Brundall – Brundall Gardens Railway Station

We went through this railway station on our third training walk for the LDWA, it’s one of two stations in Brundall.

Brundall Gardens is a little unusual as a railway station as it’s a more modern station that was added to an existing line. It was built in 1924 on the Norwich to Great Yarmouth line, located around four miles from Norwich and less than one mile from Brundall’s main railway station. On the above map from 1900, the railway station is just above the field which is numbered 7.

Standing on the southern platform, this is the line to Great Yarmouth. Operated by London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), the railway station opened on 1 August 1924 to allow access to the nearby 76-acre site of Brundall Gardens. It was originally known as Brundall Gardens Halt and was renamed as simply Brundall Gardens in 1948.

The gardens that the railway station was built for had been purchased by Michael Beverley in the 1880s and he had laid them out to include waterways and lakes. Frederick Holmes-Cooper, who had made his money from the cinematic industry, bought them in 1921 and the gardens were being visited by 60,000 people in 1922. The installation of the railway station cost £1,733 and Cooper gave LNER £150 per year to fund a stationmaster. There’s a map of the gardens at http://www.brundallvillagehistory.org.uk/maps.htm.

Still standing on the south platform, this is the line to Norwich. A booking office was placed on the north platform, with a waiting room and passenger accommodation installed on the south platform. Only the booking office now remains, other than for a basic shelter on the south platform.

On the footbridge, looking in the direction of Great Yarmouth.

On the footbridge, looking in the direction of Norwich.

There’s a footpath that goes from Postwick towards the station.

A section from the 1939 LNER railway timetable.