The Signalbox

The workshop at the Old Engine House is a significant historical survivor in itself, being the top storey of an old railway signalbox, originally sited at Hoveton Junction (although always known officially as Wroxham station) and latterly used as a porters and lamp room, it was made obsolete (for the second time) when the station was re built between 16th November 1934 (when demolition of the old station commenced) and 28th March 1935 when the new station was opened.

It was purchased (probably under the old railway catch all for sundry staff sales as 'firewood') and moved here by my late grandfather Charles Crane (seen in front of it), to be used as a garden shed.

Wroxham Station showing 'the box' to the right, the little girl on the left is thought to be my late Grandmother who lived with the rest of the Mills family in the railway cottage just out of sight to the left, in which case the photo would be around 1910.

A later view - probably in the '20s - the ubiquitous W.H. Smiths bookstall had arrived !

This local newspaper photograph of the gas supply being laid adjacent to the station was taken in 1922, unfortunately W H Smith's stand is concealing much detail but this does at least solve the problem regarding where the original door was, to the right as can be seen here.

Family history (and several of them were railway men) has it that this was the original signal box at the station, built before the junction and branch line to Aylsham and County School were added. I have had to be content with this limited amount of 'history' (and the couple of old pictures of the box in its original location shown here) until a chance reference to it on this website brought contact with an expert on the subject and (after providing the old photos and producing a scale drawing of the 'remains' ) a lot more information.

Recent extensive and in-depth research at the Public Records Office by signalling historian and enthusiast John Hinson (whose signalling website at http://trainweb.com/signalbox/ is well worth a visit) has not been able to establish its pre branch line existence but has conclusively proven from surviving inspection records and comparison of maps and track diagrams with the photos, that the box dates from at least 1879 when the branch line was opened, at which time it was described as 'new' and was made obsolete (but left in situ and 're used') in 1900 when the current box was built.

This is a track diagram of Wroxham prepared by John from original records, showing the track layout in 1889 and the position of the old box (I have taken liberties in reducing the original drawing size to save space)

And this is the layout in 1897, by which time the Norwich side was twin track but not the North Walsham side' this and the opening of the current box coinciding in1900.

Copyright of these two drawings is John's - full details on his website)

An as yet unexplained anomaly is that the old box is not of the McKenzie and Holland pattern used on the rest of the branch line which leaves an element of doubt as to why - was it pre existing and the 'new' attribution in 1879 was not correct ? Detailed study of the construction of the 'remains' indicates that it may have originally been built as a smaller box (the five windows to the left) and subsequently expanded or stretched .

Until solid proof to the contrary is found I can stick with family history that it is 'the original' in which case it would date from between the Norwich - North Walsham line being opened in 1874 and the first established records of a signal box on this site -1879

As a result of inspection of these features during the summer of 1998, John Hinson now agrees that this must be the original East Norfolk Railway box from 1874 which may well have been extended to accomodate the requirements of the new branch in 1879.

We would love to hear from anyone with knowledge, information, track diagrams or old photographs of Wroxham station which might help fill in this last bit of detail.

One thing is certain - it is, so far, the only known example of an East Norfolk Railway signal box surviving and is also quite probably the only remaining East Norfolk Railway building.

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