Lowestoft Maritime Museum

 

Home Port of Lowestoft Sea to River Sir S Morton Peto Bt Early Charts Museum History Duke of Edinburgh Marine Art G V Burwood Art 50th Anniversary Princess Royal 1 Princess Royal 2 RNLI Lifeboats Brooke Marine LEC Marine Richards Shipbuilders Engines Ship Models Hovercraft Lighthouses Echosounders Radio Communication Decca Navigator Marine Radar Port War Air Sea Rescue Porthole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 [Under Construction]

Updated July 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lowestoft Maritime Museum was established in 1958 by the Lowestoft and East Suffolk Maritime Society, a registered charity. It is maintained and manned by its members on a voluntary basis and  the premises are grant aided by Waveney District Council. Aerial photo - Michael Page. www.norfolkskyview.flyer.co.uk

HRH The Duke of Edinburgh opened a major extension in 1978 and just two years later  a further extension was added. This year marks the completion of another major new extension funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and opened by HRH The Princess Royal on the 12th May 2010.

The museum stands in an idyllic setting below the 'Highlight', Lowestoft's landmark lighthouse, see buildings bottom centre above. The Highlight can trace its origins back to Samuel Pepys and the Brotherhood of Trinity House; it is said that the loom of its twin 500 watt lanterns can be seen at  20 miles (32km) in clear weather. The museum entrance is through a Scheduled Building, originally the Park Keeper's cottage in the grounds of Sparrows Nest Park, all of which was taken over by the Royal Navy and for the duration of WW2, it became HMS Europa. A fine column designed by F H Crossley FRIBA, can be seen top right, built by the Imperial War Graves Commission, it commemorates the loss at sea of 2,385 officers and men of the Royal Navy Patrol Service.

Commenced January 2009, the new extension doubles the area available for exhibits and includes a school room to support the strong educational connections developed over forty years of continuous expansion. The display below shows a collection of stem trawlers.  See www.paulpeekphotography.co.uk