Higham railway station (Suffolk)

Higham railway station was a station serving Higham in the English county of Suffolk. It was opened by the Great Eastern Railway in 1854 when the railway was extended from Newmarket to Bury St Edmunds. From 1929 onwards the four station staff were replaced by a 'Porter-in-charge' until the station's closure by British Railways in 1967.[3]

Higham
General information
LocationHigham, West Suffolk
England
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyGreat Eastern Railway
Key dates
1 Apr 1854Opened[1]
2 Jan 1967Closed to passengers
28 Dec 1964Closed to goods[2]

History

Higham station was unique on the line for having an exceptionally large goods shed which dealt with a heavy agricultural traffic in the early twentieth century until goods traffic was withdrawn in 1964.[4] The station also dealt with traffic from the nearby Rothamsted Research Broom's Barn research institute.

According to the Official Handbook of Stations the following classes of traffic were being handled at this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H, C and there was a 1-ton 10 cwt crane. [5]

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Saxham & Risby
Line open, station closed		   Great Eastern Railway
Ipswich-Cambridge/Peterborough		   Kennett
Line and station open

Present day

Following the station's closure, the station building and goods shed were sold off and the track layout rationalised, resulting in the removal of the south platform and the closure of the signal box in 1970.[6]

Today, the station and the goods shed is in private ownership and well preserved as a crafts and lighting gallery, with the goods shed extended in 2002 and converted to a show room.[7] The station building is the sole remaining example dating from the extension of the Newmarket line - identical buildings at Saxham and Risby railway station and Kennett railway station have since been demolished.[8]

On 10 September 2016, the goods shed caught fire, closing the line, and was demolished the next day due to the risk of the building collapsing on to the line.[9][10]

References
  1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. Clinker, C.R., (1978) Clinker’s Register of Closed Station, Avon Anglia ISBN 0-905466-19-5
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 September 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Higham station, 1975 (1)". 3 May 1975.
  5. Official Handbook of Stations, British Transport Commission, 1956
  6. "Higham station, 1976". 21 February 1976.
  7. "Geograph:: Former railway station at Higham © Bob Jones".
  8. "English: Former railway station at Higham, Suffolk. This former station on the Bury St Edmunds to Cambridge line was closed in the 1960s. The buildings are now a lighting retail outlet". 8 August 2005.
  9. "Ipswich to Cambridge trains cancelled after fire at disused station". BBC News Online. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  10. "Old railway station building wrecked by blaze demolished at Higham as line set to reopen this evening". Ipswich Star. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
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