Sheringham Railway Station

Once linked to the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway network the preserved Sheringham Railway Station in Norfolk England used to be an active station vibrant with train traffic. The station was closed in 1967 in favor of a new station opened British Rail approximately 200 meters to the east. The Sheringham Railway Station was luckily preserved and revitalized to now serve as the eastern terminus of the North Norfolk Railway.

Also known as the “Poppy Line”, the North Norfolk Railway is a heritage steam railway that runs between the coastal towns of Sheringham and Holt. It cuts through the countryside to the east of Weybourne. Views of windmills can be spotted as the train and passes through the preserved country station. The station also houses a locomotive shed and a carriage maintenance and restoration center.

Sheringham Railway Station was first opened in June 1887 as part of the Cromer Branch until it was merged into the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Network in the early 1890s. Safety precautions were still scant, but fire buckets were installed as a low-technology method of fighting small fires. These buckets were not uncommonly implemented at public locations including railway stations in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Organized firefighting in Britain is believed to have originated during the Roman invasion in 43 A.D. when fighting fires was realistically limited to buckets of water. Once the Romans departed, firefighting efforts declined communities began to expand. It was not until The Great Fire of London, in 1666, that cities began to recognize the necessity of standardizing firefighting practices.

Although superseded by more modern forms of firefighting equipment, the buckets have been preserved along with many other original features of the classic pavilion style station. Along with being a part of the heritage railway since 1975, the building also houses a museum and acts as a local attraction.