This
trim, neat building sits at a busy traffic
junction on the Kirkley side of the Lothingland
River, a short walk from the beautiful Lowestoft
South Beach. The green copper spire and light
brick gives it a slightly jaunty, Festival of
Britain air, although it dates from almost a
decade later, the foundation stone being laid in
1962.
The main entrance is at the
west end, a narrow galilee porch which
runs the width of the building. You step
through a screen into the central
walkway. Again, the design speaks more of
the decades before, and it is interesting
to compare this simple, pleasant little
building with the fabulous Lowestoft
Trinity Methodist of less than ten years
later. The east end is extremely
effective, an austere tiled backdrop
picking out a simple cross, with an even
simpler little wooden holy table beneath.
This
church serves an area of Lowestoft which
has undergone considerable improvement in
the last few years, thanks to a massive
injection of money from the European
Social Fund. Lowestoft still has its
traffic problems, as you can all too
easily see at the junction outside, but
this building is at once a focus and an
adornment to this part of town, so close
to Suffolk's very best beach of all.
Simon Knott, November 2009
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