Trowse was a station on the
Great Eastern Main Line
The Great Eastern Main Line (GEML, sometimes referred to as the East Anglia Main Line) is a major railway line on the British railway system which connects Liverpool Street station in central London with destinations in east London and t ...
just south of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. It was opened around the same time as
Norwich Thorpe, and was intended to provide a short commute from the outer suburbs of
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
.
The bill for the
Norwich & Brandon Railway
The Norwich & Brandon Railway (N&BR) was the second railway in Norfolk, England, after the Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR). Its Act of Parliament on 10 May 1844 authorised it to build a line between Norwich and the small town of Brandon, actuall ...
(N&BR) received
Royal Assent
Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in other ...
on 10 May 1844. Work started on the line in 1844 and the line and its stations were opened on 30 July 1845. Trowse station opened with the line and was situated west of Hethersett station. The line temporarily terminated at Trowse. The link into Norwich was delayed due to the need to build a bridge over the
River Wensum
The River Wensum is a chalk river in Norfolk, England and a tributary of the River Yare, despite being the larger of the two rivers. The river is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.
The Wensum is ...
that kept the river navigable. One month before the N&BR opened a Bill authorising the amalgamation of the
Yarmouth & Norwich Railway
The Yarmouth & Norwich Railway (Y&NR) was the earliest railway in Norfolk, England. It was formed after it became apparent that it would be a number of years before the Eastern Counties Railway would extend their railway into Norfolk.
Its Act o ...
with the N&BR came into effect and so Trowse station became a Norfolk Railway asset.
On 15 December 1845 a swing bridge over the River Wensum was opened so Trowse ceased to be a terminus and the line from Brandon entered Norwich Station five months after the original line had opened. The Norfolk Railway also opened a line from Trowse towards Yarmouth so freight trains could avoid Norwich Station.
Trowse closed and re-opened several times before closing permanently in 1939. It was briefly re-opened in March 1986 when
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
was closed for electrification works and it served as the line's northern terminus. It closed again when the works finished.
It is still largely in place, and could be re-opened should it ever be desired. Its close proximity to Norwich station makes this unlikely at present, though discussions regarding a possible re-opening have taken place.
Former Services
See also
*
Trowse Bridge
Trowse Bridge is a single-track railway bridge which carries the Great Eastern Main Line over the River Wensum just outside Norwich in England at .
The bridge was originally built in 1845 by George Parker Bidder, was rebuilt in 1905 and again ...
*
Norwich Thorpe railway station
Norwich railway station (formerly Norwich Thorpe) is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the city of Norwich, Norfolk. It is down the main line (measured via Ipswich) from Liverpool Street st ...
*
Norwich Victoria railway station
Norwich Victoria was a railway station in Norwich in Norfolk and the former terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line. There were at one time three railway stations in Norwich, the others being Norwich City and Norwich Thorpe. Currently, only ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trowse Railway Station
Disused railway stations in Norfolk
Former Great Eastern Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1845
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1939
Transport in Norwich
Buildings and structures in Norwich