Christ's Hospital railway station

Christ's Hospital railway station is near Horsham, West Sussex. It was opened in 1902 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) and was intended primarily to serve Christ's Hospital, a large independent school which had moved to the area in that year. It now also serves the rural area to the west of Horsham. In order to alight from the train here, one must travel in the first seven carriages as the station has a short platform.

Opened originally as "Christ's Hospital West Horsham",^[1] the station was until the mid-1960s an important junction with, in addition to the existing link to Arundel via Pulborough, connections to Guildford via Cranleigh and Brighton via Shoreham-by-Sea.

History

The belief that the school's arrival would generate substantial passenger traffic, and that the growing town of Horsham would expand westwards, led the LBSCR to invest £30,000 in buliding a substantial station building with a goods yard and facilities. Previously there had been no station at this point, only a small wooden platform which was used by a local dairy to take milk to London; this platform had fallen into disuse upon the bankruptcy of the dairy.

The substantial red brick station, reflecting the LBSCR's aspirations for the area, was built with bricks from the nearby Southwater Brickworks. Five through tracks were laid which served seven platform faces. Three platforms were provided for the Cranleigh Line and two each for the Steyning Line and Arun Valley Line, giving trains travelling from London via Horsham the option of routes to Pulborough, Shoreham or Guildford and beyond. A single loop on the down line serving two facing platforms was installed to deal with the large number of pupils expected (the school had 835 pupils) and the van trains carrying their luggage, as well as holiday specials. The school governors subsidised the costs of construction.^[2]

In the event, the LBSCR's expectation of an income from the station to match the size of its premises would be defeated by two developments. Firstly, Christ's Hospital school only ever accommodated boarders: the LBSCR did not consider this when building the station. Secondly, the anticipated residential development in the area did not materialise. This was not helped by the fact that the school had purchased much of the land around the junction, effectively ending any possibililty of housing in the area. The LBSCR was therefore left with a white elephant: the capacity and stature of the station being vastly out of proportion with its status as a useful rural interchange, rather than an important railway junction serving much of West Sussex.^[2][3]

Dwindling passenger numbers resulted in the station losing much of its usefulness in the 1960s, when the Steyning Line and Cranleigh Line were closed following The Reshaping of British Railways report of 1963. For a time Christ's Hospital station itself threatened with closure, but survived following a public outcry and the presentation of a petition with 3,046 signatures to the Queen.

Present day station

The current station bears little resemblance to the substantial Edwardian one built for the LBSCR. In 1972 British Rail reduced it to a size more suited to its existing traffic, demolishing the station building and reducing the number of platforms from seven to two.^[4] The platforms used for the Cranleigh Line (nos. 5, 6 and 7) were dismantled and fenced off. The down loop (platforms 1 and 2) was filled in and the sidings have disappeared. The only platforms that remain in use are nos. 3 and 4 which are now respectively the down and up platforms, served by the double track line between Horsham and Billingshurst. The only original structures remaining are the subway and the platform 2 and 3 waiting room and toilet.

The ticket office is now open from the first London bound train (Monday to Friday) which is about 06:30, until 10:40 when the office shuts. There is also a 'Quick Ticket' machine allowing passengers to purchase tickets when the office is closed. In April 2009 Southern installed display screens to tell passengers when trains are due.

In popular culture

The station, including the original building, appears as "Longhampton" in the 1965 comedy film Rotten to the Core.

Services

The typical Monday-Saturday off peak service is:

• one train per hour to London Victoria calling at Horsham, Crawley, Three Bridges, Gatwick Airport, Redhill, East Croydon and Clapham Junction, taking 1 hour 8 minutes.

When returning from London, passengers should ensure they are in the rear part of the train.

• one train per hour to Bognor Regis calling at Billingshurst, Pulborough, Amberley, Arundel, Ford and Barnham, taking 40 minutes.

In peak hours more trains on the line stop here but not all of them.

On Sundays one train per hour serves the line and all of these stop at Christ's Hospital.

References

External links

• Train times and station information for Christ's Hospital railway station from National Rail