Audio: Barry Woodgett

Barry Woodgett, Vice Chairman of the Mid Norfolk Railway – Photograph taken in 2018.

Barry Woodgett has been involved with railways in the region for many years and has a wealth of knowledge on the local history of them. Barry is Vice Chairman of the Mid Norfolk Railway and talks about some of his memories of the railway between Dereham and Wells-next-the-Sea. This interview took place in 2018 at Dereham Railway Station and was one of a number carried out as part of the National Lottery Project .

Listen here to Barry talking to Paul Young, Project Officer of the Norfolk Orbital Railway:

Wells-next-the-Sea in March 1963 a year before closure – Photograph copyright Geoffrey Skelsey

The coastal Norfolk town Wells-next-the-Sea railway station , opened in 1857 by the Wells and Fakenham Railway. This later became the Great Eastern Railway’s Wymondham to Wells next the sea Branch line which ran through Dereham and Fakenham East until closure in 1964.

The station building along with some of the former outbuildings now the Old Station Pottery and Bookshop

Wells-next-the-Sea Railway station building still stands and is now the Old Station Pottery and Bookshop. Just outside of the town, four miles of the railway line is used by the Wells & Waslingham Light Railway.

Walsingham in June 2017

The Melton Constable Trust would like to thank the Veronica Awdry Charitable Trust, Fakenham Town Council, The Ernest Cook Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support on this project.

Appeal update

The recent appeal that we launched on the 7th February 2021 https://themeltonconstabletrust.co.uk/appeal-for-5000-to-purchase-land-at-high-kelling/ is going very well. Thanks to your generosity we have already raised over £3000. The Melton Constable Trust would like to thank everyone who has donated and for the support shown, your ongoing help is very much appreciated. Less than £2000 is needed and so if you would like to help please go to our link here: https://themeltonconstabletrust.co.uk/support-us/

Trustee David Bill MBE (left) and Joe Penfold (right) a member of the Trust, who is working with Ofiice of Road and Rail (ORR), Norfolk County Council and Railway engineers looking at the route into Holt. Seen here at North Norfolk Railways High Kelling Railway Station.

David Bill, one of the Trustees of the Melton Constable Trust was interviewed by Stephen Bumfrey on Radio Norfolk recently about the appeal and you can hear that interview here (starts at 2:23:21) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0954xw3