Hailsham railway station
Encyclopedia
Hailsham Railway Station was on the Cuckoo Line
between Polegate
and Hellingly
serving the town of Hailsham
. Originally built in 1849 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
. it was a terminus station serving both passengers and livestock for the nearby market. It remained a terminus until 1880 when it was connected with Eridge
on a single line railway.
On 14 June 1965 the station became a terminus again when the line northward closed to passenger traffic. Freight continued northwards as far as Heathfield until 26 April 1968 when a lorry damaged a bridge at Horsebridge, north of Hailsham. The line never reopened to Heathfield – the northern section had already been earmarked for closure on the 7 May, and as such it was not deemed economic to repair the bridge.
On 8 September 1968, the last passenger train left Hailsham at 10:30pm and the station and line then closed completely.
public footpath.
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route...
between Polegate
Polegate railway station
Polegate railway station serves Polegate in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern.-First Station:...
and Hellingly
Hellingly railway station
Hellingly was a railway station on the now closed Eridge to Polegate line in East Sussex. It served the village of Hellingly....
serving the town of Hailsham
Hailsham
Hailsham is a civil parish and the largest of the five main towns in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, the town of Hailsham has had a long history of industry and agriculture...
. Originally built in 1849 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
. it was a terminus station serving both passengers and livestock for the nearby market. It remained a terminus until 1880 when it was connected with Eridge
Eridge railway station
Eridge railway station serves a rural district around Eridge in East Sussex. Mainline train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line. Also heritage services connecting to Groombridge, High Rocks and Tunbridge Wells West are run...
on a single line railway.
On 14 June 1965 the station became a terminus again when the line northward closed to passenger traffic. Freight continued northwards as far as Heathfield until 26 April 1968 when a lorry damaged a bridge at Horsebridge, north of Hailsham. The line never reopened to Heathfield – the northern section had already been earmarked for closure on the 7 May, and as such it was not deemed economic to repair the bridge.
On 8 September 1968, the last passenger train left Hailsham at 10:30pm and the station and line then closed completely.
Present day
The station site is now a housing estate and all that remains is a concrete wall on the west side of the site that held the embankment up. A bridge north of the station site also survives and now carries the Cuckoo TrailCuckoo Trail
The Cuckoo Trail is an footpath and cycleway which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield in East Sussex. It passes through the towns of Polegate and Hailsham, as well as the villages of Hellingly and Horam.- History :...
public footpath.