Yaxham – Yaxham Railway Station

Yaxham railway station opened on 15 February 1847 and was located on the Wymondham to Dereham branch line and remained in use for passengers until 6 October 1969. It’s now in use by the Mid-Norfolk Railway as a heritage line, although there is the possibility that this could at some stage in the future be brought back into usage by the rail network. This is a marvellous thought, although I’m a little sceptical about whether funding will ever be raised for such a project. For a while, the centre of the heritage’s lines efforts were run from Yaxham, although the re-opening of Dereham railway station has meant they’ve moved back.

The whole complex was quite extensive and some of the station buildings still stand, including the signal box, although they’re in private ownership. The inn marked on the map was the Bush, which was closed in the 1960s and is now a residential property. Nearby Dereham railway station once had a staff of ninety people and Yaxham had several full-time staff of its own, with the line being a busy one for freight. Its demise was far from ideal….