Newtown Halt railway station explained

Newtown Halt
Status:Disused
Borough:Great Yarmouth, Great Yarmouth
Country:England
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:1
Postgroup:Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
Eastern Region of British Railways
Years:17 July 1933
Events:Opened
Years1:September 1939
Events1:Closed
Years2:June 1948
Events2:Reopened
Years3:2 March 1959
Events3:Closed

Newtown Halt was a railway station on the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GN) which served the northern part of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. Opened in 1933, it was closed as a wartime economy measure and reopened in 1948 only to last a further eleven years before closing with the line.

History

The halt was one of seven opened by the M&GN in the summer of 1933[1] in an attempt to increase revenues on the line. Comprising a single wooden platform situated at ground level, Newtown Halt was located on the northern side of Salisbury Road, approximately ½-mile north of the line's terminus at Yarmouth Beach, giving visitors access to the attractions found in the northern part of Yarmouth, as well as being convenient for Great Yarmouth High School.[2] The area was, however, already well-served by regular bus services and by June 1958 only 25 passengers were found to be boarding trains here during the course of a week.[3] The line crossed Salisbury Road on the level, a signal box standing on the opposite side of the crossing; the signalman was responsible for locking and unlocking the gates to the halt. Following closure in 1959, the rails were lifted but the infrastructure remained intact until the early 1960s.[4] As at 2020 the site of the station is now a car park.

Present day

Although little evidence of the station remains today, the site of the halt remains unbuilt upon and can be discerned from Salisbury Road where it is used as an official car park by residents. The trackbed immediately to the north and south of the station exists as an unadopted highway.[5]

References

52.6201°N 1.7348°W

Notes and References

  1. News: . M. & G.N. Innovation . Lynn News & County Press . England . 18 July 1933 . 11 August 2024 . British Newspaper Archive . subscription .
  2. Book: Adderson, R. . Kenworthy, G. . Melton Constable to Yarmouth Beach . 2007 . Middleton Press . Midhurst, West Sussex . 978-1-906008-03-1 . Plate XXI.
  3. Adderson, R. and Kenworthy, G., Plate 101.
  4. Adderson, R. and Kenworthy, G., Plate 102.
  5. http://web.ukonline.co.uk/berneyarms/html/yarmouth/rail/newtown/newtown.htm Yarmouth Newtown Halt