Lowestoft Maritime Museum

The Lowestoft Maritime Museum stands as Britain's most easterly museum, set in the picturesque Sparrow's Nest Park, and was voted Suffolk Museum of the Year 2012. Housed in a gorgeous flint cottage which, according to the plaque above the door, was restored in 1828, this museum was founded in 1958 by a group of enthusiasts and has steadily expanded.

The museum is dedicated to local and national maritime history. Its exhibits include maritime artefacts including medals awarded to Royal Navy and RNLI personnel, marine art, the fishing industry in Lowestoft and the town's involvement with the Royal Navy in World War II, shipwrights and coopers tools, an extensive collection of ship models in various scales, the workshop of Christopher Cockerell, the inventor of the hovercraft. The displays also feature ancient and modern fishing boats, commercial boats, fishing gear, shipwrights' tools, and lifeboats, a wheelhouse, steam drifter cabin and a fish market.

Located in Sparrow's Nest Gardens the museum benefits from its scenic coastal setting. On the landscaped slopes above the museum are an iconic lighthouse and naval memorial, and visitors can easily walk to Ness Point, Britain's most Easterly point. The museum offers many hands-on activities including lots for children and a small cinema where you can see wonderful archive film footage, making it an engaging destination for all ages.