Email: info@middletontowers.org.uk
Founded in 2021 by Alex Brammer as the Middleton Towers Restoration Group, we are a team of volunteers who are lovingly restoring the derelict platform buildings of the former Middleton Towers Railway Station in Leziate, Norfolk.
We are currently ungoing a structural change. We will be phasing out the Community Interest Company (CIC) and starting a brand new Charitable Community Benefit Society (CCBS), with support from Co-Operatives UK.
Where the charity would operate from: TBD
Status: Application is being submitted by Co-Operatives UK.
Founding members: Alex Brammer, Richard Woods, Nathan Dodd, Stuart Wagge
Our society's objects are:
A -
To work on purchasing or leasing current or former railway infrastructure including, but not limited to, railway stations, station houses, platform buildings, signal boxes, land, track, equipment. The purpose of this object is to secure the future of these structures or items, to ensure their preservation for future generations to enjoy and to be educated about. This object will allow us to continuously expand our proposed unique educational experience for our patrons.
B -
To establish the provision for educating the general public on the history, heritage and technological science of the former Lynn and Dereham Railway, how it served the public, what remains of the former railway and the stories that can be told.
C -
The advancement of a community-led facility whereby people of all ages can attend afternoon tea sessions, tend to a community-run garden and the creation of specially-tailored events for disadvantaged people and Armed Forces veterans.
D -
To establish the provision for community-led facilities whereby the general public benefit, as well as local groups such as schools, Scouting Associations, mental health charities and Armed Forces charities. This would be through the introduction of the new facilities at the station, through the restoration and preservation of the site, whereas it is currently not in use and derelict.
The business of our society will be:
We will introduce a tea room facility inside the platform buildings of the former Middleton Towers Railway Station, Leziate, King's Lynn.
We will create informative posters and leaflets for distribution or display and we will create interactive displays.
We will host talks from people with real-world experience of either using the railway line, the station, or about someone they know that did, such as stories about former station masters, the sand operations or the days leading up to the closure of the line and its impact. The provision of the education about the sand operations and general merchant freight operations will be introduced.
We will create interactive learning opportunities for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics), not only through telling the story of the sand extraction process, but also the engineering of railways and signalling of both yesteryear and today, which may even inspire young people to seek a career in the railways or engineering.
To enable the organisation to undertake projects with the aim of the education of the general public in the history, heritage and ongoing contribution to the industrial processes – in particular the extraction of silica sand for glass making, which is the primary reason behind the railway line still being open to this day, as it still continues its purpose of sand freight deliveries by rail to the north of England.
About Our Team
Alex Brammer
With over 10 years of public sector experience, ranging from working with MPs and Ministers to the general public, Alex has knowledge of the inner workings of the NHS, local and central Government. At the age of 18, he took up an opportunity in the City of Westminster, working for the Civil Service on Child Internet Safety policy, before moving back to Norfolk to work in varying roles at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, including as an assistant medical secretary.
He currently works for NHS Central East ICB, dealing with NHS Continuing Healthcare administration.
In July 2021, Alex established the Middleton Towers Restoration Group, where he negotiated a basic asset protection agreement with Network Rail, which enables the group to work on the derelict platform buildings of the former Middleton Towers railway station in Leziate, King’s Lynn. He was successful in obtaining grants from both the local borough council, as well as the Railway Heritage Trust, to cover the costs of substantial work towards the station’s restoration.
Alex’s love for the railways stems from the books, videos and anecdotes from his late grandfather John, who lived in the Wisbech area during the era of the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway and the Wisbech to March railway.
Alex is currently a Parish Councillor for Leziate & Ashwicken.
Outside of work and the railways, he is a passionate supporter of Ipswich Town Football Club, is a huge Formula One fan, enjoys cycling, travelling abroad and is an avid video gamer. Alex's favourite musicians include Billy Joel, The Hives and Depeche Mode.
Richard Woods
Educated to university entrance standard, HNC & HND Business Studies. Administration Manager in the agricultural trade for various companies until redundancy. Village shop owner until wife's ill health. Provisions supervisor and then kitchen porter and storeman in the NHS until retirement. Now a part-time carer.
Nathan Dodd
Since his teens, Nathan has had an interest in the industrial and social history of the railways across East Anglia and Great Britain. As a result, he has been involved in a number of railway heritage groups in the region, including the East Anglian Railway Museum (EARM) and Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex as well as the Melton Constable Railway Trust in Norfolk, and has been a long term member of the Great Eastern Railway Society. Subsequently, he has now been inspired to work supporting the efforts of the Middleton Towers Restoration Group.
Since his secondary education, his enthusiasm for railways has seen him become a Station Adopter for Greater Anglia (Formerly National Express East Anglia) at Battlesbridge station. This initiative, supported by the Department of Transport, sees Station Adopters work alongside Train Operating Companies to come up with practical solutions to improve passenger patronage and to tend to enhancing station facilities, with gardens and the environment making the choice of rail appealing to commuters and leisure travel. His passion for volunteering at national railway station now sees him support the New River Community Rail Partnership at Cheshunt and acts as a Station Partner for Cuffley on the Hertford Loop Line.
It is through this community engagement where he was given a job with National Express East Anglia as a train dispatcher in Southend Victoria, eventually reaching the level of trainer/assessor in the same role. He subsequently went on to enjoy a varied series of customer facing roles in the rail industry and can now be found keeping London moving with a career on the London Underground.
During his spare time, he is enjoying writing a book on the history of rail transport, is a published railway photographer (UK Railway magazines), gives the occasional guided tour on the 'Lost Railways of London' to raise funds for the Railway Children charity and hosts a series of talks on the 'History of Railways' across East Anglia as a public speaker.
Stuart Wagge
I’m particularly passionate about railway heritage, especially old stations and the stories behind them. There’s something special about historic railways — the architecture, the atmosphere, and the way they connect people to the past.
I enjoy learning about how things used to work and why preserving them matters for future generations.
Being involved with a railway preservation charity feels like a natural fit for me. I like contributing to something meaningful, helping keep history alive, and supporting a cause that combines community, heritage, and learning. I’m enthusiastic, reliable, and genuinely interested in what I do, and I enjoy being part of something that celebrates the past while keeping it relevant today.
Outside of this, I’m someone who really enjoys stories about time, space, and imagination — especially sci-fi, with Doctor Who being a big favourite. I love how it mixes history, adventure and clever ideas, and that sense of curiosity definitely carries over into my other interests too. I’m a massive fan of the rock band ‘The Darkness’ and also volunteer at Hospital Radio Lynn.
