The building of Norfolk’s iconic wherries concluded in an extravagant manner thanks to the philanthropic nature of Lowestoft’s first Freeman, Howard Hollingsworth. Hollingsworth wanted to produce a lasting representation of a typical wherry’s hull shape for the benefit of future generations, while creating much needed employment for some of Suffolk’s boat builders.
A love of fast motor boats is believed to have initially brought the co-founder of the renowned Oxford Street department store Bourne and Hollingsworth to Lowestoft at the turn of the 20th century. He subsequently bought a burnt out mansion on the town’s Gunton Cliff and transformed it into a luxurious home overlooking the North Sea. He indulged his passion for power boat racing by commissioning a number of high speed craft from Brooke’s nearby yard on Lake Lothing starting with the 21ft (6.4m) in 1911. Over the coming years, the people of Lowestoft were to benefit from his numerous acts of kindness directed towards individuals and the local community as a whole including the donation of Nicholas Everitt Park on the edge of Oulton Broad. Hollingsworth purchased the park in 1928 from the estate of his friend and Broadland
