Oulton Broad
Encyclopedia
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft
in Suffolk
, England
located 2 miles (3 km) west of the centre of the town.
Oulton Broad is an expanse of water and marsh which forms part of the network of man-made bodies of water known as The Broads
. It is believed to be the a remnant of medieval peat
cutting. To the east it is linked by a lock to Lake Lothing
which passes through the centre of Lowestoft
and opens into the North Sea
. To the west it is linked by Oulton Dyke
to the River Waveney
.
The Broad is the most southern area of open water in the Broads system, and is a busy tourist and sporting centre. It is used for a variety of watersports, including powerboat racing, and as the base for boat hire. Facilities include a yacht station and moorings as well as a 'village' of holiday chalet
s. Nicholas Everitt Park has an extensive water frontage. It is one of the few broads with residential areas adjacent, with houses to the north and flats to the east. The north side of the Broad is one of the most expensive residential area in Lowestoft, with large detached houses having lake frontage.
While the eastern and north shores of the Broad are built up, the west and south-west are quiet and natural. This part of the lake can be reached on foot by walking through Nicholas Everitt Park and then by public footpaths and field across White Cast Marshes, an important nature conservation area.
. Oulton Broad and Oulton Village were conurbated around the late 1950s with the building of the Rock estate. The original Oulton village covered all that land between the site of Oulton Broad South Railway station and the odd number side of what is now Sands Lane with the line of the Lowestoft-Ipswich railway separating Oulton as a whole from Kirkley and Lowestoft. Oulton Village was a somewhat smaller and largely amorphous village extending from the even number side of Sands Lane out across the fields to Somerleyton. The Oulton Broad conurbation eventually merged with Lowestoft with the development in the early 1990s of the new through-road system around Peto way on the north-east side of the village, which brought with it major development of what had remained until then very light residential and grassland. There is now no discernible boundary between Oulton Broad and Lowestoft, save for the presence of the two railway lines.
Bridge Road is Oulton Broad's main shopping street.
Oulton Broad is served by two railway stations; Oulton Broad North
on the Lowestoft-Norwich line
, and Oulton Broad South
on the Lowestoft-Ipswich line
.
. It houses one of the world's largest collections of Lowestoft porcelain. The Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club is also located in Nicholas Everitt Park.
George Borrow
moved to his wife's estate in Oulton Broad. In between travels he wrote several books there. During the 1850s he moved away, but returned to Oulton Broad in 1874 where he stayed until his death in 1881. An hotel in the area is named after him.
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
located 2 miles (3 km) west of the centre of the town.
Oulton Broad
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
. It is believed to be the a remnant of medieval peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
cutting. To the east it is linked by a lock to Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, flows into the North Sea and forms part of the Port of Lowestoft...
which passes through the centre of Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
and opens into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. To the west it is linked by Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke is a freshwater stretch of water in The Broads National Park, located in Suffolk within the United Kingdom. The dyke connects Oulton Broad near Lowestoft to the River Waveney by means of a confluence near the village of Burgh St Peter....
to the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
.
The Broad is the most southern area of open water in the Broads system, and is a busy tourist and sporting centre. It is used for a variety of watersports, including powerboat racing, and as the base for boat hire. Facilities include a yacht station and moorings as well as a 'village' of holiday chalet
Chalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
s. Nicholas Everitt Park has an extensive water frontage. It is one of the few broads with residential areas adjacent, with houses to the north and flats to the east. The north side of the Broad is one of the most expensive residential area in Lowestoft, with large detached houses having lake frontage.
While the eastern and north shores of the Broad are built up, the west and south-west are quiet and natural. This part of the lake can be reached on foot by walking through Nicholas Everitt Park and then by public footpaths and field across White Cast Marshes, an important nature conservation area.
Oulton Broad village
Oulton Broad was once a village separate from LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
. Oulton Broad and Oulton Village were conurbated around the late 1950s with the building of the Rock estate. The original Oulton village covered all that land between the site of Oulton Broad South Railway station and the odd number side of what is now Sands Lane with the line of the Lowestoft-Ipswich railway separating Oulton as a whole from Kirkley and Lowestoft. Oulton Village was a somewhat smaller and largely amorphous village extending from the even number side of Sands Lane out across the fields to Somerleyton. The Oulton Broad conurbation eventually merged with Lowestoft with the development in the early 1990s of the new through-road system around Peto way on the north-east side of the village, which brought with it major development of what had remained until then very light residential and grassland. There is now no discernible boundary between Oulton Broad and Lowestoft, save for the presence of the two railway lines.
Bridge Road is Oulton Broad's main shopping street.
Oulton Broad is served by two railway stations; Oulton Broad North
Oulton Broad North railway station
Oulton Broad North railway station is one of two railway stations serving Oulton Broad, a suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The station is located on the Norwich-Lowestoft Wherry Line. The station building dates from 1847 when the line was opened, but is now unstaffed.The station is served...
on the Lowestoft-Norwich line
Wherry Lines
The Wherry Lines are railway lines in England, from Norwich to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. These lines pass through The Broads. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.11 and is classified as a rural line...
, and Oulton Broad South
Oulton Broad South railway station
Oulton Broad South is one of two railway stations serving Oulton Broad, a suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England.The station is located on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line...
on the Lowestoft-Ipswich line
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
.
Nicholas Everitt Park
Nicholas Everitt Park fronts Oulton Broad. Lowestoft Museum in the park was opened by Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
. It houses one of the world's largest collections of Lowestoft porcelain. The Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club is also located in Nicholas Everitt Park.
George Borrow
After marrying in 1840 the writer, traveller, and walkerWalking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
George Borrow
George Borrow
George Henry Borrow was an English author who wrote novels and travelogues based on his own experiences around Europe. Over the course of his wanderings, he developed a close affinity with the Romani people of Europe. They figure prominently in his work...
moved to his wife's estate in Oulton Broad. In between travels he wrote several books there. During the 1850s he moved away, but returned to Oulton Broad in 1874 where he stayed until his death in 1881. An hotel in the area is named after him.