Stanley C Jenkins, in his book about the Lynn & Dereham Railway, gives us the names of many of the Station Masters in charge at various places and times. However, it helps to ensure that our walk leaders do not overlook anything, and there is much to be said for that. Get your free copy of the "Quick Guide To Norfolk Beaches". A Gannett Company. 58 - 92. Oxburgh Hall is a glorious place to visit. Despite BRs modernisation attempts the end was signalled in Dr. Richard Beechings report The Reshaping of Britains Railways, published in March 1963 and closure of Norfolks branch lines began with some urgency. A sign erected by Breckland Council marks the entrance to the former station yard at the back of which the station building and adjoining house are intact but much altered since closure of the line. Temperature extremes in the Swaffham-Marham area range from 34.8C (94.6F) in August 1990, down to 16.7C (1.9F) during February 1956. When you reach the A47, cross it (very carefully) and aim for the lane opposite and slightly to the right, passing beneath the wind turbine on your left. Swaffham Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Swaffham, Norfolk, England. [21] The first of the wind turbines to be constructed was an Enercon E66/1500 with 1.5 MW generation capacity, 67 metres nacelle height and 66 metres rotor diameter. Like many of East Anglias railways it was agriculture that generated much of the goods traffic. early on as you walk through the woods and the first stretch of Thompson As you drive along the main road, about 3 miles south of Watton youll see a largish lay-by. Takes 50 minutes from Airport (Train and walk). The lake used to be dominated and almost completely covered with a plant called Water Soldier, and although it provided ideal habitat for a lot of wildlife, it also takes the oxygen out of the water. However, for some distance north of Watton, the line can be seen as a wooded interruption to extensive fields of arable crops. A former Norfolk railway line could become a new walking and cycling route between two of the county's towns, according to newly-published documents. The main line saw a big increase in services: eleven up trains bound for Lynn stopped at Dunham, one more ran only to Swaffham where a change for Lynn was offered. He asserted that he did not know whether the Watton and Swaffham company had ever issued its own style of ticket: all that he found bear the name of the working company. For more information on what we can offer on our Norfolk Walking Holidays, click here, Foxley Norfolk, Norfolk Wildlife Trust Bluebell Wood Spectacular. [27] In 2021 the building was sold to manufacturer Flexion Global for use as their headquarters. This abutted the station building constructed of knapped flint with brick quoins and stone window surrounds. The road bends left and heads into the countryside, with the sails of a giant wind turbine turning up ahead. These two busy routes provide Swaffham with a large volume of passing trade and travellers, especially at weekends and during the summer months. Watton-Swaffham railway line could become 15km walking link The Category Disused Railways is a subset of Heritage and History. (Tim Chant). Swaffham Belt Path. Passing through Thetford Forest between Stow Bedon and Hockham Heath the trackbed is a Permitted Public Path before once more being obliterated by agricultural activity towards the site of Roudham Junction. It had an authorised capital outlay of 80,000. It is now fairly clear. One of the most prestigious events in the days of the Regency was the annual hare coursing hosted by the Swaffham Club. The first of these began operation in 1999[19] and the second in 2003. The cheapest way to get from Kent to Swaffham costs only 44, and the quickest way takes just 2 hours. 1st Class singles were white, 2nd rose, 3rd green and parliamentary buff coloured. Its a remarkably handsome house with a high gatehouse and surrounded by a wide moat. [10], Two more Manning Wardle tanks, and two Sharp, Stewart and Company 0-4-2 tender locomotives were added by September 1876. The view from the hide overlooking Thompson Water. The park remains today, bordered on one side by the abandoned railway embankment.[13]. Both companies lines were double track at that point although each became single less than 100yd beyond the junction. Parking is normally possible at various places in Turbine Way but near the junction with Brocks Road may be preferable. A Brief History of the Watton and Swaffham Railway - also known as the Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch) Railway Country town and its surrounding farmland, Lead required in town, and under strict control on the lanes, OS Explorer 236 King's Lynn, Downham Market & Swaffham, Car park in centre of Swaffham, by Market Cross. In the summer of 2006, location filming was done in the town for the ITV1 series Kingdom, starring Stephen Fry. A short distance beyond the engine servicing area a second signal box was later provided on the south side to control the junction of the Lynn & Dereham Railway and the Watton & Swaffhams line. Pointwork at each end allowed trains to use any of the three lines whether from Kings Lynn to the west or either the Dereham or Watton lines in the other direction. There was also a theatre, which entertained such august personages as Horatio, Lord Nelson and his family (and his mistress, too, according to the records). Here a deep depression had to be filled and compacted and an embankment formed to carry the railway. by dislodging some masonry or mortar from the arch below. [25] A proposal to convert the building into a leisure centre was considered by BDC but ultimately abandoned. Additionally, at 8.30 am, a non-stop train left Thetford and terminated at Watton. See full article Mar 2023 - Travel Routes in Somerset Many of our walk leaders research their routes in advance and bring along resources such as archive photographs, books and historical notes. When she was completing her 47th and final race, Orford became so excited that he fell off his horse and died. The Sharp locomotives being scrapped in 1891 and the tank engines in the late 1880s.[11]. The 1906 timetable shows five southbound weekday (up) through trains and four down. A short way beyond that a steel girder carrying the line over Low Road survives. Swaffham Walking routes starting in Turbine Way, Swaffham. Nowadays, the station site is occupied by a small housing estate called The Sidings, which is as predictable as any name in such a location. Enjoy this 2.0-mile out-and-back trail near King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is situated 12 miles (19 kilometres) east of King's Lynn and 31 miles (50 kilometres) west of Norwich. Rose (NLA), 16 June 1995.Overbridge north of North Pickenham village still marked RJS 2409 14 miles 15 chains.The embankment remains in part to the east.E. tokeep up to date with 4 different tips every month for enjoying what Norfolk has to offer. In Kingdom the town is called Market Shipborough. Place. Census population and household counts for unparished urban areas and all parishes, "The Man Who Became Rich through a Dream: Folktales of Type 1645", "Is this the infamous Norfolk panther prowling near Saxlingham Nethergate? The railway was taken over by the Great Eastern Railway in 1880, with the locomotives joining the GER stock list. It remained a stabling point (including overnight at weekends in particular), with water, turning and basic servicing facilities, until final closure on 2 April 1962. Bury and Thetford (Swaffham Branch) - Wikipedia Manning Wardle of Leeds supplied the companys first locomotives after an offer from Robert Fairlie to test his Fairlie Steam Carriage was rejected. Some of the main platform edging and surface survives. Timetables from Alan Young . Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services. The Leeds engines were 0-6-0 tanks with three-foot driving wheels. Indeed, on weekdays, a traveller might reach Swaffham only as late as 9.44 pm, whilst on Sunday evening it was midnight exactly when the second train reached the town! Other great bird watching walks can be found here on our coastal and inland walks page. Before I get on to this Great Eastern Pingo Trail walk, let me just quickly explain about Pingos because youll be walking amongst a bit of history here. Freight services commenced in January 1869, with passenger services in October 1869. However, our leaders ability to do this depends on the location of the walk, which in turn governs the level of available public transport. Swaffham owes much of its present-day elegance to late 18th-century and Regency times, when it was a centre for well-connected people to attend balls, soires and concerts. At Roudham the junction faced west towards Thetford. Most of the Pingos that were in the Brecks area have now disappeared due to the land being ploughed up for farming, so the ones remaining are historically, ecologically and internationally important for the wildlife. The town is well known for the legend of the so-called Swaffham Pedlar, a local man called John Chapman who had gone to London and met a stranger on London Bridge. [note 1] Instead locomotives were obtained from Manning Wardle & Co. It has five galleries exhibiting local history and local geology as well as an Egyptology room about Howard Carter and the Ancient Egyptians, celebrating the centenary year of Howard Carter discovering the Tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. He travelled to London, and waited for several days on the bridge. As regards tickets issued for travel, Mr T C F Vollacott wrote a short history of the two railways. Turn left and walk for 0.25 mile (400m) to a crossroads by Reepham town centre. Many of Norfolks towns have a particular charm and a strong sense of community. ', 'Inspired by the BBC series, Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury, this section aims to document the surviving remnants of Britain's many disused railways (unfortunately without the assistance of Julia Bradbury). A former Norfolk railway line could become a new walking and cycling route between two of the county's towns, according to newly-published documents. Also known as kettle ponds, these pingos date back to the ice age, and Pingo is the Eskimo word for hill. West of the station an earth bund prevents access and sight along the trackbed. It was vested into the GER in 1897, becoming part of the London and North Eastern Railway on 1 January 1923. The Thetford branch saw a more moderate increase. There's electric heating throughout and an open fire with coal and logs provided. An exhibition of Carters work in Egypt can be seen in the town museum, which also serves as the tourist information centre. The cheapest way to get from Swaffham to Wells-next-the-Sea costs only 8, and the quickest way takes just 32 mins. Latterly Class 03 diesel shunters were to be found working goods turns on the branch. Watton-Swaffham railway line could become 15km walking link Closure notices were served for the Lynn & Dereham line in 1968 and it closed to passengers with effect from 9 September 1968, with the last trains running on Saturday 7 September. The name of the town derives from the Old English Swfa hm = "the homestead of the Swabians"; some of them presumably came with the Angles and Saxons. The pedlar returned to Swaffham, and found the treasure. Civil Liability insurance should not be confused with accident insurance: it does not cover members for accidents, but for things such as any damage that our visit might cause to private property, unlikely though that is. By the 14th and 15th centuries Swaffham had an emerging sheep and wool industry. ", "Environmental centre was 'too difficult' to convert into leisure facility, says council", "International firm to move global HQ to Norfolk town", "History of Greyhounds: 18th and 19th Centuries", Information from Genuki Norfolk on Swaffham, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swaffham&oldid=1144919603, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 March 2023, at 08:46. Using photos and text, the course of each lost railway line is described in detail, enhanced where possible by photos taken . Five trains left for Dereham, one more on each of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. [29] The highest and lowest temperatures reported in the past decade are 34.6C (94.3F) during August 2003,[30] and 10.3C (13.5F) during January 2010.[31]. Opened in 1875, the Watton and Swaffham Railway - also known as the Crab and Winkle line - connected the towns with Thetford in one direction and King's Lynn in the other. Swaffham railway station - Wikipedia 3rd class returns were green and buff. They are all around the Norfolk Coast. Railway Ramblers is very fortunate to have voluntary walk leaders who are prepared to undertake this work for the benefit of members. A little further north a brick overbridge is intact crossing Hale Road. Browse the best walks around Swaffham and see interactive maps of the top 8 hiking trails and routes. The Wattonwater feature is so named because it was created byScottish railway workerswho were digging earth to be used for anembankment on the line. Coal and other produce not locally available arrived by train. Under the proposal, the former Watton-Swaffham railway line would be repurposed to become a walking and cycling link. Top 8 Hikes and Walks around Swaffham | Komoot 'Lists as many accessible disused railways that have been converted to Greenways as we can find. A proposal has been made to re-purpose the former railway line between Watton and Swaffham. The 15km trail would create a new link between Watton and Swaffham, whose railway line closed in 1965. Now closed.Roudham Junction - Wretham and Hockham - Stow Bedon (siding) - Watton (with siding) - Holme Hale (siding) - Swaffham Junction.Section each side of Stow Bedon station taken up, part of trackbed covered by farm buildings at Griston where there remains a crossing keepers cottage and shed.Stow Bedon station has been totally removed.E. Located in the centre of historic Swaffham and originally a coaching inn in the 16th century, the hotel offers a range of bedroom styles and sizes. A Swaffham circuit | AA RatedTrips.com The Fairlie Steam Carriage was instead successfully tested in July 1869 at the, "Fairlie's Steam Carriage. In 1926 the LNER rationalised the signalling with a tall signal box beside the level crossing; it had three tracks in front and one behind. Near the road the large goods shed, extended to cover the route of the railway between station and level crossing, now houses a motor company. It was formed of the Watton and Swaffham Railway, founded in 1866 as an independent venture by the Thetford and Watton Railway Company. Powered by HBSMR-web and the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd, and mojoPortal CMS Opened in 1875, the Watton and Swaffham Railway -also known as the Crab and Winkle line - connected the towns with Thetford in one direction and King's Lynn in the other. Apr 2023 - Watton-Swaffham railway line could become 15km walking link A former Norfolk railway line could become a new walking and cycling route between two of the county's towns, according to newly-published documents. For more information on what we can offer on our Norfolk Walking Holidays, click here. And let's not forgetNorwich, the region's only city. See other stations on the Lynn - Dereham line: Middleton Towers, East Winch, Pentney & Bilney, Narborough & Pentney, Sporle, Dunham, Fransham, Wendling, Scarning & Dereham (EAR Station), To see the other This photograph was taken shortly after 4th May 1964 and all services had been withdrawn. Rose (NAU), 22 September 1986. It would cost somewhere between 3.3 and4.75m to be built and it would take between five and eight years to finish the project. In 1876 two larger Sharpe, Stewart & Co 0-4-2 tender engines joined the fleet, presumably because of the motive power needs of the new Swaffham extension. The eastwest A47 Birmingham to Great Yarmouth road now avoids the town, using a northerly bypass opened in 1981. Part of the extraction site was flooded and became known locally as Loch Neaton, allegedly after the Scots navvies who built the railway. The line was important for coal, poultry, sugar beet and RAF cargo, and joined the Lynn and Dereham Line (NHER 13600) at Swaffham. [28] Shortly after the sale, Swaffham Town Council gave BCD a parcel of land next to the centre on which BDC intends to build a leisure centre.

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