Lowestoft - Culture and Community

Culture and Community

The town has two theatres, the larger Marina Theatre and The Seagull theatre in Pakefield. A four screen cinema, the independently owned East Coast Cinema, is the town's only remaining cinema. It underwent a £200,000 refurbishment in late 2011 to upgrade facilities and allow 3D films to be shown. The Beach radio station broadcasts to Lowestoft and the surrounding area as does BBC Radio Suffolk. The local weekly (paid for) paper is the Lowestoft Journal which is part of the Archant group.

Lowestoft Museum, which holds a collection of Lowestoft Porcelain as well as artifacts describing the town's history, is in Nicholas Everett Park in Oulton Broad. Lowestoft's other museums include the Maritime Museum and Royal Naval Patrol Service Museum, both located in Sparrow's Nest park in the north of the town, and the Heritage Workshop Centre. The Mincarlo is the last surviving sidewinder trawler of the Lowestoft fishing fleet and can be visited at Lowestoft Harbour. The East Anglia Transport Museum, which holds a collection of buses, trams and trolleybuses is located in Carlton Colville.

Lowestoft retains a number of narrow lanes with steps running steeply towards the sea, known locally as "scores". These were used by fishermen and smugglers in the past and are now the site of an annual race which raises money for charity. The borough church is dedicated to St Margaret and is a Grade I listed building.

Lowestoft library, located in the centre of the town, contains a local history section and a branch of the Suffolk Record Office. Lowestoft Hospital provides community care for the elderly as well as a variety of other services.

The town is currently twinned with the French town of Plaisir in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France to the west of Paris. It was formerly twinned with Dutch town of Katwijk which is due east from Lowestoft on the North Sea coast.