SOUTH LOWESTOFT Conservation Area Written by the Heritage Team of Scott Wilson Ltd Character Appraisal and the Waveney District Council Conservation Team ———— Published June 2007 Contents Page 1: Introduction Page 2: Map of existing North Lowestoft Conservation Area and listed buildings Page 3: Assessment of Special Interest Page 4: Historic Development and Archaeology Page 6: A reconstructed plan of the Waveney Road from the South Pier Town of Lowestoft c.1618 Page 8: Barnes’ map of Lowestoft in 1830 Page 12: Chamber’s plan of Lowestoft and Kirkley, 1878 Page 19: Spatial Analysis Page 22: Character Areas within the South Lowestoft Conservation Area Page 23: Character Analysis Page 23: The Harbour Character Area Page 34: The Seafront Character Area St Peter’s Road Page 46: London Road South Character Area Page 56: St Peter’s Church Character Area Page 63: Special Interest of South Lowestoft Conservation Area Page 64: Community Consultation Page a1/1: Appendix 1: Building Descriptions Page a2/1: Appendix 2: Bibliography Page a3/1: Appendix 3: Useful Information Waveney Dock and Outer Page a4/1: Proposed Extensions to the South Lowestoft Conservation Area Page a4/2: Appendix 4: Suggested Boundary Changes Page a5/1: Appendix 5: Management Proposals Page a5/2: Acknowledgements Mapping reproduced from Ordnance Survey digital data (c) Crown copyright 2007. All rights reserved. License number 0100042052 London Road South South Lowestoft Conservation Area Designation as a conservation area is not Character Appraisal intended to prevent new development or Introduction stifle the area’s economic life or The historic environment is all around us potential, though it is expected that a in the form of buildings, landscapes, high degree of attention will be paid to archaeology and historic areas; it is a design, repair and maintenance in such precious and irreplaceable asset. Once areas. When exercising planning powers, gone it is gone forever. we will pay special attention to the preservation and enhancement of the Caring for the historic environment is a conservation area according to those dynamic process which involves policies for the built environment set out managing change. This does not mean in the adopted Waveney District Local keeping everything from the past, but Plan of November 1996 and the Interim making careful judgements about the Local Plan of May 2004. value and significance of buildings and landscapes. Critical to these decisions is In recognition of these policies, the Core an understanding and appreciation of an LDF strategy and in line with the area’s character, including its social and requirements of the 1990 Planning economic background, and the way in (Listed Buildings and Conservation which such factors have shaped its urban Areas) Act, we will continue to formulate fabric. This should be the starting point and publish proposals for the for making decisions about its preservation and enhancement of the management both in the present and the conservation area and consult the public future. on these proposals. The appraisal will be subject to a quinquennial review in order This conservation area appraisal: that it remains a relevant and useful document. • Describes the character of the area; • Identifies its special character; • Puts forward a basis for effective policy control of development; and • Identifies proposals for its enhancement Conservation areas are defined by the government as ‘areas of special interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’. They were introduced through the Civic Amenities Act in 1967 and there are now sixteen in Waveney District. The South Lowestoft Conservation Area was designated in 1978 and was extended in 1996 and 2003. An article 4(2) direction was applied to the conservation area in 1997. 1 Map of the existing South Lowestoft Conservation Area and listed buildings 2 3 Assessment administration. of Special Interest Lowestoft is situated on the side of a broad shallow valley between the River Location Waveney and the North Sea. The valley and setting runs approximately east-west and Lowestoft is contains alluvial deposits, man-made situated in channels and recent land-reclamations. East Suffolk, The solid geology of the area is formed 28-29 Marine Parade to the by Norwich Crag, Red Crag and northeast of Chillesford Clay, with superficial deposits the county. of glacial sand, gravel, and blown sand to Located on the east. the Suffolk coast, the Lowestoft is now the focus of major town is 19km regeneration with the formation of the from Great 1st East Urban Regeneration Company Yarmouth, (URC). The URC aims to generate 35km from economic growth by bringing areas of Norwich and derelict and under-utilised land back into 71km from active use. As such, the town is subject 2 Kirkley Cliff Ipswich. In to substantial pressure for the 2001 redevelopment of key sites in and around Lowestoft had a population of c.57,746. the urban centre. Following a period of General character and plan form decline in the South Lowestoft Conservation Area is th later 20 formed by the core of the 19th century century, the expansion of the town. This area local developed following the establishment of economy is a harbour and river access through Lake now Lothing in the early 19th century and was supported by subsequently developed as a pleasure a number of The Drifter Pub, resort from the mid-19th century London Road South disciplines, onwards. The buildings of the including conservation area reflect this history and fishing and consist principally of townhouses and maritime villas along the seafront, with areas of industries, lower status terraced housing to the west, retail, light commercial premises along London industry and Road North and South, and around the harbour and train station. Larger scale detached villas are present to the southwest of the designated area. A linear street plan, laid out parallel to the The South Beach shore, is retained throughout much of the conservation area and reflects the 4 formal planning of the seaside resort, with pleasure gardens and promenades along the seafront, whilst a more curvilinear plan is apparent within the area of villas to the southwest. Landscape setting The South Lowestoft Conservation Area is situated to the south of Lake Lothing, adjacent to the South Denes. The town of Lowestoft extends to the north and west to incorporate the surrounding settlements of Oulton Broad, Pakefield and Carlton Colville. The landscape setting of the South Lowestoft Conservation Area is defined by its position on predominantly flat land adjacent to the beach and to the south of Lake Lothing, rising to the south towards Pakefield Cliff. To the east the setting of the conservation area is formed by the presence of a sand and shingle beach and the North Sea, whilst to the west, the area is heavily built up with residential buildings of varied date. Industrial and commercial premises are present around the harbour and London Road North, reflecting the continued use of the harbour and the modern commercial heart of the town. To the north of the harbour, the land rises towards the 5 clifftop High Sports Field. Street. Within Lowestoft Historic there is further Development potential for and well-preserved Archaeology evidence, as revealed by The origins and the discovery historic of Bronze and development of Iron Age the area activity at a site on Lowestoft is Hadenham located c.2.5 miles Road in from Pakefield, Pakefield. the site of the earliest known Roman human remains in activity around Northern Europe. Lowestoft is The discovery of suggested by a human remains number of and flint tools in sources. 2005 represents Remains ‘ the oldest, tentatively unequivocal evidence interpreted as of humans in part of a northern possible Europe’ (Amos Roman road 2006), having and associated been dated to bridge 700,000 years structure were before A reconstructed plan of the exposed during 19th century canal present. Town of Lowestoft c.1618 excavations near Lake Lothing. The Within River Waveney is also known to have Reproduced with the permission of David been used as a communications route Butcher and Ivan Bunn and various other Roman finds have been exposed, notably in the area now known as Roman Hill; however, no Lowestoft itself, Neolithic activity is settlement remains have been found. It suggested by finds of artefacts, including is likely that any associated settlement projectiles, in the area of Church Road, was located on high ground to the west Water Lane and Princes Walk (Pers. of the present town centre. Comm. D Butcher). Documentary evidence also suggests the former The current town has its origins in the presence of a Bronze Age burial mound village recorded as Lothuwistoft in the in the vicinity of Barnard’s Meadow Domesday Book. The village relied upon 6 both agriculture and fishing, and the concentrated along the High Street, many predominance of fishing may be seen in with narrow burgage plots extending to the payment of land rent to Hugh De the east, where a series of elongated east- Montfort in herrings (Williams and west orientated structures are present Martin 1992, 1187). This settlement was overlooking the common land of the located to the west-south-west of High Denes. To the west, a dense network of Street in the vicinity of the junction of St east-west streets is laid out between High Peter’s Street, Normanston Drive and Street and the common. As the principle Rotterdam Road (Butcher and Bunn, street within the town, buildings on High ND, 1); however, by the 14th century the Street tended to be populated by wealthy settlement had shifted onto higher residents, whilst the streets to the west ground behind the cliffs where the High were populated by the lower classes Street is now laid out.