Bid to breathe new life into a forgotten station

A forgotten railway station could be brought back to life if funds can be raised for a restoration.

Volunteers say it will take £70,000 to repair Middleton Towers, a Victorian station that was used to transport sand from the nearby quarry at Bawsey, near King's Lynn in Norfolk.

The site retains several features from the period, such as an ornate canopy and separate men's and ladies waiting rooms.

The plan is to transform the station into a community space where its history can be preserved and celebrated.

Middleton Towers was the first station on the Lynn and Dereham railway, and closed to passengers in 1968.

Alex Bramer, from The Middleton Towers Restoration Group, is passionate about its restoration.

"The Victorians spared no expense, they had so much to do and so much to give to make Britain look amazing," he said.

"It's our job now to keep it that way. That's what I want to do here. It's a piece of history that has to be saved otherwise we have nothing left.

"If there's no history, everything is just going to look boring".

Mr Bramer credits his grandfather John with instilling his interest in the railways. He was a guard on the Wisbech to March line in the 1950s.

"I'm more into the buildings than the trains to be honest," he added.

"He'd tell me off for that! But to me it's about the history and protecting what people really put their hard graft into."

Now agreements are in place with the current owners, Network Rail, to restore the site, with the first job replacing the ageing brickwork.

As well as a 'sponsor-a-brick' appeal, volunteers with expertise in roofing and bricklaying are also being sought by the restoration group.

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