The Sign
The original sign was carved by Lowestoft College and erected in 1969. It is located just beyond the top of the High Street on a small green opposite the petrol garage.

The sign is in the form of a shield supported on the left by the lighthouse which is very close to the sign and the church of St Margaret's on the right. The shield inside the main shield at the top are the town's arms. The motto "Point du Jour" means daybreak. Thus the sun at the base is a reference to this. The roundels on the chevron represent porcelain plates to refer to an 18th century factory in the town. Their product is much admired and collected. The factory has no mark, but many bear the words, "A trifle from Lowestoft". The Tudor roses, the crown and the crest are a reference to Saint Margaret of Scotland, the town's patron saint. She also appears on the old seal of the town. There are also seven images making up the rest of the sign:

Top left - A longshore fisherman pulling in his net

Top right - A map of the outer harbour and trawl basin

Centre left - A ship representing the shipbuilding industry

Centre - A modern trawler built by Brooke Marine, the Eastern Lady

Bottom left - West Holm buoy found outside the harbour marking the way home for fishermen

Bottom centre - The memorial to the Royal Naval Patrol Service in Belle View Park

Bottom right - Sailing craft on Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing

The Name and Population
The population was estimated to be 73,800 in 2019. It was called Lothu Wistoft in 1086 and Lothewistoft in 1212. It means "The Curtilage or homestead of a man called Hlothver", from Old Scandanavian.

Other Points of Interest
Lowestoft Lighthouse is operated by Trinity House located to the north of the town centre. It acts as a warning light for shipping passing along the east coast and is the most easterly lighthouse in the UK. The current lighthouse was built in 1874 and stands 16 metres (52 ft) tall, 37 metres (121 ft) above sea level. The light, which has a range of 23 nautical miles (43 km; 26 mi), was automated in 1975.

Lowestoft is the most easterly town in the United Kingdom. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry. The town is divided by Lake Lothing, which forms the inner part of Lowestoft Harbour and gives access via Oulton Broad and Oulton Dyke to the River Waveney and the Broads. The northern half is on the island of Lothingland.

The naval Battle of Lowestoft in June 1665 was the first in the Second Anglo-Dutch War. Held 40 miles (64 km) off the coast, it was a victory for the English.

Sir Samuel Morton Peto's arrival in 19th-century Lowestoft brought a change in the town's fortunes, including its fishing industry. To help stimulate this, Peto was given the task of building a line for the Lowestoft Railway and Harbour Company, connecting with Reedham and the city of Norwich. This had a profound impact on the town's industrial development – its fishing fleets could sell to markets further inland, and other industries such as engineering gained from increased trade with the continent. Peto's railway enabled Lowestoft to become a flourishing seaside holiday resort; much of Peto's seaside resort in south Lowestoft still exists, including the Grade II listed Kirkley Cliff and Wellington Esplanade terraces.