Published on: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Last updated: Wednesday, 24 January 2024
Above: The new history board at Saxmundham rail station with station adopter volunteers, Sally Ford and Charlotte Hawkins. Credit: ESLCRP
A new information board illustrating the history of Saxmundham rail station has been unveiled.
The East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership funded the project which was the idea of the station’s volunteer ‘adopter’, Sally Ford.
The large board displays information about the development of the railway, and the history of the station building, including its role in the Second World War up to the present day when the building was extensively refurbished after a fire.
It has been installed on an outside wall near the station entrance.
Community Rail Officer, Thalia Rushmore, said,
“We wanted to provide some interesting information about the history of the station to help connect people with it and provide some insight into the role it has played in the town through the years.”
Greater Anglia’s Community and Customer Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said,
“Many of our rail station buildings hail from the Victorian era and have a great deal of heritage and history, the knowledge of which could be lost to time without great community projects like this, which are helping to remind people of the important role the railway has played in the development of our region’s town and villages.
“I’d like to thank the Community Rail Partnership and the adopters at the station for facilitating this project.”
The East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership works with Greater Anglia, Suffolk County Council and other local organisations to help keep the rail lines between Ipswich and Lowestoft and Felixstowe thriving for the benefit of local communities.