Wolferton railway station

Wolferton
Station buildings in January 2010
Location
Place	Wolferton
Area	King's Lynn and West Norfolk, Norfolk
Grid reference	TF660285
Operations
Pre-grouping	Lynn & Hunstanton Railway Great Eastern Railway
Post-grouping	London and North Eastern Railway Eastern Region of British Railways
Platforms	2
History
3 October 1862	Opened (Wolverton)
15 July 1863	Renamed (Wolferton)
5 May 1969	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Wolferton was a railway station on the King's Lynn to Hunstanton line which opened in 1862 to serve the village of Wolferton in Norfolk, England. The station was also well known as the nearest station to Sandringham House, and royal trains brought the royal family to and from their estate until its closure in 1969. After spending some time as a museum, the station is now preserved in private hands. The signal box and part of the station are listed buildings, Grade II*.

In February 1862, a large estate at Sandringham was purchased in Sandringham as a private residence for the young Prince of Wales. The eventual residence, Sandringham House, was only 2¼ miles from the site of the Lynn & Hunstanton Railway's projected Wolferton railway station, and the directors much welcomed this unexpected development. The royal patronage of the station prompted its reconstruction in 1898 when extensive Tudor-style platform buildings were constructed at a cost of £8,132, including the royal waiting rooms on the Down platform which were fitted out with oak-panelling, couches and easy-chairs. The Up platform's buildings are similarly impressive, even including a small clocktower. Both platforms are equipped with standard Great Eastern platform canopies, and the ornate platform lamps are topped with miniature crowns.

A 40-lever brick and sandstone signal box was situated to the south of the platforms, controlling the northern extremity of the doubled section between Wolferton and King's Lynn, while the single-line section north was controlled by electric train tablet. The goods yard was on the Down side and was served by three sidings; four more sidings were to be found on the Up side. The station's facilities also included a spacious carriage dock, an ornate goods and coal storage building and a small gas works which provided sufficient gas to light the entire station.