Lynn's Ferry (1)

But First : Lynn''s Trains!

The town was named Len Episcopi (Bishop's Lynn) while under the temporal and spiritual jurisdiction of the Bishop of Norwich, but in the reign of Henry VIII it was surrendered to the crown and took the name Lenne Regis or King's Lynn. However, the town is generally known locally as Lynn.

When fbb was taken, as a kiddie, on family holidays to Norfolk (Hunstanton, Sheringham and Mundesley), he was reminded by dad that Kings Lynn was a town full of level crossings. We had to hope we didn't get stopped at one or several.

In fact fbb DID hope to get stopped by closed gates as it meant he would see a train or two. From unreliable memory, they were only stopped once, for ages, awaiting a very slow, very long goods train chuffing by at barely a walking pace!

But Lynn had a lot of railways.

Reading from North to South, we have lines to Hunstanton with a branch to Wells-next-the-Sea. Readers might speculate on why Wells is so called!

Then there were trains from Lynn to Dereham and beyond.

Trains running via Spading, South Lynn and Fakenham come next with the Fakenham route crossing over the Dereham route just outside the town.

Heres where that crossing used to happen cartographically ...

... and courtesy of Gurgle Earth!

All the above lines are defunct, leaving the remaining electrified "main" line south to Cambridge and London.

These trains have, in the past, been very popular with older folk ...

... visiting their holiday cottage nearby.

But there is more historic railway interest at Kings Lynn. Its trade used to be very much focussed on the River Great Ouse. (fbb has no idea why it isn't called The Great Ouse River - mose folk just stick to 'Ouse'!).

So there was a 'Harbour' ...

... complete with imposing Custom House. There was a 'Quay' along the banks of the river.

Then there were the 'Docks' (two in number) ...

... with extensive rail access.

Here is the throat of Kings Lynn station in the good old days ...

1 . Station building

2. Goods yard

3. The Maltings warehouse

4. The curvaceous branch to the Docks

... showing something of the former rail infrastructure. Below c/o Google Earth is what remains today.  The white buildings occupy the goods yard with the station in shadow to their left ...

The route to the docks curves right. Also clearly visible is the former three way junction: right to Hunstanton, straight on to Dereham, and left, the only route in use for London trains.

Here is the station area on a map ...

.... and the greatly simplified continuation of the docks branch.

There was also rail to the harbour and quayside ...

... also showing some works sidings. Just a tad further south was some more complex junction work ..

... where Spalding and Fakenham trains crossed the London tracks. South Lynn station was a busy little place!

Not the best picture, but the station us upper centre both sides of an over bridge (note, NOT a level crossing!). In the distance is the river and at the bottom is the junction that would take trains to Kings Lynn station.

All is gone, now, of course.

The tracks used to come straight towards us from the left hand river bridge. A by pass road has now appeared and the former over bridge at thevstation has become the approach to a huge roundabout.

Thoroughly confused? Below is a simple map!

Historically, crossing the river was not easy; it being deep and wide.

As we shall see in tomorrow's blog.

 Next Lynn's Ferry blog : Tues 29th Sept