Lowestoft Town Council
Lowestoft Town Council are once again organising the annual commemorations of Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday in Lowestoft.
Armistice Day is on Saturday 11th November and will be marked at the War Memorial on Royal Plain, Lowestoft Cemetery, and Belle Vue Park. These short ceremonies will begin shortly before 11am.
The annual service to commemorate Remembrance Sunday will take place on Sunday 12th November at the War Memorial on Royal Plain. This ceremony will begin shortly before 11am, following the parade from Claremont Pier. As with previous years, representatives from organisations and businesses will be welcome to lay wreaths at the War Memorial. If you would like to take part in the wreath laying and/or parade, please complete the booking form and return to admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
All are welcome to attend these services as we gather as a community to pay tribute to the brave service personnel who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
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Lowestoft Town Council secures support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for developing the Town Hall.
Lowestoft Town Council is delighted to announce that the Town Hall regeneration project has successfully secured second stage funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The award, worth £3,257,512, will play a pivotal role in revitalising the iconic Town Hall, with The National Lottery Heritage Fund panel recognising the project, led by Lowestoft Town Council, and its aim to make a “significant cultural, community, and economic contribution to Lowestoft”.
Extensive consultation, including the opportunity to comment on the architectural designs, has demonstrated that the Town Hall is still very important to local people who overwhelmingly support its being brought back into community use and as an operational Town Hall.
This funding, alongside additional funding from Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, and Towns Fund, will assist the Town Council to progress its plans to renovate the Town Hall with provision for a compelling and innovative heritage hub, gallery space with a changing programme of exhibitions and events, wedding and reception venue with catering facilities, co-working space for sole traders and small businesses, a café, and additional community event space. The Town Hall will also become the home for the Town Council with Council meetings and staff offices.
Cllr Sonia Barker, Mayor of Lowestoft said “This is the news we have all been waiting and hoping for. The awarding of this funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, will enable us to bring this iconic building back into community use. On behalf of Lowestoft Town Council, I wish to thank everyone who has contributed to this project by responding to consultations, engaging with our heritage events and through bringing their expertise and passion.”
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “I’m thrilled that we have been able to provide significant support to this project, which will revitalise and preserve the UK’s remarkable built heritage. Saving heritage is core to what we do, and we look forward to seeing Lowestoft Town Council delivering a transformational project for the Town Hall. National Lottery funding will help to ensure this heritage space will be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone’s future.”
Cllr Toby Hammond, East Suffolk Council’s cabinet member for Economic Development and Transport said: “As a partner in the Town Hall project, we are delighted that this significant funding has been secured. East Suffolk Council is committed to improving Lowestoft and the refurbishment of the Town Hall is one of five transformational regeneration projects which received a share of the £24.9 million Towns Fund last year..”
Tony Calladine, Historic England Regional Director, said: “This is fantastic news. It’s wonderful to see the vision for Lowestoft Town Hall being realised. This important local landmark has played a pivotal role in local life for so many years and thanks to such a collaborative effort, and the enthusiasm of local people, it will once again be at the vibrant heart of the community.”
With this funding now in place, work on the building is set to begin in March 2024 with the Town Hall reopening in late Summer 2025.
The Lowestoft Town Hall Project is a Lowestoft Town Council initiative supported National Lottery players via The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Other significant funders for the regeneration include Historic England, The Architectural Heritage Fund, Towns Fund, and East Suffolk Council.
Read more on Lowestoft Town Hall receives National Lottery Heritage Fund award
The hugely popular Lowestoft Heritage Open Days Festival returns this Friday, 8 September with ten days of free to enjoy activities celebrating our towns rich history and culture.
Once again, Lowestoft joins the nationwide celebration with a host of events specially curated for the festival with talks, walks, exhibitions, recitals, and rare opportunities to view behind the scenes at some of the area’s most iconic buildings. The opening of this years festival coincides with the opening of a new independent archive facility for the town, housed in the Grit Arts Centre on Old Nelson Street, with public tours available from Saturday.
On Saturday, 9 September, a free Heritage Bus Service will connect activities across Lowestoft and Oulton Broad calling at locations including Lowestoft Railway Station, Nicholas Everett Park in Oulton Broad, Whapload Road, Gordon Road and London Road South operated by the East Anglia Transport Museum in Carlton Colville which, with its working trams, trains and trolleybuses will also be opening free of charge to all for the day.
Other activities during the opening weekend include an 1880s Festival in the High Street / Triangle Market, Seafest 23 – a showcase of fish and seafood with live music and stalls at Sam’s Cold Store on Haddenham Rd, an exhibition featuring the former Lowestoft to Yarmouth Railway and tours of the historic swing bridge at Somerleyton.
As part of the festival several churches are opening their doors to visitors including the 500year old Parish church of St Margarets, Pakefield Church, Our Lady Star of the Sea in Gordon Road which will enable the public to climb its tower and enjoy some spectacular views, North Lowestoft United Reform Church, St Nicholas Church and Christ Church, once at the very heart of the Beach Village which has served the town since 1869.
The festival brings a host of free to enjoy activities including opportunities to see artists at work, learn more about the towns famous composers, authors and artists, the manufacture of Lowestoft Porcelain, visit several of the town’s museums, a pop-up art gallery and five free music recitals.
The St John Ambulance Heritage Centre on Oxford Road will open its doors on Sat 9 and throughout the festival, a host of Old Lowestoft photographs from the Bert Collyer collection will be available to view at the Lowestoft Museum. Amateur Dramatic Society, the Lowestoft Players are opening their theatre housed within the former Sailors and Fisherman’s Bethel on Sept 16 and the neighbouring Marina Theatre are hosting tours and workshops on Sat 17.
Walks and talks include a tour of the nearby village of Corton with acclaimed historian David Butcher, the towns former Hanging Garden’s near the High Street, a chance to see and hear how the railway station narrowly survived destruction during two world wars, an update from the Lowestoft Central Project on their efforts to rejuvenate Lowestoft station, a workshop on tracing family histories and a fascinating tour giving a rare insight into the history and current operations of the Port of Lowestoft.
Exhibitions include railway photography, Corton and its connections to Colman’s Mustard, the history of some of Kirkley’s streets, famous local authors, composers and artists, fishermen’s Ganseys and the town’s maritime heritage.
Once again, the Lowestoft Festival is presenting more events than any town in Suffolk and the Festival Information Hub will be open throughout at the Tourist information Office at the railway station.
Martin Halliday, newly appointed Chair of the Lowestoft Heritage Open Days Festival steering group said; “We are thrilled to be launching this year’s festival, a unique celebration of our town’s heritage with all events free for the public to enjoy. We are hugely grateful to the many organisations and individuals that are enabling access to some of the town’s most iconic buildings or sharing some unique elements of our history including Network Rail for their Somerleyton Swing Bridge tours, the Lowestoft Central Project and Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership for their sponsorship and hosting of the Festival Information Hub, many of the town’s historians and museums, especially the East Anglia Transport Museum who are operating the free Heritage Bus Service on Sat 9, connecting many of the festival locations and activities as well as opening their museum free of charge on the same day.”
To view all the free activities taking place as part of this year’s Heritage Open Days Festival, please go to www.heritageopendays.org.uk and search Lowestoft. For those unable to access online information, a free twelve-page printed listing guide has been produced and is available to collect from the Festival Information Hub at the railway station.
