The Sign
There are two signs, one that welcomes people to Pakefield on a main roundabout on the A12 to the south of the village, now an industrial estate and a more traditional sign towards the village centre on the B1532 old road out of Lowestoft. The traditional sign shows the church of All Saints and St Michael, two fish and two anchors for the local industry and a rising sun, popular in this area of the east coast sitting close to the sea. The welcome sign has similar topics as the village sign in the form of roundels, including the church, rising sun, fishing boat on the beach and tourism with the beach huts and ice cream eaters, and was renovated in 2022. The older welcome sign has slightly different themes.

The Name and Population
Pakefield is a suburb (once a village), to the south of Lowestoft, which, due to urban sprawl, is now part of the town, with Kirkley in between. The main urban development was during the Victorian period when seaside resorts were at their peak. The population in 1931 was 1774. Pakefield has had many archaeological finds in the area, with some very early human ones. At the time of Domesday, the village was called Pagefella, with Pagan connotations meaning Pagga’s or Pacca’s field. The town developed as a fishing community and still has some boats on the beach today. However, tourism has taken over with many resorts in the area, including Pontin's holiday camp, more recently renamed to Pakefield Holiday Park.

Other Points of Interest

The church of All Saints and St Margaret is one of the most easterly churches in the country, overlooking the North Sea. It is basically two churches, which were once separate, but were united as one in 1753. In 1941 the church was hit by an incendiary bomb and was completely gutted and lost its thatch. The church was one of the first to be rebuilt and rededicated after the war. The churchyard grass is regularly kept at bay with a few sheep.
The church has a few interesting features inside including a Royal Arms to Charles II, dated 1681, a rare example of a Lenten veil pulley still in place, a C14th font and a couple of brasses to John Bowf and his wife Agnes and another to Richard Folkard.

Pakefield All Saints and St Michael