Kirkley

Kirkley is a district within the town of Lowestoft in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. It is located south of the centre of Lowestoft and the town's Bascule Bridge and north of Pakefield and Kessingland. Kirkley was originally an independent village but after centuries of urban sprawl and development of the harbour area, is now part of the urban conurbation of Lowestoft. In council ward terms, it sits between the wards of Harbour and Pakefield.HistoryKirkley was briefly mentioned in the Domesday Book at which time it formed part of King William's estates and was held by Roger Bigot. The area is described as a village with a population of around 433 by Suckling in 1846, with its main industry being fishing.The former parish church is dedicated to St Peter and St John Church. The church had fallen into disrepair by 1640, with restoration taking place at some point in the 18th Century.In 1847, from his base at Somerleyton Hall, entrepreneur Samuel Morton Peto brought the railway to Lowestoft. A new resort was built by Peto in the then rural parish of Kirkley and along the south beach. Peto sponsored construction of St John's church on the corner of Belvedere Road for the inhabitants of the new town. This was damaged by flooding and finally demolished in 1977.