LOWESTOFT MARITIME MUSEUM
The Lowestoft and East Suffolk Maritime Society was formed on the 18 December 1958 by a small number of enthusiasts interested in the sea and ships. Amongst the founder members was Skipper Lieutenant William John Prior Soloman (1911-1978), Royal Naval Patrol Service, Retd. who, as Recorder, was responsible for acquiring over the years a substantial part of the collection. As the museum's collection increased, in 1968 the Borough Council granted the Society the lease of a cottage in Sparrow’s Nest Park, Lowestoft in order to establish a permanent Maritime Museum. Members converted rooms in the cottage to feature different aspects of the fishing industry including trawling, drift net fishing, wreck and rescue, tools and equipment used in building and maintaining fishing vessels and a collection featuring the Royal Naval Patrol Service. In 1977 an extension was erected to accommodate all the items entrusted to its care which was opened in 1978 as the 'Bill Soloman Room' and a further extension of a large display room and an education room was added and the museum was reopened in 2010 by HRH Princess Royal. In 2012 the museum was recognised for it’s high quality, by winning the Suffolk Tourism Award for best small museum, along with the Best museum in Suffolk award from the Suffolk Association of Museums.
Website: https://lowestoftmaritimemuseum.co.uk