Disused Stations: Isleham Station

Isleham Station Gallery 2: July 1969 - May 2015

July 1969 and looking towards Worlington. Somewhere among the tyres, pallets and weeds are the remains of Isleham railway station. Sleeper indentations can be seen, but it appears that a vehicle, perhaps a fork lift tractor, has been using the site of the former up loop presumably to offload tyres onto the platform.
Photo by John Mann

Looking south-west from the Station Road overbridge c1970; a new industrial warehouse has been built in the tyre depot. The station building is clearly occupied; it has received a new coat of paint and has been separated from the rest of the site with a fence down the centre of the down platform.
Photo by David Burrows from his Flickr photostream

Scenes such as this, albeit depressing in some ways, can be quite welcome; photographs of abandoned trackbeds away from stations and other features, whilst hardly rare, are not especially common either. This is the view c1970 from bridge 2250 looking north-east towards Worlington. Isleham station is behind the photographer. This area is away from the Fens and is gently rolling chalk upland, becoming more so as Mildenhall is neared. Beyond where the line emerges from the cutting a section of the trackbed has returned to agriculture. At this point the line then curved eastwards behind the line of trees and bushes running from right of centre towards top right of the image. Beck Row runs across the image in the distance although it is difficult to discern. Bridge 2251, Beck Row, once crossed the railway but it had already gone when this photograph was taken. Beyond that point today the trackbed, with the exception of Four Cross Ways bridge and a short section of cutting thereat, has returned to agriculture until a point just before Worlington.
Photo by David Burrows from his Flickr photostream

The cleaned-up Isleham station building sometime in 1971. The positions of the former doorways are obvious and the surviving four canopy support brackets can be seen, although that on the left has been broken. There were originally further brackets, probably two, when the canopy extended along the side of the house.

Photo from John Mann collection

There are tyres galore in this 1971 view looking towards Fordham. The area between the platforms has been cleared and partly infilled.
Photo from John Mann collection

A similar view to that above but from track level. The lighter brickwork at the bottom of the platform facings probably indicates excavation has gone rather deeper than the former track level.
Photo from John Mann collection

A 1971 view looking towards Worlington and across the infilled section between the platforms. Part of a platform ramp can be seen on the left. The bridge remains in apparent good condition, unsurprisingly as it was one of those rebuilt during the early twentieth century. The new fencing on the right - above, and visible in other period images - marks the former railway property boundary but security is obviously also paramount.
Photo from John Mann collection

A much smarter view of, and from, the forecourt in 1971; compare this with the 1969 view. The sash-drop windows have now gone as has the BR noticeboard but the root character of the station still remains. Instead of a J15 and a pair of antiquated carriages or a diesel railbus, transport is now provided by a Morris 1000, four-door no less, and a Series II Hillman Super Minx estate.
Photo from John Mann collection

Isleham station in May 1977. A fully enclosed porch now covers the front door of the house, albeit incorporating the original structure. Although many commercial vehicles are now present the area is generally somewhat tidier. The washing hanging out to dry need not fear smuts from steam locomotives. It is not known what was within the enclosure between the platforms at this time but a swimming pool later occupied the spot.
Photo by Alan Young

An unusual view looking towards Fordham from the north-east side of the overbridge. Isleham station can just be glimpsed beyond the bridge on the right. The year is 1983. The cutting is becoming quite overgrown but the bridge is still smoke-stained. The coping stones on the bridge are thought to be of Portland cement.
Photo by Nick Youngman from his Flickr photostream

This view from 1984 is most interesting as the canopy support columns have reappeared. Close examination of this and older images under magnification show the columns appear to be original or at least of the original type. These columns were of cast iron, a material which can be recycled, but for some reason in the 1960s it was not uncommon for BR to remove items such as this and simply dump, or bury, them somewhere nearby. Assuming the columns seen above are indeed original, and it is not known for certain if they are, this is probably what happened at Isleham - the columns later being discovered somewhere and re-erected. At least some of the canopy support brackets on the wall also appear to still be present. What happened at Isleham subsequently is not known. The swimming pool can now be seen and the space between the platforms has been infilled to create a garden for the house. As can be judged from earlier images, the low wall on the right is not original. The station house now sports a very attractive porch and a dormer window has appeared, while at least two chimneystacks have either been shortened or removed entirely. Behind the new building in the background the brontosaurus-like structure appears to be a crane of some sort. Another new building has appeared in the tyre depot.
Photo by Nick Youngman from his Flickr photostream

The same view in May 2015 is very different. Many new trees and shrubs have been planted and a high hedge has been planted around the swimming pool (which is still visible on satellite images) indicating the area in front of the station building private. What appears to be the platform edge is actually a new brick wall built on the platform edge.

Photo by Nick Catford

Looking north-east from Isleham station towards Station Road bridge in May 2015.
Photo by Nick Catford

Isleham station forecourt in May 2015. The road is also used for access to the Tenrich Tyres depot; the entrance to it is seen on the right.
Photo by Nick Catford

May 2015

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