Setchey oil fields.

Welcome to Norfolk's disused railway's page for the Short-lived Setchey oil fields railway.

The company English oil fields were formed in 1918

In 1920 construction of the Setchey Oil fields started with the Clarke's Drove siding railway linking the site to the King's Lynn to London railway via Cambridge and Ely line.

This line was already built in 1919.

There were plans to connect the site to the M&GNJR and a pipeline to King's Lynn Docks, but these never happened.

The Oil fields never had any commercial success and stopped in 1926 with low levels of sulphur, and the whole works were never completed.

It is said that from every 20 tonnes of shale extracted, 3 gallons of oil were used.

The English oil company stayed on site and eventually closed the place down in 1966

The land now is used as the Garage lane industrial estate with only a few buildings left, the old engine sheds and some of the buildings next door.

Under the engine sheds, some full Gauge railway tracks were found underneath the concrete floor.

These are said to be there still.

If you have any photos, please, if you are willing to share them, I will give full credit.

In Carter cabin hires yard by the entrance, you could also see some Standard Gauge railway tracks by the entrance and also in the yard, there are some more railway track remains.

These have since been covered over by new tarmac.

The car sales site on the A10 by Garage Lane estate is where the main offices once stood.

The site of beers of Europe is where the main centre of the works once stood.

The route of the old railway line remains unblocked and follows the side of the Industrial site.

Round past a waste management yard.

The puny drain still remains and has a concrete bridge over the drain, but all the pits are now long gone.

Setchey oil fields maps

Past &. Present You Tube Video

Setchey Oil Fields thanks to King's Lynn Forums

Entrance to Carter cabin hire now called algecco with some old railway track in the concrete.

Sadly this old part of the railway has been covered over with tarmac when passing in August 2022

The puny drain bridge is pretty much opposite this entrance.

The former Engine sheds at Setchey.

This is the first building on the estate and was sited next door to the Car sales garage that used to be the site of the offices.

Underneath the floor, there are said to be railway tracks found under the concrete floor, and they are said to remain to this day.

Here we see two other remains of the old oil fields site sat next to the old engine sheds at Setchey.

I'm unsure if this building was railway-related or part of the old long lost industrial site.

The picture below shows where the oil fields offices used to stand.

This site is now used as a car sales site and used to be a fuel filling site.

The old main site of where the Oil fields once stood many years back that is now the site of Beers of Europe and now a restaurant and play area.

Thanks for looking and if anyone has any more information or pictures please feel free to share them.