Facts about Lowestoft
Lowestoft History
The discovery of flint tools in the cliffs at Pakefield in south Lowestoft in 2005 means that human habitation of the Lowestoft area can be traced back 700,000 years. This establishes it as one of the earliest inhabited sites known in Britain. The area was inhabited in the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron ages and in the Roman and Saxon periods. Several finds have been made at a Saxon cemetery at Bloodmoor Hill in south Lowestoft.
In the Middle Ages, Lowestoft became an increasingly important fishing town that grew to challenge its neighbour, Great Yarmouth. The trade, particularly for herring, continued as the town’s main identity into the 20th century. The naval Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665 was the first of the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Held 40 miles off the coast, it was a clear victory for the English over the Dutch.
Geography
Lowestoft, the easternmost town in the United Kingdom, lies on the North Sea coast 110 miles north-east of London, 38 miles north-east of Ipswich and 22 miles south-east of Norwich. It is divided by Lake Lothing, which forms the inner part of Lowestoft Harbour and provides access via Oulton Broad and Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney and the Broads. Lowestoft is mainly low-lying, but with hilly areas in the north of the town and high points of 20–30 metres above sea level.
