The Singing Mice of Suffolk
Singing Mice of Lowestoft: A Serenade of Curious Legends and Sweet Melodies
If you discover there is a mouse in your house, it’s generally not a cause for celebration – but what if the rodent in question had a lovely singing voice? In Suffolk, this is more than just a whimsical thought. The region, particularly the area between Lowestoft and Beccles, has a peculiar reputation as a “concert hall” for singing mice.
Tales of these melodic mice aren’t recent whispers; they have been echoing through the annals of local history for decades. The Borderline Science Investigation Group (BSIG), an organization dedicated to exploring unexplained phenomena in East Anglia, first brought these stories to wider attention in the summer of 1978. Their quarterly journal, Lantern, featured an excerpt from an 1892 Lowestoft Journal article titled “A Valuable Singing Mouse.”
This article recounted the curious tale of a woman in North Cove who, while recovering from an illness, was charmed by the sweet song of what she assumed to be a bird. After searching in vain for the mysterious songster, she was astonished to discover the melody originated from a mouse! The woman captured the tiny vocalist and housed it in a cage, where it continued to serenade her with its “liquid notes,” likened to those of a nightingale or canary.
This account wasn’t a mere one-off; other instances of singing mice were reported in the area. A Lowestoft watchmaker claimed to own one, and another was said to reside at Earsham Hall with a Captain Mead in 1857. The phenomenon wasn’t confined to North Cove either, with reports of singing mice also emerging from Bungay.
While these stories may sound like something out of a children’s book, they were treated with genuine curiosity and intrigue at the time. The BSIG’s documentation of these accounts in Lantern speaks to the seriousness with which these tales were received.
Whether these singing mice were a product of overactive imaginations, misidentified sounds, or a genuine biological oddity, they’ve woven themselves into the fabric of Lowestoft’s local lore. Today, they remain a charming and peculiar part of the town’s history, adding a unique melody to the symphony of stories that make up its cultural identity.
The stories of singing mice in Lowestoft are not only a testament to the rich folklore of the region, but they also remind us of the power of imagination and the wonder that can be found in the most unexpected of places. Even the humble mouse, it seems, can hold a secret melody, waiting to be discovered by those who listen closely.
