Our plan for the station:
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Note: the above 3D renders will not be a final representation of the station project's look and feel once completed.
Credit: ITV Anglia, 17th February 2023
Our aim is to fully restore the station and repurpose it, to be used as a tea room and museum to pay tribute to the former Lynn and Dereham railway.
On 7th September 1968, the Lynn and Dereham railway closed to passengers, ending over 120 years of use and marked the end of what is now a much-needed rail connection between King's Lynn and Norwich, via Dereham.
Middleton Towers served as the first station on the line and remains to be the only station to have retained some track. The station now serves as a freight-loading point for silica sand from the local Leziate quarry run by
Sibelco UK Ltd.
I founded the Middleton Towers Restoration Group in July 2021 with one initial aim; to fully restore the former railway station site to be used by the local community. As of early 2023, we are a group of over 500 railway enthusiasts, engineers and tradespeople who want to see our community effort come into fruition.
The former ticket office and platform access room are in dire need of repair and these buildings are owned by Network Rail. The station house however is in great condition, but this privately owned by Sibelco. We are currently in discussions with Network Rail to obtain permission to renovate their portion of the site.
A consensus amongst our members is that under our plans, the site would serve as a public tea room and as a museum for the former King’s Lynn to Dereham railway. However, our ambitions cannot end here. While we focus on our current plans for the time being, we must be ready to campaign for reinstatement of a passenger service at least as far as Middleton Towers or East Winch. A substantial amount of potential rail users reside in this area and it would certainly relieve some pressure on our roads.
We must not let central or local Government make knee-jerk decisions to develop on any portions of the line or, worst of all, tear it up entirely as regrettably done in the 1960s.
On 7th September 1968, the Lynn and Dereham railway closed to passengers, ending over 120 years of use and marked the end of what is now a much-needed rail connection between King's Lynn and Norwich, via Dereham.
Middleton Towers served as the first station on the line and remains to be the only station to have retained some track. The station now serves as a freight-loading point for silica sand from the local Leziate quarry run by
Sibelco UK Ltd.
I founded the Middleton Towers Restoration Group in July 2021 with one initial aim; to fully restore the former railway station site to be used by the local community. As of early 2023, we are a group of over 500 railway enthusiasts, engineers and tradespeople who want to see our community effort come into fruition.
The former ticket office and platform access room are in dire need of repair and these buildings are owned by Network Rail. The station house however is in great condition, but this privately owned by Sibelco. We are currently in discussions with Network Rail to obtain permission to renovate their portion of the site.
A consensus amongst our members is that under our plans, the site would serve as a public tea room and as a museum for the former King’s Lynn to Dereham railway. However, our ambitions cannot end here. While we focus on our current plans for the time being, we must be ready to campaign for reinstatement of a passenger service at least as far as Middleton Towers or East Winch. A substantial amount of potential rail users reside in this area and it would certainly relieve some pressure on our roads.
We must not let central or local Government make knee-jerk decisions to develop on any portions of the line or, worst of all, tear it up entirely as regrettably done in the 1960s.
Alex Brammer
Founder and Director
mtrg.norfolk@gmail.com
