Hunstanton railway station
Hunstanton | |
---|---|
![]() Hunstanton in the early 1900s; Sandringham Hotel in the background. | |
General information | |
Location | Hunstanton, Norfolk England |
Grid reference | TF671407 |
Platforms | 4 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Original company | Lynn and Hunstanton Railway |
Pre-grouping | Great Eastern Railway |
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
3 October 1862 | Opened |
28 December 1964 | Closed to freight |
6 June 1966 | Became unstaffed[1] |
5 May 1969 | Closed to passengers[2] |
Hunstanton railway station served the
History
Construction of the line to Hunstanton coincided with the rising popularity of north-west Norfolk as a destination for holidaymakers who were arriving in large numbers. Hunstanton was promoted as a seaside resort by
The single-track line into Hunstanton ran almost straight into the station, with beach huts and bungalows on the seaward side and rolling hills on the other. Nearer the seafront the line crossed South Beach Road on the level, before entering the station whose twin island platforms, covered by Great Eastern flat-topped canopies, diverged in a roughly triangular arrangement. As well as its four main terminal roads, there were five goods sidings to the east of the platforms which served as carriage sidings at the height of the summer season. The sidings converged into a single headshunt which led southwards to Hunstanton Gas Works. A long siding on the eastern side of the station served cattle docks and an end-loading bay.[6]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Hunstanton_Railway_Station_2.jpg/250px-Hunstanton_Railway_Station_2.jpg)
Having reached its peak in the mid-1950s, passenger numbers declined. Most through services from
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Heacham Line and station closed |
British Rail Eastern Region King's Lynn to Hunstanton branch |
Terminus |
Present day
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3f/Hunstanton_Railway_Station_1.jpg/150px-Hunstanton_Railway_Station_1.jpg)
The station site is now a car and coach park.[10] The former coal shed, the only remaining trace of the railway, was converted into an art gallery with help from West Norfolk Council and opened in May 2008. The first exhibition celebrated the King's Lynn to Hunstanton railway line with a display of memorabilia and photographs.[11]
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report in which the line to Hunstanton was listed as "Priority 2" for reopening. ("Priority 2" refers to those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances).[12]
References
- ISBN 0-905466-19-5.
- ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 125.
- ^ British Film Institute, John Betjeman Goes By Train (1962).
- ISBN 0-946537-25-9.
- ^ Joby, R.S., op. cit. p. 47.
- ISBN 0-85361-330-3.
- ^ Jenkins, S.C., op. cit. p. 113.
- ^ Jenkins, S.C., op. cit. p. 115.
- ^ Jenkins, S.C., op. cit. p. 118.
- ISBN 1-85306-595-1.
- ^ Lynn News, "Rail memories are back on track", 2 May 2008.
- ^ "The Case For Expanding the Rail Network" (PDF). Campaign for Better Transport. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)