Oulton Broad
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Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb () of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England.
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[edit] Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad is part of the network of man-made bodies of water known as the Norfolk Broads, although it is actually situated in Suffolk. To the east it is linked by a lock to the sea via Lake Lothing. Next to the lock are the road and rail Mutford Bridges. To the west it is linked by Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney.
The Broad is the most southern of the Norfolk Broads and is a busy tourist and sporting centre. At the extreme east are cafes, pubs, shops, car parks, and Nicholas Everitt Park. To the south-east is the Oulton Broad Water Sports Centre, and a 'village' of holiday chalets. It is one of the few inhabited broads, with houses to the north and flats to the east. The north side of the Broad is 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[1].
Access to Oulton Dyke, adjacent to the Broad, can be had by walking down the trackway known as Fisher's Row (off Church Lane) from the north. In the 1930s there used to be a tea shop just outside the Broad on the north-east bank of the Dyke, which was then a popular destination for walks from Lowestoft and a stopping point for passing boats.
In the 1960s Oulton Broad lake and Nicholas Everitt Park used to be a frequent destination for mystery coach tours from Ipswich or Norwich.[citation needed]
[edit] Oulton village
Oulton Broad, or Oulton Broad village, should not be confused with Oulton, which is a separate village about six kilometres to the north of Oulton Broad. Due to recent housebuilding in the area, the village is losing its identity and becoming a suburb of Lowestoft. It is the site of a poorhouse and is on the edge of the countryside.
[edit] Oulton Broad village
Oulton Broad was once a village separate from Lowestoft. Oulton Broad and Oulton Village were conurbated around the late 1950s with the building of the Rock estate.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.
[edit] Nicholas Everitt Park
Nicholas Everitt Park fronts Oulton Broad[2]. Lowestoft Museum in the park was opened by Queen Elizabeth II.[citation needed] It houses one of the world's largest collections of Lowestoft_porcelain.[3] The Waveney and Oulton Broad Yacht Club is also located in Nicholas Everitt Park.[citation needed]
[edit] George Borrow
After marrying in 1840 the writer, traveller, and walker George Borrow moved to his wife's estate in Oulton Broad.[4] 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. A hotel in the area is named after him.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Broads Local Plan. broads-authority.gov.uk - Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Authority site. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- ^ Nicholas Everitt Park. waveney.gov.uk - Waveney district government site. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- ^ Lowestoft Heritage page. www.visit-lowestoft.co.uk - visit Lowestoft tourism site. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- ^ George Borrow page. Bibliomania.com site. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
- ^ George Borrow Hotel page. travelpublishing.co.uk site. Retrieved on August 2, 2007.
