Kimberley Park Station
Norfolk Railway

Station History:

Kimberley Station was built by the Norfolk Railway in 1846 for their new branch from Wymondham to Dereham, opening in February 1847. The station was initially built as a single storey structure built from local brick and flint, comprising the Booking Hall (closest to the level crossing), a WC and Porter’s Room with the two arched doors now bricked up, and an office, WC and coal stores for the Station Master. Over the next three decades it was extended several times to give better station facilities for both passengers and goods services, and to provide improved accommodation for resident Station Masters’ families.

The branch was enhanced with double track in 1882 by the Great Eastern Railway (GER), and at this point additional waiting rooms were added, one for ladies only along with WC facilities and a washroom. In addition a new Porters and Lamp Room, Gents WC, on the Down (Wells bound) platform. The waiting rooms and WC’s were replicated on the Up (London bound) platform.

A Goods Transfer room was provided on the Down platform for small items and parcels, along with a Goods Shed and Granary in the goods yard. These were controlled by a GER type 2 signal box which had 18 levers and was built at the Wymondham end of the Down platform. This was staffed by two signalmen, who were also provided with the two cottages which can still be seen opposite the station buildings. The goods yard behind the station handled a large proportion of the goods from and to the nearby Kimberley Hall estate and associated farms. This included livestock, grain, sugar beet, sand and gravel, coal, and animal feed.
In 1923 the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) had two stations called Kimberley, the other in Nottinghamshire so ours had the “Park” added to differentiate them. In the 1930’s the station had a staff of around 9 people based here, looking after around 24 passenger trains and 3 goods trains each weekday.

Fortunes for the branch were not so good after the second world war with passenger and goods facilities at the station being discontinued in 1965, when the line reverted to a single track layout. The Up platform and facilities, signal box, and goods shed were also demolished at this time, with the remaining buildings and land being sold out of railway use in the early 1970’s.
The Down side platform buildings were converted into a residential property in 1973, with the goods yard being used by Norfolk County Council for a road maintenance depot until the late 1990’s when the land was reunited with the station buildings.

Five families have been custodians of the station since British Rail sold it, with the current owners starting a major restoration of the station building in 2020. This has included reinstating the canopy structures and removal of the render which covered a large proportion of the beautiful brick and flint walls. The project is ongoing, and the station is now actively part of the Mid Norfolk Railway’s timetable again from the 2025 season.

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Written by M Care, August 2025