Lowestoft, Suffolk
As far east as you can go in England
Britain’s most easterly town, the first to catch the morning sun, is a delightfully busy holiday resort, significantly less tacky than Great Yarmouth to the north. Lowestoft was originally a small fishing and farming town perched on a cliff in the northern part of Suffolk. The main street consisted of merchants’ houses, shops, schools and pubs while, away from the centre, the town’s streets were flanked by breweries, small industries and cottages, many occupied by farm labourers before the western part of the town began to be developed.
Since the 14th century, when that original fishing village began its expansion, Lowestoft evolved into a major fishing port and ship-building centre, and from Victorian times has benefited from its miles of golden beaches, increasing its popularity as a premier seaside resort.
The inner harbour, known as Lake Lothing, plugs into Oulton Broad and the River Waveney, the most south-easterly point of the Broads.
There are some strong literary and artistic associations in Lowestoft: Thomas Nashe, the English dramatist, was born here (in 1567), as was composer Benjamin Britten (1913–76), probably best known for the Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and his opera Peter Grimes. Oulton Broad is the place to which Norfolk author George Borrow…
