The lost Cambridgeshire railway station once used for trips to the seaside

Cambridgeshire might be a land-locked country but, like anywhere on this island, you’re never that far from the sea. In days gone by people used to take the train to the seaside for a treat.

One place where they could catch a train to the beach was Bluntisham. The village was once home to a railway station serving Bluntisham and Colne.

It had a single platform and buildings included a stationmaster’s house, booking office, and waiting room. It also had a goods shed on a loop which allowed passenger trains to pass goods trains.

The station opened in May 1878 and formed part of the line between Ely and St Ives. Although the station closed for regular passenger services in 1931, it continued to be used.

It was used by fruit pickers, as well as for two annual excursions which took passengers for days out at Hunstanton and Great Yarmouth. These trains took the land-locked people of Cambridgeshire to the coast until 1958.

Peter and Catherine Cracknell with the sons Steven and Martin at the disused Bluntisham railway station in December 1975

Bluntisham station also played an important role during the ‘Great Flood’ of 1947, which saw severe flooding across the country. The Fens were badly hit, with the Ouse Washes and River Ouse bursting their banks, and many people had to be evacuated from their homes.

In Bluntisham, the Great Ouse burst its banks opposite the church, seeing water pour through a large gap. German prisoners of war were called in to help stabilise the breach, which was later contained by amphibious vehicles used to form a metal box around the hole, according to Mike Petty in a 2014 edition of the Cambridge News.

The station was used to transport men and materials in the efforts to contain the floodwater. The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester also visited during this time, to offer encouragement.

The station closed completely on October 5, 1964, although the station building and platform remain. It is now a private home which can be seen from a road bridge near the station site.