Revealed: reminder of a long-lost railway terminus in Norwich
An amateur group unearthing the remains of Norwich's two long-lost railway stations has found 150 feet of a platform wall at the former City Station site on Marriott's Way, near the Halfords store.
We reported previously how the group of volunteers was working to preserve the remains of the railway stations for future generations.
At one time Norwich had three termini, but two – Victoria, where the Marsh insurance building now stands opposite the bus station, and City – were closed long ago and demolished. Only Thorpe station remains in use.
City Station was situated off what is now Barker Street.
The Friends of Norwich City Station (FONCS) hope to build a seated area and memorial garden to the station when they have finished their work and have secured an original M&GNJR (Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway) platform bench to put in the garden. They are also documenting the memories of those who worked at the stations.
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Jon Batley, who is leading the City Station site work, said: 'Support for the project has been immense.
'Since December we have progressed with Platform One's wall, and we have uncovered around 150 feet of extant wall,
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'Due to nesting birds we have curtailed work up at the north end of the platform wall, and we will return to this in August, so we are concentrating on the platform at the southern end. We are currently down to track level for around 30 feet, and we have some railway sleepers still buried in the ground.'
The group had contacted the council to see who owned the land on which the station stood and was told that since the demise of British Railways it had become public land.
It has also found much of the two shorter platforms and a 40ft inspection pit at the City Station site.
Several people who remember using the station have come forward to tell their stories to the group.
The group has also been working at Hellesdon Railway Station, where it has uncovered three quarters of a platform which had been buried.
Hellesdon was the first stop on the Norwich branch line from City Station to Cromer or King's Lynn.
If you want to get involved with the project, call Mr Batley on 07813 166325 or email j.batley@tesco.net
david.bale2@archant.co.uk
