The Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and Lowestoft Central Project are supporting Lowestoft’s Heritage Open Days Festival once again this year, providing a base for the festival information hub, hosting exhibitions and guided walks as well as sponsoring print and publicity.
The town joins the National Heritage celebrations again this year with a host of opportunities to visit local buildings, events and exhibitions and join talks, walks and recitals.
Commencing Friday 12 and running through to Sunday 21 September, all activities are free to enjoy including an opportunity to visit one of the country’s top transport museums and a free heritage bus service connecting the railway station with events in Lowestoft and Oulton Broad.
Exhibitions during the festival include another chance to see, Left at the Junction which proved hugely popular during the visit to Lowestoft of the Railway 200 exhibition train, Inspiration and features 100 images of the railway in Norfolk and Suffolk taken over five decades. Another returning exhibition is Wherry Lines Posters which features the work of a Wherry Lines /Broads National Park education project which produced a series of modern versions of 1920s railway posters, both exhibitions are running in the Parcels Office at Lowestoft railway station on 12,13 & between 15 and 20 Sept.
Two walking talks have also been included this year, “What this place needs is some decent toilets and the bloomin’ roof put back” on Sept 13 is a light hearted look at the improvements made at the station through the Community Rail movement in recent years and “Near This Place” on Sept 21 which gives a tour of locations around the port and railway damaged during two World Wars including the 1915 Zeppelin air raid on the Great Eastern Railway stables.
Throughout the festival the station’s Community Rail Shop and Tourist Information Office will host the Heritage Open Day’s Information Hub with free listings booklets and other information available as well as advice on reaching various locations.
The station history panels featuring the Lowestoft school’s evacuation of 1940, the Kindertransport arrival in 1938 & a timeline of the first 175 years since the railway arrived will all be available to view throughout.
The town’s three main museums are all taking part with Lowestoft Museum located in Oulton Broad’s Nicholas Everitt Park and the Maritime Museum in the Sparrow’s Nest Gardens both presenting special activities throughout the festival with, on Saturday 13 September, the East Anglia Transport Museum in Carlton Colville which is offering free admission between Midday and 4.30pm as well as a free heritage bus service between 11am and 5pm connecting with Lowestoft railway station, Lowestoft bus station, St Peters Street, London Rd South, Artillery Way, Oulton Broad, the Sparrow’s Nest Gardens (Whapload Rd) and the Transport Museum.
Community Rail Development Officer, Martin Halliday said; “We are delighted to be supporting Lowestoft HODS for another year and that so many organisations and individuals are taking part, providing a unique snapshot of the town and its rich history. Saturday 13 Sept brings a great opportunity to visit a number of the events by travelling via a free heritage bus service linking the railway station with various locations and the East Anglia Transport Museum, which will also be open to the public for free on the day.”
This year’s festival also features archive information about the town’s Marina Theatre (15-20 Sept) and an easterly Artistes pop up exhibition entitled ‘Sea This’ (12 to 20 Sept) are both at The Battery within the former Tesco supermarket in London Rd North and a pop up exhibition about Herring Girls runs at the East Point Pavilion (13 &14 & 16-21 Sept).
Talks, many of which combine with short walks include Sparrow’s Nest at War which culminates in a visit to the Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum(20 Sept) and a special High Street Blitz Walk with local historian Bob Collis is on 13 Sept.
A tour of the Commonwealth War Graves takes place on 16 & 20 Sept (bookable) and the final resting place of some 122 mostly service personnel are featured in a tour of Lowestoft Cemetery on 14 Sept.
Lowestoft Town Council are repeating their heritage skills event at the Triangle Market (13 Sept) with Lowestoft Arts Centre in St Peters Street celebrating 25 years in their current location with a special exhibition, Foot Square (12, 13 & 18 to 20). The town council are also hosting two tours of the Town Hall, currently undergoing renovation works (17 Sept). Just off the High Street, Crown Score will bring a chance to see a new community garden project and hear about the town’s former Hanging Gardens (17, 18 & 20). The Royal Falcon Hotel will be the location for a virtual tour through the history of the High Street on Sept 12 & 13 (bookable).
Churches participating this year include St Margaret’s Parish Church which hosts a lunchtime organ recital with Steven Kirk on Friday 12 at 1.15pm and music with the Tootie Flooties on Friday 19 at 1.15pm as well as being open for visitors on 12 & 13 & 19 & 20, Christ Church in the Uk’s most easterly parish is open on 13 & 20 Sept and a chance to explore the Italianate Victorian North Lowestoft United Reform Church is available on 12,13, 19 & 20 .
Favourites returning include the St John Ambulance Heritage Centre on Melbourne Rd (Sept 13) and the Victorian Pharmacy in the High Street (12 & 13 & 18 to 20). On Sept 20 & 21 there is a chance to visit one of Samuel Morton Peto’s original town houses on Wellington Esplanade.
Most attractions during the festival are open to all with just a few of the activities needing to be booked in advance. The Festival Information hub situated within the railway station shop & tourist information office opened on Friday 5 Sept and will be available until Sat 20 Sept from 10.30am to 4pm daily (excluding Sun 7, Thurs 11, & Sun 14) with free printed listings and other festival information.
All Heritage Open Day’s events including timings are available to view online at www.heritageopendays.org.uk and searching Lowestoft.
