Lowestoft to star in new film on history of our high streets

This will be the second time Lowestoft has featured in the High Street Histories series of online films.  

The first series, launched last summer, looked at Lowestoft's historic High Street. 

The new series, launched today (February 15), will feature eight new films exploring Kirkley and south Lowestoft. 

Historian Ivan Bunn (left) and writer Dean Parkin (right) Image © Poetry People Collection (Image: ©JACK ROSE COLLECTION)

Historian Ivan Bunn and writer Dean Parkin will be providing the commentary for the showcase of rare archive photographs of Lowestoft streets, shops and landmarks. 

Ivan said: "As a local historian it has given me much pleasure to contribute to this series.

“The story behind the buildings on London Road is vastly different from those on the old Lowestoft High Street. There are some very interesting buildings here as I hope both young and old will discover." 

he first tram arrives in London Road South on the 22nd July 1903 (Image: Jack Rose Collection)

The films are a collaboration between Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme, the London Road Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone, Poetry People and Ivan Bunn and they will be published online throughout February and March.  

The first two are released today. See the trailer here

The footage will start at the former Post Office building in London Road North, then head south, taking in the old Tuttles department store.  

Tuttle's department store's famous turret ablaze on the 10th July 1964 (Image: Jack Rose collection)

It will continue over the bridge to explore Kirkley past and present, including landmarks such as St John's Church, the Palace Cinema, Hailey's department store and the swimming pool, that became a cinema, that is now the site of the Kirkley Centre.  

Haileys was a popular department store, shown here in the 1970s (Image: Bert Collyer Collection)

The main aim of the series is to share the stories of south Lowestoft with the town’s young people. All episodes will have an accompanying worksheet, ideal for primary school children.  

Episode One, launched today, shares the history of the newly restored former Post Office, originally built as a single storey building in 1883. It stood opposite the Grove Estate where, in the 1880s, over 600 trees were felled for the development of a new street of shops and businesses.   

The Imperial Hotel, opposite the railway station, was extensively damaged in an air raid on the 10th April 1941 (Image: Bert Collyer Collection)

The episode also includes the story of the long-lost Imperial Hotel which stood across the road from the railway station. The hotel was extensively damaged in April 1941 during a Second World War bombing raid. It was later repaired but the top floor rooms were so badly damaged that they were sealed up for 30 years until, in the 1970s, the site was redeveloped for a row of shops.   

The Kirkley Swimming Baths opened in July 1896 and is now the site of the Kirkley Centre. (Image: Jack Rose Collection)

Episode Two looks at Turret Corner, known by many locals today as Tuttles Corner. It tells the story of the town's first purpose-built department store, and what happened to the turret in July 1964.  

The new series of films contains a new selection of rare archive photos from the Jack Rose Collection, the Bert Collyer Collection and from Ivan Bunn, alongside modern images. The opening credits for each episode also includes contemporary footage of Kirkley filmed by Joshua Freemantle.  

Writer Dean said: “It’s been wonderful to team up with Ivan again and bring to life the wonderful archive photographs from the collections of Jack Rose and Bert Collyer, with Ivan sharing the stories behind the images.” 

Aerial view of Kirkley, south Lowestoft and south beach in the early 1950s (Image: Jack Rose Collection)

From today, Thursday 15 February, a new episode of High Street Histories will be posted online weekly on Poetry People's Facebook and YouTube pages.   

Future episodes feature the day the trams arrived in London Road South, the Kirkley shop with a connection to Emily Pankhurst and the suffragette movement, the Palace Cinema which had a 'winter entrance’, and the yacht club building that was moved across Lowestoft to become the changing rooms for the town's football team.   

Both series of High Street Histories will be available, along with the accompanying free worksheets for schools, on the Historic England, Poetry People, and Think Lowestoft websites.