Celebrating our culture & heritage

The former Post Office building in London Road North is located within the former London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone and is a flagship project within the Town Investment Plan.

The project has been in development since 2020 with the overall aim to deliver more cultural opportunities for people living and visiting the town and to help improve the town centre leisure offer, and support creative businesses.

Designed by Norwich-based architects Chaplin Farrant, the building will provide space for a revolving residency of international, national, and regional artists, as well as providing exhibition spaces, work studios, education space, a screening room and café with outdoor seating.

The former Post Office will be managed by Messums East, who are recognised for revitalising old buildings and embedding them within communities through artistic enterprise and creativity. Messums Creative at Messums East is the not-for-profit arm of messums.org, rooted in community engagement and dedicated to creative education through making. Delivering accessible workshops, courses, performances, talks, exhibitions, and outreach for all ages. Working with local, national and international artists to provide programmes and resources for schools, colleges, groups, and the public, aiming to inspire imagination, help develop skills, and support inclusive, sustainable arts participation.

Sculpture in the Sands is an annual initiative by Messums that brings world class, sustainable sculpture to Lowestoft Beach. Celebrating creativity, community, and environmental awareness through public exhibition, free workshops, and international collaborations. Transforming the coastline for the summer months into a vibrant, evolving destination that fosters local pride and cultural connection.

Founded in 2016 by Johnny Messum, Messums Org began as Messums Wiltshire a pioneering arts centre housed in a 13th-century tithe barn in Tisbury, Wiltshire. Johnny's vision was to create a dynamic space where art, architecture, and community intersect, offering a platform for contemporary artists across various disciplines. This vision expands across Messums London and Messums East in 2026, forming a network of venues that foster creativity and cultural engagement. Messums Org has since evolved into a collaborative environment for artists, collectors, and thinkers, integrating exhibitions, residencies, and educational programmes to enrich the cultural landscape.

The building will provide a work studio for Laurence Edwards, an internationally renowned sculptor, who lives and works in East Suffolk. Laurence, who created the temporary installations of the Chthonic Head and Walking Man during the First Light Festival celebrations, has been co-commissioned by East Suffolk Council to create a permanent landmark sculpture for the town.

The former Post Office project has secured funding from East Suffolk Council, HM Government’s Towns Fund, Arts Council England and Messums.org. This investment will enable the building to be restored and converted into a space that will bring amazing collections and exhibitions to the town and enable communities and artists local and further afield to create and show work.

Led by: East Suffolk Council
Partners: Arts Council England, Historic England, Messums Creative, Messums East, Laurence Edwards, Chaplin Farrant, Barnes Construction
Funded by: HM Government Towns Fund, East Suffolk Council, Arts Council England, Messums.org
Timeframes:
Phase 1 (conservation repairs) – completed
Phase 2 (Gallery) – mid 2026

East Suffolk Council has co-commissioned Suffolk based artist Laurence Edwards to create and fabricate a permanent landmark bronze sculpture for the most easterly town, Lowestoft.

Laurence is known for acclaimed public artworks, including installations on Lowestoft’s South Beach for Sculpture on the Sand, delivered with Messums art gallery and unveiled at the First Light Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors each year.

His work often features life-sized, or larger-than-life human figures, distinguished by dynamic forms and richly textured surfaces that explore the relationship between people and their environment.

The proposed artwork will be a permanent sculpture developed through conversations with the community. Laurence will engage with residents, young people, and local groups to help shape the theme and concept of the piece. He will also take up a ground-floor studio at the town’s rejuvenated Post Office building, set to open later this year, where visitors will be able to learn more about his creative process and the making of the sculpture.

The final piece, set to be cast and fabricated at his Halesworth foundry, will be jointly funded by Laurence, his patrons, and East Suffolk Council.

Potential locations for the sculpture are being explored, ensuring the chosen site reflects the themes and ideas that will emerge through community engagement.

🌐 For more information on Laurence, visit Messums Org

Lowestoft Town Council is leading the restoration of the Grade II listed former Town Hall, transforming it into a vibrant community and heritage hub. Supported by partners like Historic England and East Suffolk Council, construction begins in March 2025, with completion expected by July 2026 and opening in September 2026.

The restored building will feature: A heritage area highlighting the town’s history Gallery space for exhibitions Co-working and office spaces Multi-use event spaces, including a bar and café Meeting rooms and workshop areas for arts and youth activities Council Chamber for meetings and ceremonies A new public courtyard green space.

This £12 million project aims to boost community pride, economic growth, and wellbeing by creating an innovative cultural and heritage destination for residents and visitors alike. 

Led by: Lowestoft Town Council
Partners: East Suffolk Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Towns Fund, Shelia Moss King Associates, HAT Projects, Barnes Construction and PLB Limited.
Cost: £12m – National Lottery Heritage Fund £4.5m, Lowestoft Town Council £4.3m, HM Government Towns Fund £1.8m (with a further £200k spent on development phase), East Suffolk Council £1.2m, Historic England £707k
Timeframe: Summer 2024 – late 2026
🌐 For more information about the project please visit: Town Hall Project

First Light Festival is a unique community celebration welcoming locals and visitors alike to experience the first sunrise of midsummer in the UK’s most easterly town, Lowestoft.

Organised by First Light Festival Community Interest Company (CIC), a not-for-profit based in Lowestoft, the festival highlights the area’s rich talent, creativity, and cultural heritage. Beyond the annual festival, the CIC runs a year-round programme of arts and events, including managing the East Point Pavilion on the seafront and delivering projects across East Suffolk.

A key initiative led by the CIC is the Battery of Ideas Place Partnership - a vibrant, temporary space driving creative participation and engagement as Lowestoft’s new Cultural Quarter and Post Office Gallery develops. The Battery supports local creatives with bursaries and commissions, showcasing their work both in the space and at the First Light Festival.

Hundreds of local volunteers and partnerships with schools, colleges, community groups, and creative practitioners bring the festival and its activities to life each year. The CIC works closely with local authorities to maximise its positive impact on the community.

Led by: First Light Festival CIC
Partners: East Suffolk Council, Arts Council England, Suffolk County Council
🌐 For more information about the project please visit: First Light Festival CIC’s website here

Completed in 2020, The Ness is a family-friendly destination celebrating the unique heritage of the area, and is a wildlife haven to rare flora, fauna, and invertebrates. The project aimed to improve access, knowledge, participation, and enjoyment of the area.

The 13ha site had previously been the location of the old Lowestoft Beach Village, lost to repeated flooding and eventual slum clearances in the 1960’s, and in recent years had become derelict, although the net drying racks still remained symbolising its previous use.

The works saw the transformation of the site into a green space which can now be utilised as a cultural events space for commercial, educational and community activities, with new play and picnic areas.

Delivered in partnership with: Lowestoft Town Council, East Suffolk Council, Concertus Design and Property Consultants along with Blakedown Landscapes, Allen Scott Landscape Architecture, JP Chick and Immersive Studios.

Site owned and managed by: Lowestoft Town Council
Project led by: East Suffolk Council
Completed: November 2020
Cost: £1m Coastal Communities Fund

Lowestoft was one of only seven places in the country to benefit from two Heritage Action Zones. The schemes were joint funded between East Suffolk Council and Historic England, delivered in partnership with Lowestoft Town Council, Lowestoft Vision (Business Improvement District and part of the Suffolk Chamber of Commerce) and the East Suffolk Building Preservation Trust.

Heritage Action Zones champion the value of heritage within high streets, using heritage for positive change and to address decline. The projects promote sympathetic and sustainable improvements to the historic environment through capital grants, enhance the vitality of the high street through a cultural programme of activity, as well as engage with communities to celebrate Lowestoft’s fascinating heritage.

The North Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) ran from 2018-2023, and focused on the North Lowestoft Conservation Area which includes the medieval High Street, Scores, historic smokehouses, net stores, and parks. The North Lowestoft HAZ completed in 2023 but is succeeded by a Partnership Scheme in a Conservation Area (PSiCA) to continue investment in the historic environment in the High Street. 

In 2020, the North HAZ was joined by the London Road, Lowestoft High Street Heritage Action Zone (HSHAZ) which encompasses part of the South Lowestoft Conservation Area which completed in 2024.