Lowestoft War Memorial Museum

About the museum

The Lowestoft War Memorial Museum opened in 1995, timed to mark the fiftieth anniversary of VE Day. It is dedicated to the people of Lowestoft who served in the First and Second World Wars and is run by volunteers.

The museum occupies buildings in Sparrow's Nest Gardens in the north of the town. In the early nineteenth century the site was a thatched summer house owned by the landowner Robert Sparrow, and the council bought the gardens in the 1890s. In September 1939 the Royal Navy took over the site as headquarters and central depot of the Royal Naval Patrol Service and added extensions to the house. The thatched house was pulled down in the 1960s, leaving the brick and concrete extensions that now house the museum. In the 1990s the run-down building was restored with money raised largely by a local historian.

Inside there is a small chapel and a roll of honour for civilians killed by enemy action in Lowestoft in both wars. Displays cover the town's wartime defences, bomb damage and the stories of local servicemen and women, and there is a Battle of Britain room, a display on child evacuees and a reconstructed air raid shelter in the grounds. Many items can be handled, and visitors can try on helmets and army kit.

Key themes

• Reconstructed air raid shelter and Anderson shelters in the grounds
• Battle of Britain room with a model airfield and items to handle
• U-boat uniforms and coding material from U-13, sunk off the coast in 1940
• Map of bomb strikes on Lowestoft, including two V1 impacts
• Display on child evacuees and Kindertransport arrivals
• Small chapel and roll of honour for local civilians killed by enemy action

Permanent exhibition

• Lowestoft in the World Wars – Five exhibition areas with wartime objects, a Battle of Britain room, an evacuee display and outdoor air raid shelters.

Founded

1995

Admission & discounts

There is a small entry charge; the website does not publish the amounts.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

• Hands-on stations

Several handling items and clothes to try on make the displays more accessible for children, but the museum publishes no dedicated family programme.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Sparrow's Nest Gardens in the north of Lowestoft.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

A café is in the same building complex. The museum has a shop section on its website.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit