But there are now fears for a string of railway station buildings in Norfolk and Suffolk, including at Salhouse, Brandon and Trowse.

Campaigners say that the buildings, many dating back almost 200 years, stand empty and boarded up.

They fear neglect will lead to them disappearing for ever, but say the rail industry stands in the way of attempts to breathe new life into them.

The building champions have set up the Save Our Stations campaign, to support community groups who want to take on these buildings and to put pressure on railway chiefs.

What is Save Our Stations?

The Save Our Stations campaign group was set up by Piers Hart, chairman of Historic Suffolk, with support from organisations such as Historic Norfolk, SAVE Britain's Heritage and countryside charity CPRE.

Piers Hart (Image: Gerard Stamp)

He said he was concerned that many stations lie "forlorn and abandoned", despite Greater Anglia, in most cases, having responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the buildings.

He said: "As ticket offices disappear, the stations are closed. No loos, no buffets – just ugly 'bus shelters'.

"With one or two exceptions, efforts by local support groups to get them reopened for a mixture of uses are cynically thwarted by Greater Anglia, with onerous rent and refurbishment cost demands. The time has now come for change.

"If Network Rail and Greater Anglia won’t work with business and local communities, then responsibility for these precious buildings should instead be handed over to a trust charged with ensuring their sustainable future, which is where Save Our Stations comes in."

Mr Hart said: "Railway stations can still have........

© Norwich Evening News