The Cambridgeshire town that went from once having two railway stations to none

Nowadays, the rural market town offers an array of unique businesses and affordable homes

It can be hard to imagine a life of commuting in a town without a railway station – and for many people, it is a reality. Driving seems the only viable way to travel around parts of the Fens.

One of those places is the market town of Ramsey, which once had two railway stations but now has none. They were called Ramsey North and Ramsey East.

Ramsey North was opened first, in July 1863, as the terminus of the Ramsey Railway – which connected the town to Holme on the Great Northern Railway (GNR).

It was acquired by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) in 1875, with plans to link it to another line to run from Somersham to Ramsey. The line was built but never connected and the Somersham line eventually terminated at Ramsey East.

Ramsey East opened in September 1889. It connected to Somersham via Warboys, with passengers able to change at Somersham to reach the line between St Ives and March.

The stations were given names to differentiate one from the other in 1923, after the two railway companies became part of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Neither of the stations were especially popular.

Ramsey East closed to passengers in September 1930 and to freight traffic in September 1956. Ramsey North closed to passengers in October 1947, and to freight in December 1973.

The site of Ramsey East is now occupied by an industrial estate. There are also two housing developments nearby called Signal Road and The Sidings – likely named in memory of the former railways.

Nowadays, the rural market town of Ramsey is home to around 8,800 people, according to the 2021 census. It is a town full of history and beautiful surrounding countryside as well as an array of unique businesses, such as Crafty Ideas described by a customer as “a treasure chest of beautiful things”, and a “fabulous little coffee shop” called Ruby Cooper’s Coffee House.

House prices in Ramsey are relatively affordable. According to Rightmove, house prices had an overall average of £291,808 over the last year.

The majority of properties sold in the pretty town last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £365,375. Semi-detached properties sold for an average of £263,087 and terraced properties fetched £169,500.