Lowestoft Museum

About the museum

Lowestoft Museum is housed in Broad House, a Grade II listed building from 1685 in Nicholas Everitt Park at Oulton Broad. It is staffed by local volunteers, funded by donations and free to enter.

The museum collects, preserves and displays objects connected with the history and people of the Lowestoft area. It is best known for its collection of eighteenth-century Lowestoft porcelain, made at a soft-paste porcelain factory in Crown Street that operated from 1757 to 1802. Another highlight is the display about Pakefield Man, whose remains from the Pakefield cliffs are about 700,000 years old, together with local fossils and Roman and Anglo-Saxon finds.

Other galleries cover the fishing port, HMS Lowestoft and HMS Mantis, and local figures such as the composer Benjamin Britten and the writer George Borrow. Reconstructed rooms include a Victorian room, a cobbler's shop and a doctor's surgery. There are also displays on the history of St John Ambulance, old toys and the two World Wars. The museum stands in a park with a bandstand, cafes, boat trips around Oulton Broad and a play area.

Highlights

• Eighteenth-century Lowestoft porcelain
• Pakefield Man, about 700,000 years old
• Local fossils and Roman and Anglo-Saxon finds
• Displays on HMS Lowestoft, HMS Mantis and the fishing port
• Victorian room, cobbler's shop and doctor's surgery
• Items on Benjamin Britten and George Borrow

Permanent exhibition

• Lowestoft porcelain and local history – Eighteenth-century Lowestoft porcelain, Pakefield Man, the fishing port, HMS Lowestoft and HMS Mantis, and reconstructed Victorian rooms and shops.

Founded

1973

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free; the museum is funded by donations.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There are no toilets inside the museum. Public toilets are a few yards away. The website gives no further access information.

Kids & families

The museum stands in Nicholas Everitt Park, which has a recently remodelled play area. The museum itself publishes no family programme.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Broad House in Nicholas Everitt Park at Oulton Broad. The website gives no directions or parking information.

Amenities & dining

The park around the museum has cafes and restaurants. There are no toilets in the museum; public toilets are a few yards away.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit