Cromer High railway station was the first station opened in

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local government authorities are Nor ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

, in England. It is situated to the south on the outskirts of the town on a steep escarpment. Built initially by the short-lived

East Norfolk Railway The East Norfolk Railway was a pre-grouping railway company operating a standard gauge 25 mile, mostly single track, railway running between Norwich Thorpe railway station and Cromer in the English county of Norfolk. It opened in 1874, reac ...

, the station (along with the line) was incorporated into the

Great Eastern Railway The Great Eastern Railway (GER) was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia. The company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Ra ...

, who had operated the services from the beginning. It served as the terminus of Great Eastern Railway services from London and

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 Episcopal see, See of ...

. Initially named Cromer on opening, it was renamed Cromer High on 27 September 1948. The station opened on 26 March 1877. Because of steep gradients near the town, the station was built in open fields some distance from the town itself. The station resembled in design

Chingford railway station Chingford is a railway station located in Chingford in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, east London, operated by London Overground since 31 May 2015. It is one of three northern termini of the Lea Valley lines, down the line from London Li ...

, opened in 1878, another GER branch line terminus.

Closure

On 23 July 1906 a connection was opened between the line to Cromer High and the

Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...

line between

Melton Constable Melton Constable is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 518 in 225 households at the 2001 census. The population had increased to 618 at the 2011 Census. For the purposes of ...

and Cromer Beach stations, allowing through trains from Norwich to run to Cromer Beach. As Cromer Beach was far more conveniently sited in the centre of the town, passenger numbers using Cromer High dropped substantially, although it remained in heavy usage as a freight depot. On 20 September 1954 passenger services ceased at Cromer High, with all traffic diverted to Cromer Beach (renamed "Cromer" in 1969). The station remained open as a freight terminus until 7 March 1960, but was then closed completely and the station demolished. Despite the loss of passenger revenue, the bar attached to the station did not close until 1957. Part of the station site has been redeveloped for housing, but much remains undeveloped; although derelict and overgrown, the former station approach road is also still present.

North Norfolk North Norfolk is a local government district in Norfolk, England. Its council is based in Cromer. The population at the 2011 Census was 101,149. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It was ...

Council is considering converting the station into a site for the use of

Traveller Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to: People Generic terms *One engaged in travel * Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources * Nomad, a member of a community wit ...

s. Cromer High station was situated a short distance away from the

Cromer Tunnel The Cromer Tunnel was built by the Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway to take their Cromer Beach to Mundesley line under the Great Eastern's Cromer High to Norwich line. Both portals of the tunnels are open but undergrowth and modern housing ...

, Norfolk's only

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in E ...

railway tunnel, connecting the Sheringham and Mundesley lines. Although disused since services ceased in 1953, the tunnel remains intact.

References

{{reflist Disused railway stations in Norfolk Former Great Eastern Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1877 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1954

Closure

See also

References