Kemptown railway station
Encyclopedia
Kemp Town railway station, sometimes referred to as Kemptown railway station, was a terminus station in Kemptown
, Brighton
(now part of the city of Brighton and Hove), East Sussex
, England
, UK
, on a (now closed) branch line which terminated at Kemp Town station. This line branched off the East Coastway Line
a short distance from the Ditchling Road tunnel, between London Road
and Moulsecoomb
stations. The branch line
and all its stations are no longer extant.
area of the town, which derives its name from Kemp Town
, a 19th century housing development in the east of the area, approximately two miles to the east of the centre of Brighton.
Because of rivalries between the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway
, the LB&SCR decided in 1869 to build a short but expensive branch line from Brighton railway station
to Kemptown, chiefly as a blocking move to prevent another line being laid into the town. The branch line with its costly viaducts and tunnel never paid its way, being twice as long as the equivalent journey by road.
The LB&SCR closed the line to passenger traffic as early as 1917, but reinstated the services in 1919. The branch line and its remaining stations finally closed to passenger traffic in 1933 and to freight by 1971, having been used as a "Brighton East" freight depot to help reduce the work of the main depot sited near the main Brighton Station. The final use of the line was made on the 26th June 1971 when a special passenger train service operated at hourly intervals during the daytime to give the public a last opportunity to travel over it.
Hartington Road Halt operated for only five years, being opened on 1 January 1906 and closing April 1911.
, the tunnel to Kemp Town station was used as an overnight air raid
shelter for electric multiple unit
stock even though it meant using a steam locomotive to move them, the branch not being electrified
.
houses of D'Aubigny Road, uphill from the supermarket, indicates where the station once sat.
Former Services
Kemptown
Kemptown is a small community running along the King's Cliff to Black Rock in the east of Brighton, East Sussex, England.-History:The area takes its name from Thomas Read Kemp's Kemp Town residential estate of the early 19th Century, but the one-word name now refers to an area larger than the...
, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
(now part of the city of Brighton and Hove), East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, on a (now closed) branch line which terminated at Kemp Town station. This line branched off the East Coastway Line
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
a short distance from the Ditchling Road tunnel, between London Road
London Road (Brighton) railway station
London Road Railway Station is in Brighton, East Sussex, England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the East Coastway Line.- History :...
and Moulsecoomb
Moulsecoomb railway station
Moulsecoomb Railway Station serves Moulsecoomb, a suburb of Brighton in East Sussex, England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the East Coastway Line....
stations. The branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
and all its stations are no longer extant.
History
The station was located in the KemptownKemptown
Kemptown is a small community running along the King's Cliff to Black Rock in the east of Brighton, East Sussex, England.-History:The area takes its name from Thomas Read Kemp's Kemp Town residential estate of the early 19th Century, but the one-word name now refers to an area larger than the...
area of the town, which derives its name from Kemp Town
Kemp Town
Kemp Town is a 19th Century residential estate in the east of Brighton in East Sussex, England, UK. Kemp Town was conceived and financed by Thomas Read Kemp. It has given its name to the larger Kemptown region of Brighton....
, a 19th century housing development in the east of the area, approximately two miles to the east of the centre of Brighton.
Because of rivalries between the London Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) and London, Chatham and Dover Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
The London, Chatham and Dover Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1859 until the 1923 grouping which united it with other companies to form the Southern Railway. Its lines ran through London and northern and eastern Kent to form a significant part of the Greater London...
, the LB&SCR decided in 1869 to build a short but expensive branch line from Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
to Kemptown, chiefly as a blocking move to prevent another line being laid into the town. The branch line with its costly viaducts and tunnel never paid its way, being twice as long as the equivalent journey by road.
The LB&SCR closed the line to passenger traffic as early as 1917, but reinstated the services in 1919. The branch line and its remaining stations finally closed to passenger traffic in 1933 and to freight by 1971, having been used as a "Brighton East" freight depot to help reduce the work of the main depot sited near the main Brighton Station. The final use of the line was made on the 26th June 1971 when a special passenger train service operated at hourly intervals during the daytime to give the public a last opportunity to travel over it.
Hartington Road Halt operated for only five years, being opened on 1 January 1906 and closing April 1911.
World War II
Between October 1941 and May 1944, during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the tunnel to Kemp Town station was used as an overnight air raid
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
shelter for electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
stock even though it meant using a steam locomotive to move them, the branch not being electrified
Railway electrification in Great Britain
Railway electrification in Great Britain started towards of the 19th century. A great range of voltages have been used in the intervening period using both overhead lines and third rails, however the most common standard for mainline services is now 25 kV AC using overhead lines and the...
.
Land use since closure
The site is now the Freshfield Industrial Estate. The portal of the railway tunnel leading through to the site of Hartington Road Halt (now a block of flats), and eventually to the also-lost Lewes Road Station, may still be viewed from the compound of a self-storage warehouse and van rental company. Hartington Road viaduct was demolished in 1973, Lewes Road viaduct following in 1976. The Sainsbury's supermarket, at the point where the latter viaduct approached Lewes Road Station, incorporates tall arches of dark brick in its outer façade, recalling the viaduct. A gap in the VictorianVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
houses of D'Aubigny Road, uphill from the supermarket, indicates where the station once sat.