Lothingland
Lothingland is the north-easternmost part of Suffolk, bounded by the River Yare and Breydon Water to the north, the River Waveney to the west and Oulton Broad to the south. It includes marsh, farmland, villages and two sizeable coastal towns: the parts of Lowestoft north of Lake Lothing, and Gorleston-on-Sea, which borders Great Yarmouth.
- Location map: 52°31’12"N, 1°42’0"E
In ancient times it is believed that the River Waveney flowed to the sea through Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing, reaching the sea at Lowestoft. In historic times though Waveney suddenly turns north, joining the Yare to turn southward again to reach the sea between Gorleston and Great Yarmouth. The gap between the turn of the Waveney and Oulton Broad was always low and marshy though and Lothingland was historically known as the Island of Lothingland.
In 1833, Oulton Dyke was cut from the Waveney to join Oulton Broad, all as tidal waters, thus opening the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation allowing sea-borne vessels to pass through Oulton Broad and Lake Lothing to the Waveney, and thus the area effectively became an island.[1]
Historically Lothingland formed a half-hundred, as part of the Mutford and Lothingland Hundred of Suffolk.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 William White (1844). History, gazetteer, and directory of Suffolk. p. 480. https://books.google.com/books?id=ZgxIAAAAMAAJ&num=100&pg=PA480#v=onepage.