County School railway station
Encyclopedia
County School is a railway station approximately one mile north of the village of North Elmham
in the English
county of Norfolk
. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway
from East Dereham to Fakenham
.
in 1849, but County School railway station was not built until 1886 to serve the private school from which it took its name, and following the opening of the Wroxham branch line in 1882. In 1903 the Norfolk County School became the Watts Naval School
, the station name, however, remained unchanged.
County School became a Great Eastern Railway
rural junction station even though the Wroxham branch left the Wells line a mile north, at Broom Green. The station consisted of up and down platforms and an extra bay for Wroxham services.
The stationmaster's house is unusual, in that the railway did not build it. Instead it was originally the lodge house for the school - and its style reflects the school rather than the station.
County School station was equipped with three platforms, two platform buildings, a signal box and a small coal yard. This yard was essentially to serve the needs of the large number of fires in the school buildings. The station was also provided with a large orchard on land provided for sidings that were never required.
On 20 January 1915, the junction with the line to Aylsham and Wroxham was the site of an accident between a passenger train from Wells and a goods train from Foulsham.
At 11.46 am, Y14
'629', hauling 12 empty and 4 loaded wagons, ran into the 6 coach passenger train, hauled by T26
locomotive '446' and consisting of 6-wheel stock on the scissor crossing close to the signal box. Nobody was injured in the crash, which took place at low speed, although both locomotives were damaged, along with other vehicles in both trains.
The responsibility for the crash was placed on the driver of the goods train, for failing to observe that his signals were at danger.
. The site was also briefly used as a tarmac factory for bomber command.
line was closed to passenger traffic, although the western section of this line, between County School and Foulsham remained open for goods until 31 October 1964, being busiest in the sugar beet season.. Diesel trains made their first appearance in 1956, but it was not until 1964 that the Dereham to Wells
line lost its passenger service.
In 1954 the complex track layout and quiet nature of the station since the closure of the branch led to its being used as a main location for the filming of the driver training films for the new diesel multiple units.
. This was a twice-weekly serial, based on a fictional vets' practice in an East Anglian village with a post office and shop, church, pub, railway station and racing stable. Two vets, played by Grant Taylor
and Eric Flynn
, were the central characters, and Wendy Richard
, of EastEnders
, and Kate O'Mara
, who was to join the cast of Dynasty
, played minor roles. Soon after this filming took place the island platform buildings and signal box were demolished.
in 1981. The main building survived as a small factory unit making plaster ceiling roses.
were offered a 999 year lease to move to the site from their headquarters at Yaxham and restore the railway side of the site.
With the announcement of the closure of the entire branch between Wymondham, Dereham and North Elmham, a new company called the Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited was formed to save the line.
The F&DRS elected to back this scheme, and the lease of the station was signed over to the GER (1989) Ltd. Although far from certain, the future of the line, and County School station, seemed more secure than it had for many years. During these years, the F&DRS continued to provide financial backing and manpower for the development of the site. The running line was extended over half a mile towards North Elmham, and a collection of rolling stock was built up.
During the early 1990s, the GER(1989) announced plans to lift the railway between Dereham and Wymondham. The Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society withdrew their support for the GER and made their own bid for the line. 1995 saw Yorkshire Bank
call in the receivers
to solve concerns with the Great Eastern Railway (1989) Ltd. In June 1995 Breckland Council informed the receivers that they wished for the GER (1889) Ltd. to give up the lease for County School station so that they could review their operations in respect of the site. The GER (1989) Ltd., who stated that they were attracting 12,000 visitors a year to the site, announced that they would contest this decision.
In July 1995, police were called in to investigate the sudden and unauthorised road transfer of two Mid Norfolk Railway Society Mk 2 coaches to a breaker's yard at nearby Lenwade. In July 1996 Breckland District Council issued a threat to stop trains running at County School station, as it was found that someone other than the leaseholder was operating trains at the site; the lease being non-transferable. In November 1996 Breckland District Council brought in 24 hour security guards at the County School site in order to prevent the stripping
of the property after having served an eviction order on the GER(1989) in mid-October.
County School station was boarded up and GER (1989) Ltd rolling stock was concentrated in the isolated yard prior to disposal or scrapping. All track north of the station platforms was then lifted, and, as shown in the photograph, the site was left to become derelict.
In 1998 the MNRPT signed a Tenancy at Will with Breckland District Council
to take over the station and trackbed at County School. The track north of the platforms had, again, been lifted. The remainder was overgrown. The station was boarded up, with smashed glass, a stripped interior and broken windows.
The MNR quickly returned the station to use, as a visitor centre, rather than an operational railway museum. Over the next year, the MNR spent £28,000 restoring the station buildings to wartime LNER condition, tidying the grounds and removing scrap material left by the former lessee. Additional investment saw the station drive, damaged after decades of neglect, professionally resurfaced, scrub growth removed from the railway formation opening up the views of the Wensum Valley for walkers and preparing the formation for restoration of track.
Recognising the financial and manpower investment that the MNRPT had put into the site over the years, Breckland District Council offered to sell the station and trackbed to the Railway for the nominal sum of £1. This offer was accepted, and County School is now a part of the 17 mile long branch line. In 2010 the station was repainted into the colours employed elsewhere on the line.
, and will serve as the northern terminus of the line while the task of restoring the line to Fakenham is considered.
The signal box, demolished after passenger closure, is currently being rebuilt using components from Halesworth
and the trackbed between County School and North Elmham is being restored ready for the restoration of the line.
A longer-term aim is the rebuilding of the demolished island platform building. There is also a plan to construct a railwayman's cottage close to the signal box, using grounded former GER railway carriages. This was a common practice during the interwar years.
At present no trains operate at the station. All the staff are volunteers.
Future Services
North Elmham
North Elmham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 1,428 in 624 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
from East Dereham to Fakenham
Fakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
.
History
A railway line was opened as part of the Norfolk Railway's extension from East Dereham to FakenhamFakenham
Fakenham is a town and civil parish in Norfolk, England. It is situated on the River Wensum, some north east of King's Lynn, south west of Cromer, and north west of Norwich....
in 1849, but County School railway station was not built until 1886 to serve the private school from which it took its name, and following the opening of the Wroxham branch line in 1882. In 1903 the Norfolk County School became the Watts Naval School
Watts Naval School
Watts Naval School was originally the Norfolk County School, a public school set up to serve the educational needs of the 'sons of farmers and artisans'...
, the station name, however, remained unchanged.
County School became a Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
rural junction station even though the Wroxham branch left the Wells line a mile north, at Broom Green. The station consisted of up and down platforms and an extra bay for Wroxham services.
The stationmaster's house is unusual, in that the railway did not build it. Instead it was originally the lodge house for the school - and its style reflects the school rather than the station.
County School station was equipped with three platforms, two platform buildings, a signal box and a small coal yard. This yard was essentially to serve the needs of the large number of fires in the school buildings. The station was also provided with a large orchard on land provided for sidings that were never required.
1915 crash
At 11.46 am, Y14
GER Class Y14
The Great Eastern Railway Class Y14 is a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive. The LNER classified them J15.The Class Y14 was designed by T.W. Worsdell for both freight and passenger duties - a veritable 'maid of all work'...
'629', hauling 12 empty and 4 loaded wagons, ran into the 6 coach passenger train, hauled by T26
GER Class T26
The GER Class T26 was a class of 2-4-0 steam tender locomotives designed by James Holden for the Great Eastern Railway. At the 1923 grouping they passed to the London and North Eastern Railway, who classified them E4. Eighteen survived into British Railways ownership in 1948, and the last was...
locomotive '446' and consisting of 6-wheel stock on the scissor crossing close to the signal box. Nobody was injured in the crash, which took place at low speed, although both locomotives were damaged, along with other vehicles in both trains.
The responsibility for the crash was placed on the driver of the goods train, for failing to observe that his signals were at danger.
World War II
During World War II the station surroundings were used as a fuel dump for the airfield at FoulshamFoulsham
This article is about the place. For the publishing company see W. Foulsham & Company Limited.Foulsham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The Village is miles west south west of Cromer, miles north west of Norwich and miles north east of London. The village lies...
. The site was also briefly used as a tarmac factory for bomber command.
Nationalisation
The first significant change occurred in 1952 when the County School to WroxhamWroxham
Wroxham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The civil parish of Wroxham has an area of 6.21 square kilometres and in 2001 had a population of 1532 in 666 households. The village is situated within the Norfolk Broads on the south side of a loop in the middle reaches of...
line was closed to passenger traffic, although the western section of this line, between County School and Foulsham remained open for goods until 31 October 1964, being busiest in the sugar beet season.. Diesel trains made their first appearance in 1956, but it was not until 1964 that the Dereham to Wells
Wells-next-the-Sea
Wells-next-the-Sea, known locally simply as Wells, is a town, civil parish and seaport situated on the North Norfolk coast in England.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 2,451 in 1,205 households...
line lost its passenger service.
In 1954 the complex track layout and quiet nature of the station since the closure of the branch led to its being used as a main location for the filming of the driver training films for the new diesel multiple units.
After passenger closure
Just after closure the station was used by Anglia Television as a location for Weaver's GreenWeavers Green
Weavers Green was a British television soap opera, made in 1966 for ITV by Anglia Television. It was notable for being one of the first television programmes to be shot on location using videotape and outside broadcast equipment, rather than film, as had usually been the case for non-studio...
. This was a twice-weekly serial, based on a fictional vets' practice in an East Anglian village with a post office and shop, church, pub, railway station and racing stable. Two vets, played by Grant Taylor
Grant taylor
Grant Taylor is a professional skateboarder who grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the son of former professional skateboarder Thomas Taylor. He began skating at an early age and turned pro in 2009...
and Eric Flynn
Eric Flynn
Eric William Flynn was a Chinese born British actor and singer, who was the father of actors Jerome Flynn and Daniel Flynn whom he had with his first wife Fern; the former best known for appearing in Soldier Soldier and the latter known for his character in The Bill...
, were the central characters, and Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard
Wendy Richard, MBE was an English actress best known for playing Miss Brahms in Are You Being Served? and Pauline Fowler in EastEnders...
, of EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
, and Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
, who was to join the cast of Dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
, played minor roles. Soon after this filming took place the island platform buildings and signal box were demolished.
Final closure
The line remained open for freight, but the track was finally removed by British Rail following the withdrawal of goods traffic from RyburghRyburgh
Ryburgh is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is south-west of Cromer, north-west of Norwich and north-east of London. The village lies south-east of the nearby town of Fakenham. The nearest railway station is at Sheringham for the Bittern Line which runs...
in 1981. The main building survived as a small factory unit making plaster ceiling roses.
Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society
By the late 1980s the station was heavily overgrown and derelict. Breckland District Council bought the station in 1987, intending to use it as a visitor centre, but felt that a station without track and trains looked wrong. The Fakenham and Dereham Railway SocietyFakenham and Dereham Railway Society
The Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society was a heritage railway society in the English county of Norfolk. For a short period of time it operated County School railway station as the Wensum Valley Railway...
were offered a 999 year lease to move to the site from their headquarters at Yaxham and restore the railway side of the site.
Great Eastern Railway (1989) Limited
The F&DRS elected to back this scheme, and the lease of the station was signed over to the GER (1989) Ltd. Although far from certain, the future of the line, and County School station, seemed more secure than it had for many years. During these years, the F&DRS continued to provide financial backing and manpower for the development of the site. The running line was extended over half a mile towards North Elmham, and a collection of rolling stock was built up.
During the early 1990s, the GER(1989) announced plans to lift the railway between Dereham and Wymondham. The Fakenham and Dereham Railway Society withdrew their support for the GER and made their own bid for the line. 1995 saw Yorkshire Bank
Yorkshire Bank
Yorkshire Bank is a commercial bank in England and Wales, a division of Clydesdale Bank, which in turn is a subsidiary of National Australia Bank. It mostly operates in the North of England, especially in Yorkshire. In 2006 underlying profit rose 16.7 per cent to £454 million compared with a...
call in the receivers
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
to solve concerns with the Great Eastern Railway (1989) Ltd. In June 1995 Breckland Council informed the receivers that they wished for the GER (1889) Ltd. to give up the lease for County School station so that they could review their operations in respect of the site. The GER (1989) Ltd., who stated that they were attracting 12,000 visitors a year to the site, announced that they would contest this decision.
In July 1995, police were called in to investigate the sudden and unauthorised road transfer of two Mid Norfolk Railway Society Mk 2 coaches to a breaker's yard at nearby Lenwade. In July 1996 Breckland District Council issued a threat to stop trains running at County School station, as it was found that someone other than the leaseholder was operating trains at the site; the lease being non-transferable. In November 1996 Breckland District Council brought in 24 hour security guards at the County School site in order to prevent the stripping
Asset stripping
Asset stripping involves selling the assets of a business individually at a profit. The term is generally used in a pejorative sense as such activity is not considered productive to the economy. Asset stripping is considered to be a problem in economies such as Russia or China that are making a...
of the property after having served an eviction order on the GER(1989) in mid-October.
County School station was boarded up and GER (1989) Ltd rolling stock was concentrated in the isolated yard prior to disposal or scrapping. All track north of the station platforms was then lifted, and, as shown in the photograph, the site was left to become derelict.
Mid-Norfolk Railway Preservation Trust
Breckland (district)
Breckland District is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in East Dereham.Breckland District derives its name from the Breckland landscape region, a gorse covered sandy heath of south Norfolk and north Suffolk...
to take over the station and trackbed at County School. The track north of the platforms had, again, been lifted. The remainder was overgrown. The station was boarded up, with smashed glass, a stripped interior and broken windows.
The MNR quickly returned the station to use, as a visitor centre, rather than an operational railway museum. Over the next year, the MNR spent £28,000 restoring the station buildings to wartime LNER condition, tidying the grounds and removing scrap material left by the former lessee. Additional investment saw the station drive, damaged after decades of neglect, professionally resurfaced, scrub growth removed from the railway formation opening up the views of the Wensum Valley for walkers and preparing the formation for restoration of track.
Recognising the financial and manpower investment that the MNRPT had put into the site over the years, Breckland District Council offered to sell the station and trackbed to the Railway for the nominal sum of £1. This offer was accepted, and County School is now a part of the 17 mile long branch line. In 2010 the station was repainted into the colours employed elsewhere on the line.
Present day and plans
The station forms an important key in the future plans of the Mid-Norfolk RailwayMid-Norfolk Railway
The Mid-Norfolk Railway or MNR is a heritage railway in the English county of Norfolk. Opening as a tourist line in 1997, it is often referred to as a "New Generation" heritage railway....
, and will serve as the northern terminus of the line while the task of restoring the line to Fakenham is considered.
The signal box, demolished after passenger closure, is currently being rebuilt using components from Halesworth
Halesworth railway station
Halesworth is a railway station serving the town of Halesworth in Suffolk. The station is located on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line.It is the nearest station to the town of Southwold, although some passengers from Southwold prefer to use Darsham station.The station is served by National...
and the trackbed between County School and North Elmham is being restored ready for the restoration of the line.
A longer-term aim is the rebuilding of the demolished island platform building. There is also a plan to construct a railwayman's cottage close to the signal box, using grounded former GER railway carriages. This was a common practice during the interwar years.
At present no trains operate at the station. All the staff are volunteers.
Signal box
| Location | Original location | Built by | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| County School | Halesworth Halesworth railway station Halesworth is a railway station serving the town of Halesworth in Suffolk. The station is located on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line.It is the nearest station to the town of Southwold, although some passengers from Southwold prefer to use Darsham station.The station is served by National... , Suffolk Suffolk Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east... |
Great Eastern Railway Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia... |
The station was originally provided with a main signal box to the north of the station, and a ground frame cabin to the south of the level crossing. The original signal box was demolished after the line closed to passengers and has been replaced by the 'box from Halesworth. While Halesworth had a timber locking room, the cabin has been placed on a brick structure reflecting the original County School box. Has been rebuilt on the original footings. To serve as visitor attraction until required for operations. The signal box was originally removed from Halesworth station to a local school; later being donated to the Trust for restoration. |