County School railway station

County School is a railway station approximately one mile north of the village of North Elmham in the English county of Norfolk. The station is part of a line being gradually restored by the Mid-Norfolk Railway from East Dereham to Fakenham.

History

A railway line was opened as part of the Norfolk Railway's extension from East Dereham to Fakenham in 1849, but County School railway station was not built until 1886 to serve the private school from which it took its name, and following the opening of the Wroxham branch line in 1882. In 1903 the Norfolk County School became the Watts Naval School, the station name, however, remained unchanged.

County School became a Great Eastern Railway rural junction station even though the Wroxham branch left the Wells line a mile north, at Broom Green. The station consisted of up and down platforms and an extra bay for Wroxham services.

The stationmaster's house is unusual, in that the railway did not build it. Instead it was originally the lodge house for the school - and its style reflects the school rather than the station.

County School station was equipped with three platforms, two platform buildings, a signal box and a small coal yard. This yard was essentially to serve the needs of the large number of fires in the school buildings. The station was also provided with a large orchard on land provided for sidings that were never required.

1915 crash

On 20 January 1915, the junction with the line to Aylsham and...
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