'Extreme concerns' for future of Brandon railway station

Greater Anglia closed the Norwich-bound side of Brandon station on Thursday last week after an inspection revealed it was in danger of falling down.

The company proposed to remove the roof as an emergency measure but after hearing the news, Save Britain's Heritage commissioned a specialist engineer to inspect the listed building in order to determine if this was necessary.

The Norwich-bound side of Brandon station has been closed due to the risk of the listed building collapsing (Image: Newsquest)

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said: “We are extremely concerned that Brandon Station is yet again under imminent threat.

"We urge Greater Anglia to consider all the options available to them to make safe this historic building in their care.

READ MORE: Town restaurant to close as owners leave with 'heavy heart'

"Partial demolition must be the last not the first resort for this hugely loved landmark.

"The focus should be on fixing the roof, not demolishing it and that’s why we’ve asked Ed Morton, a highly experienced historic building engineer, to assess its condition and options for stabilisation.”

Brandon Railway Station's Victorian building has been boarded up for several years (Image: Newsquest)

The outcome of the inspection is to be revealed in the coming days and follows an earlier building report commissioned by Greater Anglia, which recommended demolishing the vast majority of the roof in order to stabilise the building.

A Greater Anglia spokeswoman said: “It has been proposed to remove the roof as an emergency measure and contractors attended the site with demolition experts to determine how a safe system of work can be put in place to undertake that process.

“As it is a listed building, we are liaising with several organisations, including the local planning authority and Breckland Council’s building controls officer, to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into account.

READ MORE: Looking back on 25 years of much-loved railway

"We will also engage with Natural England as the roof is home to a protected species of bat, which are currently in their hibernation period."

Rail replacement bus services are currently running between Ely, Brandon and Thetford to allow customers to connect to and from trains.

Train services towards Ely are not affected.

Brandon Railway Station in 1946 (Image: Archant)

The Victorian building was saved from demolition in 2020 after Greater Anglia's £1m bid attracted significant opposition from councillors and the community, who said part of the town’s heritage was being destroyed.

The rail operator is responsible for the upkeep of all of its stations under its operation.

READ MORE: The railways that reached the end of the line

Piers Hart, chairman of Suffolk Building Preservation Trust, added: “We conducted a structural survey of the building in June last year and no dangerous defects were found at the time.

"We are surprised to find at this stage that Greater Anglia has discovered the building to be in such a perilous state.

“What we’d like to see is the building made safe and to find a sustainable reuse."

The history of Brandon Railway Station

Built in 1845, the flint-knapped building is believed to have been designed by sculptor John Thomas.

Brandon served as the terminus station connecting two of Norfolk’s most historic railway lines: the Norfolk Railway (formerly the Norwich & Brandon) and the Eastern Counties Railway.

It featured in a 1968 episode of the BBC comedy series Dad's Army and remains a tourist attraction for lovers of the show.

In the Second World War, it served as the main station for the American Airforce at nearby RAF Lakenheath and AAF Mildenhall.

Although the station is still a well-used stop on the main line from Cambridge and Norwich, the station offices were closed in 1978 and up until September 2004 were leased to a building company. They are now empty and boarded up.