Lowestoft is the second biggest town in Suffolk. Its Marina is located on Lake Lothing that has inner and outer harbours that are located near the bascule bridge for the A12 that runs through the town. There are many businesses and residential spots but the main shopping center is located north with the Blue Flag beaches on the south.
There are two piers. The main one is in Lowestoft called the South Pier on Lowestoft Harbour. Claremont Pier is the other and is located in Kirkley. This pier was once the port of call for the steamers that travelled to and from from London. With Claremount Pier not being utilized for many years it has fallen into disrepair and is no longer avaliable to the public but at the land end is a building where events are still hosted.
The name of the town came from a Viking personal name Hlothver and the word toft which is a Viking word meaning homestead. Through out time the towns name has had many spelling variations including Lestoffe, Lothnwistoft, Loysoft, Laistoe and Laystoft. It was spelled Lothu Wistoft in the Domesday Book which depicted the town to be a little agricultural village that had 100 people or about 20 families.
Lowestoft became a fishing habour during the Middle Ages which continued to be a trade that was the towns main identity up until the 20th Century. The Battle of Lowestoft the first battle of the Second Dutch War was fought roughly 40 miles form the town's coast. Sir Samuel Morton Peto arrived in the 19th Century and built the railway between Lowestoft and Ipswich which changed the town's fortunes. He then gave mooring for 1,000 small boats to help develop Lowestoft Harbour.
Lowestoft Habour's main developments were docks whose construction began in 1848 by Eastern Counties Railway and was kept going from 1862 by the Great Easter Railway which removed Peto's input from the project. The completion of the docks allowed for better trading abilities with the continent. Peto also established Lowestoft as a holiday resort by the sea through the connection of other parish's that, while keeping their name, are considered part of Lowestoft but many of the building that went with them have been torn down.
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