Your guide to Heritage Open Days Festival in Lowestoft

The Lowestoft Heritage Open Days Festival returns on Friday, September 6 with 10 days of free to enjoy activities celebrating the town's rich history and culture.

A host of events will take centre stage across Lowestoft and the surrounding villages.

The town's four leading museums are all taking part while places of interest will open their doors - including churches, a former Victorian pharmacy, the Marina Theatre, Lowestoft Arts Centre and the Edwardian railway swing bridge at Somerleyton.

Public tours of Somerleyton Swing Bridge will take place. Picture: Wherry Lines CRP (Image: Wherry Lines CRP)

Talks, guided walks, lunchtime recitals, a heritage skills market and exhibitions will also be held.

Aviation historian Bob Collis will conduct three tours - featuring the High Street during the Blitz, Air War Graves and Near This Place retelling how the railway station avoided destruction during two world wars.

The Lowestoft and District Independent Archive (LADIA) will be open and Bert Collyer will present Lowestoft scenes from days gone by courtesy of his extensive photographic collection.

Lowestoft Museum has a special exhibition exploring links with the town and the Maritime Museum will have free admission throughout the festival.

The Lowestoft Heritage Open Days Information Hub is open throughout the festival at the railway station where the Parcels Office will host exhibitions including a look back on the former Lowestoft to Yarmouth railway and another chance to see Wherry Lines Posters showing how students created a modern twist on 1920s railway advertising.

Historic churches opening include Christ Church, the North Lowestoft United Reform Church, St Nicholas at Pakefield, Corton’s St Bartholomew’s and Methodist Churches, while St Margaret's Parish Church will host two lunchtime recitals.

The village of Corton has exhibitions and a walk with historian David Butcher.

The St John Ambulance in Melbourne Road - currently celebrating 110 years in Lowestoft - will open their heritage centre and talks - including an update on the forthcoming Town Hall project and readings from a new novel about the fishing industry.

The East Anglia Transport Museum with one of the former Lowestoft Corporation buses which will form part of the free bus service for Lowestoft Heritage Open Days Festival on Saturday, September 14. Picture: Wherry Lines CRP (Image: Wherry Lines CRP)

On Saturday, September 14 a free heritage bus service will connect a number of events around the town, linking the Maritime, Royal Naval Patrol Service and East Anglia Transport Museums all of which will be open for free on the day.

'Fascinating insight'

Martin Halliday, from the Lowestoft HODS Steering Group, said: "We are delighted that so many organisations and individuals have registered events as part of this year’s heritage celebration providing a fascinating insight into our town’s history.

"All events can be found online however we do have printed listings available to collect from our festival information hub at the railway station."

Full details of this year’s Heritage Open Days events are available via www.heritageopendays.org.uk and searching Lowestoft.

Printed listings of all registered events in are available from the Festival Information Hub inside the railway station shop and tourist information office.