Late 19th century railway station and site of railway buildings, Burnham Railway Station (EHER 40547)

A railway station built by the Great Eastern Railway as part of the Southminster branch line and opened in 1889. It was built to a standardised pattern, with two platforms, a goods yard and shed on the upside and a signal box on the downside. The platforms were connected via a lattice work footbridge situated at the country end of the station. The only buildings which remain are on the upside, as those on the downside were demolished and the track removed. The booking office pavilion was demolished in around 1968 and at the same time the station structures were reduced. The remaining station buildings were boarded up in 1996 although the ticket office remained open.

Burnham Station was built following an Act of 1883 which empowered the Great Eastern Railway (GER) to construct a railway line from Shenfield to Southend with a branch from Wickford (EHER 40526) to Southminster (EHER 40545) and another branch from Woodham Ferrers (EHER 40544) to Maldon. These were called the 'New Essex Lines'. The stretch of the line from Wickford to Southminster, including Burnham was opened on the 1st June 1889. The main engineering contractor for the construction of the Southminster branch was Walter Scott and Co and they employed the noted engineer Thomas Middleton who took charge of the stretch from Althorne to Southminster. All the stations were built to a standardised pattern and each were equipped with as a minimum a goods yard, passing loop and signal box. The station was built with two platforms, a goods yard and shed on the upside and a signal box on the downside. The platforms were connected via a lattice work footbridge situated at the country end of the station. The only buildings which remain are on the upside, as those on the downside were demolished and the track removed. The remaining station buildings were boarded up in 1996 although the ticket office remained open. The station lies opposite the site of the Mildmay Ironworks (EHER 15291) which unusually appears not to have had its own sidings. <1> SITE DESCRIPTION: Two storied brick and gabled Station Master’s house to the South of the track, four chimney stacks, canopied platform adjoining, built in around 1889. South ‘Up’ platform canopy, also from around 1889. ARCHAEOLOGICAL POTENTIAL: Good. SITE SIGNIFICANCE: Booking Office pavilion demolished in around 1968. Station structures reduced in around 1968. CURRENT STATUS: The North platform is disused. A lattice-sided footbridge, signal box, sidings, cattle pens and double track, all visible of the OS map of around 1897, are no longer extant. There are industrial brick buildings to the West of the station, on the site of the former Goods Shed, shown on the OS map of around 1897. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Monitor and record any development. GRADE: of local importance. Two photographs. <2> <3> NRHE data transfer, summary description: Railway station on the New Essex Railway, opened in 1889. No source provided by NRHE for this information. See also <4>.