1846-1968
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WELCOME TO PART THREE
NARBOROUGH & PENTNEY TO SWAFFHAM
One of my favorite parts to trace and walk is between Narborough and Swaffham, not just on the Lynn to Dereham route but on all of the entire routes I have studied so far. This area is filled with numerous bridges, some hidden and others on public footpaths, which I highly recommend for a walk if you get the opportunity.
Please feel free to get in contact for any directions.
NARBOROUGH & PENTNEY STATION
We have now arrived at Narborough & Pentney station, which is located 8 miles and 52 chains away from King's Lynn. This station features two platforms, a lengthy passing loop, and an extensive goods yard with a goods shed on the downside. Additionally, there are goods sidings serving the Vynne and Everett’s granary just after Narborough. The main station building is located on the upside of the station and is built in a typical Great Eastern L-shaped configuration.On the down side a small brick-built shelter was seen on the platform. A signal box is also present on the down platform at Narborough. At the end of the platform on the Swaffham side, a minor road crossed over with hand-operated gates, effectively dividing Narborough & Pentney in half with passenger facilities on one side and goods facilities on the other side.
In the early days of the railway, Narborough & Pentney served as the temporary Terminus for the line. This short stretch between King's Lynn and Narborough was the first to be opened on October 27, 1846, along with the Lynn & Ely line. A steam engine departed King's Lynn at 11:30 AM, heading towards Downham Market. After returning from lunch, the train, consisting of 3 first-class and 6 second-class carriages, departed for Narborough for its first service. At that time, the line was only completed up to one mile past Narborough, but it was soon extended to Swaffham and then to Dereham.
For many years, Narborough & Pentney has played a vital role in supporting the village and agriculture sector. However, in its early days, the first service to Dereham did not start until after 9 AM.
Over time, the services improved, and Diesel Multiple Units replaced all passenger workings from the mid-1950s, providing 11 down services a day. Like many other stations, there was no service on Sundays.
On 15 August 1966, Narborough and Pentney became an unstaffed halt for the first time. The station's passing loop was removed, and only the former up platform remained in use. In 1968, closure notices were served, and the line, including Narborough and Pentney station, The station was closed to passengers on 9 September 1968.
The last trains ran on Saturday, 7 September.
The station and its platforms still exist to this day, and the track bed has been transformed into a lovely garden. The station master's house has been converted into a residential property, and there is a sign on the platform that may be original, but I cannot confirm if it is from Narborough & Pentney. Unfortunately, the signal box is no longer present, but a new crossing gate has been added to the property. Across the road, the goods shed remains and is now utilised as office space for a self-storage container site located in the old goods yard. The Granary is also still standing, and the area is being used for various commercial services.
Narborough & Pentney station Layout
Dated 1892-1914
Thanks to the national library of Scotland.
Google Maps position of Narborough & Pentney station
Narborough & Pentney Station
Narborough & Pentney Station in 2020
Narborough & Pentney station Year Unknown
Wikimedia-Public Domain
Leaving Narborough and Pentney station for Swaffham.
Narborough Goods shed
Historic Maps showing the goods yard at Narborough & Pentney.
Thanks to the National Library of Scotland for the maps used
The building known as the goods shed had a railway track running through its center, with railway sidings located on both sides. Adjacent to these sidings, there is a sharply curved rail that leads to the granary railway sidings.
Narborough Granary-Bonemill
The Narborough Granary-Bonemill had its own sidings branching off the Lynn to Dereham line, located close to where the goods shed sits in Narborough.
The mill still stands to this day and is now utlized for comercial units.
Thanks to the National Library of Scotland
Historic Aerial Photography
Thanks to Historic England for the photos used below
Please click on each image for more information from Historic England.
Narborough Granary-Bonemill in 2023
During my visit to the nearby Granaries, I noticed that there was no trace left of the railway siding that once served this remarkable piece of industrial history.
I took a photo of the Mill while on a public walk along the River Nar.
I recently visited the Narbrough Maltings-Granaries and was impressed by the stunning views of the river nar and the Portals.
The inside of the facility was equally impressive.
The location where the sidings once existed in Narborough in late 2023.
The River Nar Railway Crossing
Leaving the maltings, Narborough, and Pentney station behind, the railway crossed the river Nar over this bridge.
MTD2348
This bridge I never knew this was still here, I knew that there was a river crossing, but I never knew that the buttresses still existed, and also, I never knew that they were so easy to access via a public walkway called the nar valley walk.
This is what I loved about the Lynn Dereham railway. More and more keeps appearing bridges mostly.
I thought I had found most of the remains left behind, but how wrong am I?
So on Good Friday 2023, once again, I went off hunting for this bridge remain.
After finding these bridges, I went to South Lynn and found the remains of the Harbour Junction, also seen on this Website.
Bridge MTD 2348
MTD stood for Middleton Towers Dereham
I took a photo while standing on the track bed, capturing a view of the other buttresses, Looking towards the maltings, and the Narborough and Pentney station.
I was Standing on the raised track bed here looking towards Swaffham the next station some way along the line.
Aerial footage of this bridge can be seen from an old aerial photo, seen above in the Narborough Mill section,which is credited to Historic England.
Upon departing Narborough & Pentney station and crossing the river nar, the train would have initially traversed a level crossing at Meadow Road. The crossing cottage still stands to this day.
Following this crossing , the train would have proceeded along the raised track bed until reaching a bridge. A glimpse of the old raised track bed can be observed from a field just outside Narborough at Chalk Lane, Close to Raf Marham. Although Raf Marham was constructed in 1916, long after the railway's opening, the railway would have played a role in building the airbase. From a distance, one can spot a newly constructed housing estate, which does not sit on the old track bed and stops before the former railway's path.
As of 2023, houses have been constructed in the field below, but none are built over the old track bed as seen in the picture.
The track bed remains in parts but is very overgrown. I found access relatively easy, but walking far from the bridge abutment was difficult as this part was so dense.
Here we see the old track bed facing towards Narborough, close to where the bridge Abutments stand on Chalk Lane at Narborough, close to Raf Marham.
Bridge MTD 2349
Bridge Mtd 2349 viewed from the Narborough side of the old track bed.
Let's move on to the Narborough Bridge Abutments, located near Chalk Lane in Narborough. It's situated close to RAF Marham and can be easily accessed from the Narborough Railway Walk. You can find the bridge remains by the car park adjacent to the walking path.
Narborough Railway Walk
I recently discovered the Narborough Railway walk in 2022, an easily accessible and convenient part of the old railway line to explore. Unfortunately, I had missed this particular section during my previous visits. It wasn't until my most recent walk that I stumbled upon two additional bridges and a mile marker.
During my initial visit, I only captured photos of the remaining bridge structure and the first few feet of the walk. Little did I know, there were more wonders waiting for me further down the track bed.
On a lovely Monday in June 2022, I revisited the Railway walk and was serenaded by the sounds of the newly based F35s at a bustling Raf Marham all day long.
Please refer to Google Maps below to locate the railway walk and car park.
Below is the entrance from the carpark to the railway walk, which leads up the hill to the raised track bed.
I took a picture of the railway walk information board during my first visit to this public walk in 2020.
During my initial visit in June 2020, I snapped a photo from the former Dereham track bed, Facing towards the carpark and Narborough.
It should be noted that any photos of the Narborough hike would now have been captured in July 2022.
During my walk, I stumbled upon an old mile marker located just before the first railway bridge.
Narborough Railway Walk Bridge
I walked past the concrete mile marker and proceeded towards Swaffham. On my way, I came across a stunning bridge where the railway passed over. Upon examining old maps, I discovered that this bridge was initially intended for farm use and not as a public road.
However, I could not locate an MTD code on the bridge. Based on my observations,
The bridge could be MTD 2350.
Thanks to an email from Ivan Staines, who contacted me and provided valuable information about the bridges along the Narborough railway walk and other bridges up to the Swaffham raceway.
I received information from Ivan that the structure locally known as the "Cattle Arch" was solely used by local farmers to guide their cattle back to the farm at the end of the day. Battles Farm, situated off Chalk Road, was previously a sizable cattle farm.
Here, we have a view of the Lynn Dereham Railway bridge from the track bed.
I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this bridge, even though it appeared to be just a crossing for a farm. The impressive craftsmanship that went into building it in the past was evident. Additionally, it was a joy to see an old railway bridge that had been kept free of graffiti.
Once you cross the first bridge and pass the mile marker, the old track bed continues towards the next station, Swaffham. It veers to the left before reaching a gate and passes through a wooded area.
As I continued my walk, I came across a gate that marked the beginning of a beautiful wooded area. The old track bed runs through this area, making for a pleasant stroll surrounded by nature. Although I couldn't spot any remnants of railway history, the old track bed was clearly visible.
Upon leaving the wooded area, the path becomes overgrown and difficult to navigate. It's advisable to proceed with caution as the track bed becomes exceedingly dense and eventually leads to a farm track where no further trace of the path can be found.
Continuing down the farm track for a short distance, I came across a bridge. According to old maps, there may have been three bridges in total, with one possibly located further up. However, crossing a farmer's crop to reach it would not be appropriate.
The third bridge, situated near the speedway track, has either been filled in or demolished due to the A47 construction.
The first and second bridges can be viewed in pictures from the early 1900s, thanks to the national library of Scotland. I'm curious about the current existence of the second bridge, though it may require trespassing on a farmer's land.
Google Maps indicate that the second bridge has either been demolished and replaced with a crossing.
Narborough railway Walk Bridge
I believe that the bridge located right after the Narbrough walk could be the initial one out of the three bridges. If you possess any valuable information, kindly email or tweet me.
Thank you in advance.
I couldn't locate any ID code for this old bridge.
Beyond this bridge, the railway line can still be followed for a short distance as it extends towards Swaffham. Judging by Google Maps, the track bed transitions into farmland shortly after this point, prompting my decision to cease walking. In addition, it appears that no bridge remains are ahead or that there is only a level road crossing the farm track now.
The accompanying picture portrays the former railway track bed after the bridge, leading towards Swaffham.
Thanks to Ivan Staines once again with some information via email about the next bridge that Ivan has said in 2015, the bridge was still in situ and again was provided for farm traffic to pass over the line.
An RAF Wellington bomber based at RAF Marham crashed onto the railway line in this area during World War 2.
The line was only out of action for a few days!
Thank you Ivan.
After walking the Narborough route, the railway line continued towards Swaffham. By studying old survey maps, it appears that the current location of A1122 was once an old road. If the railway was still operational, it would have crossed A1122 near Swaffham, passed through where the Swaffham raceway now stands, gone over the A47 Bypass, and reached Swaffham station. It seems there was another bridge in this area, but based on a Facebook group post from years ago, it may have been demolished or filled in and is now inaccessible.
Below is a 50/50 view with Modern and past maps from where the railway ran and where the line crossed the now A1122 road that joins Swaffham to Downham Market, passing Raf Marham.
Thanks to the national library of Scotland for the use of the map
Once again, Thanks to Ivan Staines for some more fantastic Recent information saying that the bridge here was sadly demolished in 1971
Below is a view of the Swaffham raceway, where the railway would have previously passed through before reaching Swaffham station. The race track was built after the railway.
I was standing at the location where the railway would have been laid prior to 1968.
Town Farm bridge by the Now A47
Once again, thanks to Ivan Staines for the information used below.
After where the A1122 now sits, the railway headed off towards Swaffham station and passed over another farm access bridge, as seen in the maps below.
I received an email stating that there is another bridge at Town Farm. The railway passed underneath this access road, and according to a former local , the bridge still exists but is buried. The railway line would have curved and went under where the A47 now stands. The old farm road cutting is still visible if you look left while leaving Swaffham on the slip lane before joining the A47 King’s Lynn bound.
This bridge is said to have been half buried during the construction of the A47 and is so overgrown it is dangerous to try and attempt to reach this lost bridge so please do not attempt this.
Thanks to the National Library of Scotland of the maps showing the position of the old bridge shown below.
Swaffham Railway Walk & Bridges.
If you begin at Bears Lane in Swaffham, near the former station location, you can take a stroll on a popular railway footpath that runs close to the the edge of the A47. Along the way, you will come across three impressive bridges to admire.
One of these bridges is made of brick and still has a portion of its original signage remaining beside the disused bridge.
Swaffham Railway Walk Bridge
Number One
After the A47, I also observed that the railway would have gone under a bridge, which probably served as a farm access point since it had a road over top. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any identification number for the bridge.
This location is readily accessible because it lacks fencing and serves as a popular walkway. However, the path beyond the bridge leads to a private residence and hen the A47, making it the farthest point you can reach on foot.
In March 2021, These photographs were taken of this section of the Lynn to Dereham railway.
Thanks to the National library or Scotland for the Map Used
The walk along the old track bed now runs through a small open area and a small wooded section before reaching the second bridge on the Lynn Dereham Railway.
The short wooded area of old track bed where the railway walk now runs through.
Swaffham Railway Walk
Bridge Number Two
While heading towards Swaffham station, I encountered a second bridge on the disused King's Lynn to Dereham railway line. The bridge crossed over what appeared to be a farm crossing, but there was no bridge ID to be found.
The Second railway bridge photographed close to Swaffham in March 2021
As we continue on this path. Beyond this bridge lies the final bridge before reaching Swaffham station. This area shows the current path and where the railway line once led into the station. The path is now a public walkway, and I highly recommend it to any enthusiasts of abandoned railways. It's a beautiful walkway that's worth experiencing.
Swaffham Railway Walk
Bridge Number Three
As we continue along the route, we encounter one last bridge before arriving at Swaffham station.
The code is MTD2360, which passes over the railway tracks and carries the West Acre road. On the bridge's side, there is another section of the railway that seems to be an old sign.
The third railway bridge photographed at Swaffham by West acre road in March 2021
Viewed facing Swaffham
Viewed facing away from Swaffham station.
The top of the railway bridge viewed from West Acre road.
Off to Swaffham
I came across a brick wall while exploring the area near the bridge. It seems like the wall is there to prevent the bank from collapsing. Above this bank, there are some industrial units located down Bears Lane.
