Cranbrook railway station is a disused English station which was on the closed Hawkhurst Branch in Kent, England.[1]
Cranbrook | |
|---|---|
_geograph-3115651-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg) Station buildings in 1984 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Hartley, Tunbridge Wells, Kent England |
| Grid reference | TQ753346 |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Status | Disused |
| History | |
| Original company | Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway |
| Pre-grouping | South Eastern Railway |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways |
| Key dates | |
| 4 September 1893 | Station opened |
| 12 June 1961 | Station closed |
Cranbrook station | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1954
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Legend
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background
editThe station was opened on 4 September 1893,[2] when the line was extended from Goudhurst to Hawkhurst.[3][4] The station was equipped with a single 300 ft (91 m) platform on the down side, together with a goods only loop.[5] The stationmaster's house was situated on the platform, with a large goods yard and red brick goods shed to the rear. A warehouse used by a local corn merchant was at the Goudhurst end of the yard.
The station's name was a little deceptive in that the town of Cranbrook was two miles away. When the line was originally being constructed, local landowners had demanded high prices for the sale of their agricultural land and the South Eastern Railway had refused, amending the route of the line so that Cranbrook Station was actually located in Hartley. The villagers came to regret being excluded from the line, and an attempt was made to have a light railway constructed to Hartley. This was never realised.
The station was closed with the line on 12 June 1961.[2] The station building was used for several years by Brian O'Donoghue and Keith Harding as "Cranbrook Station Pottery". This has now closed and it is reported that the station building is in poor condition, although the stationmaster's house is well preserved.
Notes
edit- ^ Conolly 1976, p. 6 section D5.
- ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 70.
- ^ Vallance 1955, p. 122.
- ^ Awdry 1990, p. 183.
- ^ Vallance 1955, p. 125.
References
edit- Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-8526-0049-7. OCLC 19514063. CN 8983.
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.
- Vallance, H.A. (February 1955). "Through the Wealden Hills to Hawkhurst" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 101, no. 646. Westminster: Tothill Press. ISSN 0033-8923. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
External links
edit- Cranbrook railway station at Disused-Stations.org.uk
- Cranbrook station on navigable 1940 O. S. map
- Signal diagram, 1934
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goudhurst | British Railways Southern Region Hawkhurst Branch |
Hawkhurst |