Melton Constable – What’s Left of the Railway Station
Richard and I were off back on our church spotting and I had one of my marvellous ideas (which often actually aren’t) to combine that with a visit to Melton Constable. I’ve known this as the centre of railways in North Norfolk, but I’ve never managed to go there. We walked across from the church along the former railway line which led on to Holt and Sheringham. Melton Constable is mostly a planned village built to house railway workers, with the population going from just over 100 in 1881 to over 1,100 by 1911.
The former track which closed to passengers in early 1964. I didn’t expect just how sharp the drop off was at some stages along this line, there were considerable earth movements made to construct this line.
Melton Constable became a railway hub as two lines crossed there and this is the site of where they met. One was the line which went from Bourne in Lincolnshire across to Cromer and Great Yarmouth, whilst the other was the line which ran from Sheringham to Norwich, via Holt. The former of these lines closed in 1959 and the writing was very much on the wall at that point, as only the service from Melton Constable to Sheringham remained and the village became a terminus. In April 1964, that service was brought to an end and the railway station was closed.
The cursor marks where we were standing.
The village beacon.
I was hoping for an information board about the railway’s past and I wasn’t disappointed. The metal structure here is original, it’s the one that’s in the below photo. The brickwork is recreated from the original, more on which in a moment. The road layout has changed a little here, but this is effectively where the railway station itself was located.
A postcard of the station as it once looked. The station was constructed on land which was owned by Lord Hastings and his involvement was rewarded as he was given a private platform and waiting room, which seems quite a grand arrangement for any individual. Perhaps Elon Musk might try and get himself a private platform at London Waterloo or something….
The steps down to the railway works. These works were a major employer for the area and they were constructed here soon after the railway opened in 1883. The works employed over 1,000 people at their peak and the village became known as “the Crewe of North Norfolk”. The workers here primarily repaired locomotives, constructed carriages and they also provided maintenance for a whole range of railway infrastructure. There was also a concrete works at the site and the still exciting concrete railway sign at West Runton was made here.
This maps shows how the railway station, the railway works and the sidings used to dominate the village. The planned housing can be seen quite clearly here and they have something of a northern industrial town feel to them.
And here’s the original location of the steps, with the original brick pillar still in situ.
They’re not clearly visible in this photo through the foliage, but the original steps down to the railway works are still there.
And this is where the railways buildings were located, with the large engineering shed on the right still there.
And another old railway building.
It’s disappointing that they’ve demolished so much of the railway heritage here, although the area is quite remote and after they demolished the railways tracks it made it rather hard to get to. In the summer of 1964, a regular bus service was put on for the 30 residents who needed to get to Holt and there remains a service operating to this day. It’s rather quiet now and it’s hard to imagine just how many trains used to come through this station and how many people once worked here.