If you’re in the market for a regal piece of real estate but aren’t really in the position to be snapping yourself up a palace or a castle, I come bearing a property that could be right up your street train track. A Victorian station that used to serve the royal family at the nearby Sandringham Estate has just hit the property market. And it could be yours to live in for just £1.25 million.
The station in question can be found in Wolferton, a teeny-tiny hamlet in Norfolk. The station set up shop on the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway line in 1862 and quickly became used by the royal family and their guests, travelling to and from the nearby Sandringham Estate. Wolferton served as the royal family’s primary arrival point for over a century, with the final ‘Royal Train’ calling there in 1966. The station itself closed to the public just three years later, and British Rail then sold it to railwayman, Eric Walker – thus saving the station from demolition.
Walker and his wife lived inside the station before transforming some of the rooms into a railway museum housing a collection of over 6000 items. Unfortunately, visitor numbers did justify keeping the museum open – and so the site was sold to its current owner in 2001. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, the station and its signal box have undergone an extensive restoration, and has been converted into (a rather gorgeous) private home. It sits on the northern side of the original Wolferton station platform – and the picture-perfect pad is now ready to find a new owner.
The property is up for auction with Landles, and boasts three bedrooms, two bathrooms, three reception rooms, and a kitchen. The former ‘Royal Suite’ and ‘Public Waiting Rooms’ are where you’ll find the bedrooms and reception rooms. And, as I’m sure you’d expect from a space that was – quite literally – fit for a queen, they’re all rather spectacular.
There are many impressive reminders of its backstory dotted around the space including the oak paneling, marble fireplaces, outrageously high ornate ceilings, and the original Victorian canopy that spans approximately 70-feet outside. The property has managed to retain a great deal of its railway charm and character, with Wolferton being one of the very few stations to have survived almost fully in its original condition.
The property comes complete with the neighbouring signal box which serves as a separate self-contained two-storey annex. The signal box still boasts 40 levers, lever frames, and gate wheel, serving as a unique reminder of its past. The site boasts huge historical importance and architectural significance – and I can almost guarantee that there’s no place quite like it on the property market. And sat just 6 miles north of King’s Lynn, whoever gets their hands on this incredible property will have ever-so easy access to a direct train to London.
You can peruse the full property listing here.
