Part 34

The East Ward comprises so much of the Borough as is bounded on the North by the Borough Boundary, on the East by the German Ocean, on the South by the Outer Harbour, and on the West by a line commencing at a point in the Borough Boundary in the centre of the Yarmouth Road, and proceeding thence in a South-Easterly direction along the centre of the Yarmouth Road to the junction of the same with Park Road, and thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of Park Road and Albert Street to the junction of the last-named street with Mariners’ Street, and thence in an Easterly direction along the centre of Mariners’ Street to its junction with High Street, and thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of High Street and the London Road to the junction of the London Road with Mills Road, and thence in a Westerly direction along the centre of Mills Road to the junction of the same with Clapham Road, and thence in a generally Southerly direction along the centre of Clapham Road to its junction with Bevan street, and thence in a South-Easterly direction along the centre of Bevan Street to its junction with the London Road near the Suffolk Hotel, thence in a Southerly direction along the London Road to the Harbour.

NORTH WARD.

The North Ward comprises so much of the Borough as is included within a line commencing at a point in the Borough Boundary in the centre of the Yarmouth Road, and proceeding thence in a South-Easterly direction along the centre of the Yarmouth Road, to the junction of the same with Park Road, and thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of Park Road and Albert Street to the junction of the last-named street with Mariners’ Street, and thence in an Easterly direction along the centre of Mariners’ Street to its junction with High Street, and thence in a Southerly direction along the centre of High Street, and the London Road, to the junction of the London Road with Mills Road, and thence in a Westerly direction along the centre of Mills Road, Love Road, and Love Lane, to the junction of Love Lane with Rotterdam Road, and thence in a Northerly direction along the centre of Rotterdam Road, to its junction with Beccles Road, and thence for a few feet along the centre of the Beccles Road in a Westerly direction to a point exactly opposite the footpath which leads in a Northerly direction towards St. Margaret’s Church, and thence to and along the said footpath and along the road or lane which forms a continuation of the said footpath, and runs by and to the East of certain pits to the junction of the said road or lane with the Oulton Road, just South of St. Margaret’s Church, and thence in a Westerly direction along the centre of the Oulton Road to the Borough Boundary, and thence, first in a North-Westerly and Northerly direction and then in a generally Easterly direction along the Borough Boundary to the point of commencement before described.

WEST WARD.

The West Ward comprises so much of the Borough as is included within a line commencing at a point in the Harbour under the bridge over the same and proceeding thence in a Northerly direction to and along the centre of the London Road to the junction of the same with Bevan Street, and thence in a North-Westerly direction along the centre of Bevan Street to its junction with Clapham Road, and thence in a generally Northerly direction along the centre of Clapham Road to the junction of the same with Mills Road, and thence in a Westerly direction along the centre of Mills Road, Love Road, and Love Lane, to the junction of Love Lane with Rotterdam Road, and thence in a Northerly direction along the centre of Rotterdam Road to its junction with the Beccles Road, and thence for a few feet along the centre of Beccles Road, in a Westerly direction to a point exactly opposite the footpath which leads in a Northerly direction towards St. Margaret’s Church, and thence to and along the said footpath and along the road or lane which forms a continuation of the said footpath and runs by and to the East of certain pits to the junction of the said road or lane with the Oulton Road, just south of St. Margaret’s Church, and thence in a Westerly direction along the centre of Oulton Road to the Borough Boundary, and thence, first in a South-Westerly and Southerly direction and then in an Easterly direction along the Borough Boundary to the point where the boundaries of the three parishes of Lowestoft, Kirkley, and Carlton Colville meet in Lake Lothing or the Inner Harbour, and thence in an Easterly direction along the Inner Harbour to the point of commencement before described.

SOUTH WARD.

The South Ward comprises so much of the Borough as is bounded on the North by the Inner and Outer Harbour, on the East by the German Ocean, and otherwise by the Borough Boundary.

SECOND SCHEDULE.

Persons to Retire. Date of Retirement. The one-third of the Councillors in each 1st. November, 1886. ward who are elected by the smallest number of votes shall go out of office on The one-third of the Councillors in each 1st. November, 1887. ward who are elected by the next smallest number of votes shall go out of office on The remaining one-third of the Councillors 1st. November, 1888. in each ward shall go out of office on The one-half of the Aldermen who first go 9th. November, 1888. out of office shall be those who are elected by the smallest number of votes, and shall go out of office on The remaining one-half of the Aldermen 9th. November, 1891. shall go out of office on

If any Councillors in any ward or any Aldermen have obtained an equal number of votes, or have been elected without a poll, so that it cannot be determined which of them has the smallest number of votes, the Council of the Borough shall, at the first or second quarterly meeting, and not later, by a majority of votes, or in case of an equality of votes, by the Casting vote of the Chairman, determine who are to go out of office at the times above specified respectively.

In return whereof we have caused these Our letters to be made Patent.

Witness Ourself at Westminister, the 29th day of August, in the 49th year of Our Reign. By Warrant under the Queen’s Sign Manual,

MUIR MACKENZIE.

Here follows the Queen’s Sign Manual.

The Mayor said he had only one resolution to bring before the meeting, and he would ask Mr. Thos. Lucas, a gentleman well-known to all in former years, and one who was allied with the great promoter of the prosperity of Lowestoft—Sir Morton Peto—to propose it. The town owed very much to Sir Morton Peto and the eminent firm of Messrs Lucas Bros., for its prosperity.

Mr. Thos. Lucas on rising was received with prolonged applause. He said he had been requested by the Mayor to propose “That the inhabitants of the Borough of Lowestoft in public meeting assembled hereby desire to express their great gratification at the grant by Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen by and with the advice of her Privy Council, of a Charter of Incorporation of Lowestoft with Kirkley; and also their earnest hope that the Charter may tend to the advancement, extension, and prosperity of the town.” This was, Mr. Lucas said, a peculiarly interesting ceremony to him. In September, thirty-one years ago, he entered Lowestoft with his friend Sir Morton Peto, and, he ought to be able to say, “Sir” James Peto. (Hear, hear.) The names of the gentlemen who were prominent in the town then were Edwd. Leathes, F. Morse, H. G. Woods, Youngman (father and son), the Gowings, Seago, Balls, Barnard, Howett, and several others. This year happened to be the anniversary of the introduction of the Improvement Act of 1854, and of the formation of the Improvement Commissioners. On looking over the list who formed that body in 1854–5, he noticed that eighteen of them were no more, and not a single one of them was a member of that Commission at the present time. There might be some persons who knew Lowestoft thirty-one years ago, and if so, it was only those who could properly appreciate the stride it had made. He knew Lowestoft years before that date, when the inner harbour was first formed, and there were very few houses on the south side. The progress, north, south, east and west of the town was remarkable. Instead of the very small harbour which was made thirty years ago, Lowestoft now possessed one of the finest harbours in the kingdom. Lowestoft had a magnificent fleet of fishing vessels, worth any person coming from London to look at. The Railway Company had done great things for Lowestoft. It used to be considered a great feat to get from London to Lowestoft in 5½ hours, now the journey was accomplished in three hours. An important interest connected with the town was that of the visitors. He was sanguine that following the inauguration of the Charter of Incorporation more accommodation and conveniences would be provided for visitors. Some of the requirements, though considered as luxuries in former times, were now regarded as necessities. He would, if he might, ask the gentlemen who would form the governing body of the town to turn their attention to the drainage. It was quite true he was interested as an owner of land on the south side, but that was a mere bagatelle and did not weigh one iota with him, because he could dispose of it in twenty-four hours if he wished. But he never lost the touch of interest he felt in Lowestoft. He would compare the growth of Lowestoft with the growth of another place. Just before Sir Morton Peto (one of those far-seeing men) bought the harbour at Lowestoft, he did a similar thing at Folkestone. That place was very much like Lowestoft, with a few houses and few people. They did not receive Sir Morton Peto nor himself with open arms; in fact they were christened “foreigners.” The people there could not see that it would be an advantage to make any effort to improve the place, nor to encourage those who were willing to help them. After a time the people saw the advantages the place possessed, and they struck out boldly, houses sprung up in all directions, and mansions were there which had recently been occupied by Princes. There were baths, assembly rooms, club rooms and tramways up the cliffs. It was proposed to have a National Art Gallery there in 1886, and for that purpose a guarantee fund of £50,000 was required. £38,000 of the amount was guaranteed within two months, and he believed the whole amount would be guaranteed very shortly. His object in mentioning Folkestone was because he believed Lowestoft was capable of doing a great deal more than it had done. He did not mean by that that Lowestoft could raise a guarantee fund of £50,000 in a short time, but he would say there ought to be pluck enough in Lowestoft after receiving the Charter, to do certain things which very much required to be done. The drainage question he would leave in the hands of the Corporation. (Laughter, and hear, hear.) A great want in Lowestoft was Assembly Rooms, where high-class entertainments could be given. Something was wanted for the amusement of young people, and for that purpose Assembly Rooms were required. He was prepared to say that if good club rooms were near the harbour, Lowestoft would be favoured with visits by the largest yacht clubs. He had seen as many as thirty yachts, between sixty or seventy tons each in the harbour at one time, and he would ask what reason was there that such a sight should not be seen in the harbour again. (Hear, hear.) Medicated and other baths were wanted, and they should be near the reading rooms. Within the last week he had been in the company of the Chairman of the Great Eastern Railway Company. He discussed with that gentleman his opinion as to what ought to be done in Lowestoft. He felt bound to say that no gentleman could possibly offer to meet the town with more liberality and kindness than Mr. Parkes. (Loud applause.) Of course, Mr. Parkes could not commit the railway company, nor would he commit himself. Mr. Parkes however expressed his desire to co-operate for the benefit of Lowestoft on the condition that the townspeople did their part. If the people intended Lowestoft to be what it ought to become—namely, a first-class watering-place, the inhabitants must drop their little differences and co-operate together. The prosperity of the town was far too important a matter to be impeded by personal differences. He had a temper, and he knew it, but he schooled it, and during his thirty-six years connection with Lowestoft he had had transactions with all classes of men—Tory, Radical, Nonconformist, and Churchman, and he hoped he had never offended one of them nor had one of them offended him. (Hear, hear.) If he did not agree with a man, that man had just as much right to an opinion as he (Mr. Lucas) had. He always respected the opinions of his opponents. (Applause.) He urged that in electing the corporation they should not care to what party a man belonged, but that they should put aside all personal feeling, and elect the very best men they could find. They had no right to think of anything, or of anybody but the prosperity of the town. If that line was followed out, the Charter would be, in his opinion, a great blessing to the town. If at the beginning they took an opposite direction they would make a mistake. When the list of candidates for the first Board of Commissioners appeared it represented every class. He advised a similar course with regard to the New Town Council. Let every class be represented by the very best men. Then they would give tone, dignity and go, to the whole thing. In the Mayor they required a gentleman of long experience, energy, high character, integrity, and means. (Laughter.) The last-mentioned qualification was an important one. If Lowestoft started well under the Charter, it would go on well, but if it started badly, it would take a long time to get right again. He had this week paid a visit to the Lord Lieutenant of the County (Lord Stradbroke), at Henham, and although his Lordship was very old, he enjoyed good health. (Hear, hear.) His Lordship desired him to convey to the town (through the Mayor), his warmest congratulations on it becoming a Borough, and he wished Lowestoft continued prosperity. Viscount Dunwich would have attended the reception of the Charter, but he was away from home. In conclusion Mr. Lucas said—I should like to couple the name of my brother (Mr. C. Lucas), with what I am about to say. If you will help us we will go out of our way to help you. If the new Corporation should not think it worth to go on making improvements I shall make my bow and say farewell. We are quite prepared to assist in promoting the North end as well as the South. If you go round the district, as I have been doing, there is not a single building put up for a first-class residence. What we have done for Kirkley is for the good of the town, and I would beg of you to remember these things. After a passing reference to the Railway Company, and Sir Morton Peto, and prophesying a great future for Lowestoft, Mr. Lucas (who became Sir Thomas Lucas) resumed his seat amid loud cheers.

The Rev. J. F. Reeve seconded the resolution, which was supported by the then Rector, Rev. T. A. Nash, and, on being put to the meeting, was carried with enthusiasm.

Colonel Leathes proposed thanks to the chairman, Mr. E. K. Harvey seconded, and the vote was accorded with acclamation. The Mayor replied, and Mr. Lucas then eulogised Mr. W. Youngman for the very great interest he took in the Borough, and the exertions he had made to promote its prosperity.

Mr. B. M. Bradbeer called for three cheers for the Queen, and these having been given, the proceedings closed with cheers for the Mayor.

SECTION XV. LATER PROGRESS.

BY A. E. MURTON.

IN compiling a history of any place, a stop must be made somewhere, owing to the exigencies of publication. The details of Lowestoft’s past have been recorded, and brought up to, perhaps, the most important point in her career, viz., the granting of the Charter of Incorporation in 1885; and it only now remains to show how it has fared with the Borough since. It may at once be said that its record has been one of steady progress. It has continuously grown in favour as a health resort, and in the year 1897, when this book was published, it had attained a high position among seaside watering places—a position that must be more than maintained if the powers that be will only work well together with a single eye for the benefit of the town. Since the granting of the Charter the population has considerably increased. In 1881 the census showed 19,696 inhabitants; in 1891 this had increased to 23,347, and in 1897 it was put, for the purposes of compiling the health report, at 25,590. So it may be safely said that since the date of the Charter, the Borough has received an accretion of fully 5,000 persons. The growth of houses has been in a corresponding ratio. In 1891 there were 4,242 houses in the parish of Lowestoft, 998 in Kirkley, and one in Gunton, making 5,241 for the Borough. At the end of 1896, this number had risen to 6,430 in round figures—an addition of nearly 1200, which must be considered very satisfactory.

The complaint made by Sir Thomas Lucas, as set forth on the preceding page, namely, that there is not a single building put up for a first-class residence, has to a great extent been remedied, for during the last four years some very fine houses have been built, especially in South Lowestoft. These have immensely raised the rateable value of the Borough, and given it greater prestige in the eyes of wealthier seaside sojourners. This activity in providing large, commodious, and well-arranged residences does not promise to abate for awhile, for the builder is busy on Kirkley Cliff, where splendid houses are already accomplished facts. The Grand Hotel, built by Mr. John Whaley, stands boldly on the brow of the Cliff. It is a palatial place, splendidly furnished and decorated, and well patronised. In other parts the Borough has extended—notably in the West, where hundreds of houses suitable for the working classes, have been erected. In the North there is also progress in this particular, and with the advent of the Great Eastern and Midland & Northern Joint Line Station, this beautiful portion of lazy, lovely Lowestoft, will rapidly go ahead. Indeed, at the present rate of progression, it is not difficult to forsee the day when Lowestoft shall extend to Corton on the North, Oulton and Carlton Colville on the West, and Kessingland on the South.

There have not been any very great upheavals to disturb the even tenour of Lowestoft life—the record is that of a peaceful, but none the less powerful, forward movement. As a fishing port it has greatly advanced, and in this connection mention must be made of the splendid accommodation afforded by the Great Eastern Railway, in the shape of the Spacious Herring and Mackerel Market and Trawl Market, and Waveney Dock, which were opened on the 1st October, 1883, by Lord Waveney. Even the capacious trawl dock proved inadequate, and in 1892 it became necessary to provide additional berthage and quays for the trawlers, the new dock facing the London Road being constructed. The number of fishing boats and smacks sailing out of the port are constantly receiving additions, and it is the proud boast of Lowestoft that she possesses the finest fishing fleet in the world, manned by crews of brave, hardy seamen, who are ever ready to render assistance in saving life. A notable instance of this grand trait of the “toilers of the deep” was the rescue of the 20 survivors of the North German Lloyd Liner _Elbe_, bound from Bremen to New York viâ Southampton, which sunk about 40 miles off Lowestoft, after collision with the SS _Crathie_ in the early morning of the 29th January, 1895. By this awful catastrophe 360 lives were lost. The 20 survivors escaped in an open boat, were sighted and taken aboard the Lowestoft smack _Wildflower_, and landed at Lowestoft in the afternoon of the same day.

The old order is ever changing, giving place to new, and so it came about that the swing bridge which was placed over the harbour waterway in 1830, was found to be inadequate for the vastly increased traffic. This has now given place to the present fine and commodious structure and approaches, which have been provided by the Great Eastern Railway at great expense.

Improvements have been carried out on all hands. The sewerage of the town has been brought up to date, and a new outfall has been necessitated. It has been considered necessary to groyne the North Beach to prevent the incursions of the sea on the Denes, which are prized by the inhabitants and visitors in general as a public walk and recreation ground, and by the fishermen in particular as a place whereon they can dry their nets. The incandescent light has been adopted in the main streets of the Borough, and a fine theatre, provided by public-spirited townsmen, was opened on April 26th, 1897.

Belle Vue Park possesses the Jubilee Memorial. When, in 1887, the question of providing a lasting record of the Queen’s Jubilee was talked over, a proposal emanated from Mr. Arthur Stebbings, a member of the Town Council, that a bridge should be built across the ravine which separated the Park from the North Parade. Assisted by several other gentlemen, he raised a goodly sum. But Mr. William Youngman, J.P., an Alderman of the Borough, who was its first elected Mayor, and who has benefited his native town to a great extent, came forward and gave the bridge, which stands as a substantial and useful reminder of the Queen’s Jubilee, and of Mr. Youngman’s munificence. This gentleman also placed the splendid East Window in St. Margaret’s Church, and has offered to build a Children’s Wing to the Hospital as a Diamond Jubilee Offering.

Educationally, Lowestoft has progressed. A School Board was formed in 1893, and since that year handsome new schools have been built, where a sound education is given. The need for higher instruction was felt, and to meet it the Corporation are about to provide a fine Technical School on Clapham Road.

Movements having for their object the moral and physical well-being of the community have not been neglected. The commodious rooms of the Young Men’s Christian Association on London Road have been erected, containing a comprehensive gymnasium, given by Sir Thomas Lucas, and a Home for the Young Women’s Christian Association is being built. A fine residence facing the Park is utilized as a Convalescent Home, and Connaught House in High Street has become a Church of England Home for Waifs and Strays.

An incident worthy of note is the visit which Mr. W. E. Gladstone paid to the locality on May 19th, 1890, when he was the guest of Mr. J. J. Colman at “The Clyffe,” Corton. He addressed an audience of 7000 people at Norwich on the previous evening, and received an address on Lowestoft Station, to which he replied in a speech of half an hour’s duration. From that time till the following Tuesday, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone remained at “The Clyffe,” and on leaving by special train for Hawarden Castle, the Right Honourable gentleman, who was then in his 81st year, was presented with an album containing 50 photographs of the principal views in the neighbourhood. During his stay he expressed himself as “delighted with the place and the people,” to which Mrs. Gladstone added that she agreed with all her husband had said.

The late Duke of Clarence (Prince Albert Victor) was a visitor to Lowestoft in 1885, when he stayed with Lord Claud Hamilton, the present Chairman of the Great Eastern Railway Company.