Images have been revealed showing how Lowestoft’s historic railway station could look with a reinstated concourse roof enabling better facilities for rail passengers and creating a unique tourist attraction for the town.
The Lowestoft Central Project and Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership (CRP) commissioned leading railway architects to produce the designs which draw upon the stations Victorian heritage and similar railway structures in the region. The designs show a double apex roof over the main station concourse with additional canopies situated over the stations three platforms.
Fundraising has taken place over several years to enable the new roof design concepts to be produced, and the next stage will be to raise further funds for additional work to create full architectural plans which can then be fully costed before the team can investigate potential large scale funding opportunities.
Lowestoft railway station is one of the best located in the region at the very heart of the town centre, adjacent to the port and just a few minutes-walk to the beach. The original station roof is believed to have been badly damaged by fire shortly after the current station opened in 1855 and was rebuilt using large Baltic timber beams. Despite being propped up in 1938 the structure survived over 130 years despite near destruction during two World Wars, however by the late 1980s parts of the roof needed substantial refurbishment. At the time local authority plans sought to relocate the station away from the town centre and British Rail decided to demolish the roof in 1992.
The concept proposal, produced by Fain Redfern in association with Oxford Architects, provides for a self-supporting structure that has minimum impact on the historic original buildings. The scheme for Lowestoft has been developed following the historic architectural designs used by the Great Eastern railway at terminal stations of a similar size at locations such as Southend Victoria and Felixstowe.
For some years the Lowestoft Central Project and Wherry Lines CRP have been working with rail industry partners to rejuvenate and restore much of Lowestoft station, the easternmost station in the British Isles. Initiatives include restoration of the former Parcels Office repurposing the room into a public exhibition and meeting space, celebrating the history of the station through events and giant interpretation panels, reopening doorways closed for over fifty years better connecting the station with the town centre and, in 2020, the opening of a volunteer led Community Rail shop and tourist information office.
In recent years, the station has been utilised for numerous activities and events including exhibitions, craft fairs and meetings. During Summer 2025, to mark the Nationwide Railway 200 Anniversary celebrations, the station welcomed the Inspiration exhibition train attracting record breaking visitor numbers.
Chris Mitchell, Chair of the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership said; “We are at the beginning of a very long journey in our efforts to reinstate a roof at Lowestoft station, our plan is to create a self-supporting structure that fully compliments the remaining Victorian architecture, provides much needed shelter for rail passengers and has a dual purpose in making the station an attraction in itself, able to host a variety of events and activities all year round.”
Both the Wherry Lines CRP and Lowestoft Central Project are committed to reinstating a roof structure but also see the opportunity to increase tourism by rail to the town. The team have studied several other stations around the country including Tynemouth wherein regular events take place, attracting many thousands of people by rail and in turn providing an enormous boost to the local economy. A reinstated roof will also provide additional protection for original station buildings currently exposed to the elements and potentially serve as a catalyst in attracting sympathetic regeneration of the former buffet building on the eastern aspect.
Martin Halliday for the Lowestoft Central Project said, “Over the past ten years we have worked hard to rejuvenate much of the station putting it at the very heart of the community it serves. “Should we be able to take our plans for the roof further, we believe it will not only provide much needed cover for passengers, it will also allow us to further extend our community work and by making the station a tourist attraction in its own right, be able to host a variety of events attracting visitors to the town supporting both the local economy and driving regeneration in the area.”
The original designs used by the Great Eastern included areas that were externally slated which provides the ability to incorporate solar slates without compromising the authentic appearance. The ability additionally exists to harvest the rainwater, again without impacting the aesthetics of the design.
The entire proposal is based on the creation of a quality multi-use concourse space providing a welcoming and comfortable environment for passengers together with the local community bringing renewed vibrancy to the town and the wider area.
Working together over many years, Oxford Architects and Fain Redfern have extensive experience of the design and restoration of sensitive historic railway station schemes including the restoration of the grade 1 listed London Paddington, the replication of the long-lost riverside elevation canopy at Bath Spa, the restoration of Birmingham Moor St and the replica stations at Kidderminster Town and Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway.
The Lowestoft Central Project and Wherry Lines CRP are currently in discussions with train operator Greater Anglia about the creation of enhanced public toilet facilities for Lowestoft station and other improvements that could bring more under-utilised buildings back into use during 2026.
The proposed roof and canopy images will be on public display at Lowestoft station at the end of January.
