrieved 14 July 2013.</ref> He was made the first Freeman of the Borough of Lowestoft in 1929.<ref name=local2006/> 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"<ref name="britten">Kennedy.M (2002) [https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/17/artsandhumanities.arts?INTCMP=SRCH Makeshift studio listed], ''The Guardian'', 17 October 2002. Retrieved 28 March 2011.</ref> and "the only person of real celebrity to have emerged from darkest Lowestoft."<ref name="darkness">M. Foreman (2004) [https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/feb/19/popandrock2?INTCMP=SRCH Lowestoft's Dark stars], ''The Guardian'', 19 February 2004. Retrieved 28 April 2011.</ref> [[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 (author/illustrator)|Michael Foreman]], born in 1938, spent his childhood in [[Pakefield]], where his mother kept a grocer's shop.<ref name="darkness"/> 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 (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.<ref name=lowjournal28sep12>[http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/oulton_broad_author_to_make_lowestoft_appearance_1_1531774? Oulton Broad author to make Lowestoft appearance], ''Lowestoft Journal'', 28 September 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref> Author [[Mark Dawson (writer)|Mark Dawson]] was born in the town.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}}

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 (band)|The Darkness]] rock band were educated in [[Kirkley]] (Namely [[Justin Hawkins]], his brother [[Dan Hawkins (musician)|Dan Hawkins]] and [[Ed Graham]].) Some of their songs feature local landmarks or stories such as "[[Black Shuck]]".<ref name="darkness"/> [[Lil' Chris]] featured in [[Channel 4]]'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.<ref name=lj1jun12>[http://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/oulton_broad_singer_leanne_mitchell_faces_final_stage_fight_in_bbc_one_show_the_voice_1_1395872 Oulton Broad singer Leanne Mitchell faces final stage fight in BBC One show The Voice], ''Lowestoft Journal'', 1 June 2012. Retrieved 31 August 2016.</ref>

Sports people associated with Lowestoft include the England football captain [[Terry Butcher]], who was educated there, and [[Peter Wright (darts player)|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]] pitcher [[Les Rohr]] and [[Olympic Games|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 City|Freedom of the Town]] of Lowestoft.

===Individuals===
*[[Benjamin Britten]]: 28 July 1951.  (Borough of Lowestoft)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Photograph of invitation to the presentation of Freedom of Lowestoft to Britten |url=https://twitter.com/BrittenOfficial/status/1288029441420075008 |website=Twitter |access-date=22 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
*John Wylson: 25 June 2021
*Christopher Brooks: 25 June 2021, formally conferred at a ceremony on 27 November 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/local-council/chris-brooks-lowestoft-freedom-award-8523640 |title='Richly deserving': Freedom of town honour awarded at special ceremony |last=Boggis |first=Mark |date=29 November 2021 |website=The Lowestoft Journal |publisher= |access-date=1 December 2021 |quote=}}</ref>

===Organisations and groups===
*[[Excelsior (smack)|The Excelsior]]: 25 June 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Freedom of the Town – Three Awards made by Lowestoft Town Council |url=https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/news/freedom-of-the-town-three-awards-made-by-lowestoft-town-council/ |website=Lowestoft Town Council |access-date=22 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=FREEDOM OF THE TOWN – THREE AWARDS MADE BY LOWESTOFT TOWN COUNICL |url=https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/assets/Documents/202106-Freedom-of-the-Town-Announcement.pdf |website=Lowestoft Town Council |access-date=22 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lowestoftjournal.co.uk/news/freedom-of-lowestoft-awards-8087292 |title=Freedom of the Town honours bestowed on trio – including historic boat  |last=Boggis |first=Mark |date=25 June 2021 |website=The Lowestoft Journal |publisher= |access-date=22 October 2021 |quote=}}</ref>
* The [[Royal British Legion]] (Lowestoft and District Branch): 17 November 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Royal British Legion Lowestoft and District Branch awarded Freedom of the Town |url=https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/news/the-royal-british-legion-freedom-of-the-town/ |website=Lowestoft Town Council |date=17 November 2021 |access-date=4 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Lowestoft}}
{{Commons and category|Lowestoft}}
*[https://www.lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk/ Lowestoft Town Council]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/fishing/ Nation on Film&nbsp;– the rise and fall of the fishing industry on England's east coast], BBC website.

{{East Suffolk}}
{{Suffolk}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lowestoft| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea]]
[[Category:Seaside resorts in England]]
[[Category:Benjamin Britten]]
[[Category:Beaches of Suffolk]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Suffolk]]
[[Category:Waveney District]]