witham railway station was the scene of a serious accident on 1 september 1905. the 09:27 london liverpool street to cromer 14-coach express derailed whilst travelling at speed through the station. ten passengers and a luggage porter were killed when several of the carriages somersaulted on to the platforms causing considerable damage to the rolling stock and the station. seventy-one passengers were seriously injured. it remains to this day the worst single loss of life in a railway accident in essex.