A gloriously sunny and warm May day made taking the motorbike out on some of Cambridgeshire’s and Lincolnshire’s twisty fenland roads a must – aim number one was having another wander around what I assume was the old signalman’s house at Postland station. Crowland station was opened on the 2nd of September 1867 [1], and was originally one of the stations on the Great Northern Railway’s branch line from Spalding to March. This line was authorised in 1863 and opened in 1867. In 1871, Crowland station was renamed to Postland station.
Postland station on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map
In 1879, a collaboration between the Great Northern and Great Eastern Railway companies was authorised by parliament: the Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint Railway was born [1]. The ‘Joint Line’, as it became known, passed through the grassy expanses of the fens and connected Doncaster with Huntingdon. The Joint Line was largely operational by 1882 and was 123 miles in length. The route became a major freight artery by the 1920s and 1930s, connecting the Whitemoor marshalling yards (the 2nd largest in Europe [2]) into the core of the rail network.
Both rail companies operating the Joint Line were consolidated into the London and North East Railway (LNER) in 1921, with the line serving passengers until the early 1930s. The sparse population in fenland areas, which continues to this day, made for poor passenger revenues and lead to the closure of various sections of the line. Postland station was closed on 11th September 1961, 18 months before the ‘Beeching Axe’ fell in March 1963 [3]. Today the ruins of Postland signal box lie in the yard of an agricultural contractor and, covered in ivy and all but invisible from the road, the signalman’s house is gradually being retaken by nature.
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_and_Great_Eastern_Joint_Railway
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March,_Cambridgeshire#Whitemoor_marshalling_yards
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeching_cuts
On to the photos! A lovely little relic of a place. Not sure that full leathers are the ideal kit for crawling around here – on the plus side they make light work of hedges and undergrowth, on the minus side betty swollock syndrome soon sets in!
Outside views - ivy central!
Sitting room complete with chairs and fireplace:
Just a small hole in the sitting room floor:
And upstairs we go - leathers are good for falling through ceilings, right?! Bedroom wall looks a bit thin:
Plenty of fresh air and daylight:
Looks like the ivy is about to take over this room though:
Cool spider's web:
Downstairs safely, and outside in the 'garden' now:
And a taster of the signal box next door:
At this point, time to continue the ride which, almost inevitably, ended up at some disused railway tunnels. But that's for another report 
Postland station on the 1880 Ordnance Survey map
In 1879, a collaboration between the Great Northern and Great Eastern Railway companies was authorised by parliament: the Great Northern & Great Eastern Joint Railway was born [1]. The ‘Joint Line’, as it became known, passed through the grassy expanses of the fens and connected Doncaster with Huntingdon. The Joint Line was largely operational by 1882 and was 123 miles in length. The route became a major freight artery by the 1920s and 1930s, connecting the Whitemoor marshalling yards (the 2nd largest in Europe [2]) into the core of the rail network.
Both rail companies operating the Joint Line were consolidated into the London and North East Railway (LNER) in 1921, with the line serving passengers until the early 1930s. The sparse population in fenland areas, which continues to this day, made for poor passenger revenues and lead to the closure of various sections of the line. Postland station was closed on 11th September 1961, 18 months before the ‘Beeching Axe’ fell in March 1963 [3]. Today the ruins of Postland signal box lie in the yard of an agricultural contractor and, covered in ivy and all but invisible from the road, the signalman’s house is gradually being retaken by nature.
References
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_and_Great_Eastern_Joint_Railway
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March,_Cambridgeshire#Whitemoor_marshalling_yards
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beeching_cuts
On to the photos! A lovely little relic of a place. Not sure that full leathers are the ideal kit for crawling around here – on the plus side they make light work of hedges and undergrowth, on the minus side betty swollock syndrome soon sets in!
Outside views - ivy central!
Sitting room complete with chairs and fireplace:
Just a small hole in the sitting room floor:
And upstairs we go - leathers are good for falling through ceilings, right?! Bedroom wall looks a bit thin:
Thanks for looking!
