Description

TF6220SW BLACKFRIARS ROAD
610-1/8/10003 King's Lynn
24-AUG-01 King's Lynn Railway Station

II

Railway station. 1871-2, built for the Great Eastern Railway, the builder was Robert Skipper of Dereham, additions and alterations in 1910. The station is built of white gault brick with some red brick and partly glazed slate roofs. It is a single storey terminus station with the main building across the head of the tracks, the concourse with a parallel roof behind this across the head of the platforms and two main platforms with buildings becoming islands with outer bay platforms, only one of which is still in use. The street front has a central entrance, which originally had a projecting porte-cochere, now with a flat timber canopy with fretted valance over paired timber double doors. This is flanked by three windows on either side, 1 over 1 sashes with voussoired heads and bracketed cills; the two outer windows on the left are blind. Modillion cornice, low pitch roof with ridge stacks and a central glazed area over the booking hall. This has a fretted ridge and is flanked by ball finials. The right (south) gable end has a 4-light window below with altered walling to the right; corbel table above with more ball finials to the gable. The left (north) gable was the same but is masked by an additional bay added in 1910. This has an additional matching window and a flat parapet above, three more windows on the return. The sidewalls have segmental arches to the main platforms.
Interior: The main entrance leads to the ticket hall with glazed roof on decorative cast iron brackets. The doors, ticket windows and panelling are probably an Edwardian alteration, possibly contemporary with the addition of 1910. Beyond this the concourse has a light wrought iron roof with ties, a glazed ridge and diagonal boarding. Between the entrances to the platforms is a timber buffet with central bay window, a panelled dado and more panelling above a modillion cornice, all this of c1910. The main platform has a range of red brick offices with windows of c1910. Timber canopy on cast iron columns with paired brackets with diminishing circles. This canopy becomes an island at the end between the main platform and the bay, this has paired columns, fretted valances.
History: This station, which replaced a timber one of 1846 was built in 1871-2, and was made necessary by increased traffic. Some of this was due to the opening of the Lynn and Sutton Bridge Railway in 1864 and also partly to the purchase of Sandringham House by Queen Victoria. It was built by Great Eastern Railway, but was also used by the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway, which had connections to east and west. These were amalgamated into the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway in 1893, and their presence continued with offices at King's Lynn until 1936. The station was improved and added to in 1910, again because of the enhanced popularity of the area in the Edwardian period. It is perhaps significant that its name was changed from Lynn to King's Lynn on 01/01/1911. The station has not been greatly changed since apart from the removal of the porte-cochere and the abandonment of one of the main platforms. It remains a well-preserved example of an unusual design of station, but it now only has electric trains south to Ely and on to London.
References: Information from King's Lynn Civic Society.
Geoffrey Body, Railways of the Eastern Region, PSL, 1986, pps 98-100.

Listing NGR: TF6228420064

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• King's Lynn railway station at Wikipedia
• Wikidata IDs Q26668836 Q285604

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
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  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
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  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
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  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)