Withyham | |
---|---|
Location | |
Place | Withyham |
Area | Wealden |
Grid reference | TQ499364 |
Operations | |
Pre-grouping | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways |
Platforms | 1 |
History | |
1 October 1866 | Station opened |
2 January 1967 | Station closed |
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
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Withyham was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe.[1] The station building survived the closure and is now a private residence named the "Old Withyham Station"; much of the trackbed as far as Groombridge and Three Bridges are part of the Worth Way and Forest Way cyclepath/footpaths.
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Hartfield | British Rail Southern Region Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line |
Eridge | ||
Groombridge |
Contents |
With regard to the possible reopening of the remaining section of the line from Groombridge to Three Bridges, a number of physical obstacles would appear to stand in the way of such action, most notably:
1) A bridge over the B2210 near Ashurst Junction has been removed and the embankment cut back.
2) An industrial site currently occupies the former location of Forest Row railway station as well as a small recycling centre to the west.
3) At Forest Row a bridge over the A22 has been removed and the embankment cut back.
4) The formation has been built across in several places notably in East Grinstead where about one mile of the trackbed from Station Road to the Lewes Road tunnel has been taken over for a relief road (the A22 ironically named Beeching Way after local resident Richard Beeching whose recommendations closed the railway line). As there is no feasible alternative route into the station, this road would need to be reconverted back to rail. Any such action would in all likelihood result in a cut in capacity on an already highly congested road network.
5) The site of Grange Road has disappeared under a small parade of shops as well as housing which block 0.64 miles of the formation.
6) The M23 cuts across the trackbed between Three Bridges and Grange Road
The signalbox that controlled the gates at the level crossing at the western end of the station is now preserved at Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell Railway as part of the new museum.