Rowfant railway station
Encyclopedia
Rowfant was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line
which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe
.
The route of the railway line cut a path through the estate of Curtis Miranda Lampson, a wealthy American fur trader and vice-chairman of the Atlantic Telegraph Company
, who agreed to sell his land cheaply to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
(LBSCR) on condition that a station be provided, together with the right to stop trains on request. Apart from Lampson's Rowfant House the only other nearby residence was Worth Hall owned by John Nix, an LBSCR director. At Lampson's request a shelter was provided for his coachmen.
Rowfant, initially the only intermediate station between Three Bridges
and East Grinstead
, saw an initial service of six passenger trains per day, with two on Sundays. By 1859 this had increased to nine services with one early morning goods train, and four Sunday services. The opening of another intermediate station in 1860, Grange Road
, saw passenger trains cut to six on weekdays. An additional siding and crossover
were provided in 1878, the siding serving a nearby brickworks
. The station was further enlarged in 1900-1901 when it became a crossing station with a new 500ft. Up platform and footbridge. In 1906 the introduction of new motor carriages led to an increase in weekday services.
Nevertheless, Rowfant saw very little passenger traffic and jointly held with Kingscote
the record for the least revenue for passenger journeys on the LBSCR. Although it saw a brief revival in terms of freight traffic when Gatwick Airport opened in the late 1950s and jet fuel was stored in the goods yard, its days were numbered and it closed with the rest of the line in January 1967 under the programme of closures put forward by local resident and British Rail
Chairman, Richard Beeching
.
Today the majority of the station survives, with the station site and goods yard occupied by a company producing road-building materials, Colas Limited
. The station building, stationmaster's house and part of the Down platform survive. The Worth Way, a public footpath following the line of the railway, runs alongside the north face of the station building which is currently disused with its windows and doorways bricked up.
Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line
The Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line was a railway line running from Three Bridges in West Sussex to Tunbridge Wells Central in Kent via East Grinstead in East Sussex, a distance of . Opened in 1855, the main section of the line was a casualty of the Beeching Axe the last train ran on...
which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
The route of the railway line cut a path through the estate of Curtis Miranda Lampson, a wealthy American fur trader and vice-chairman of the Atlantic Telegraph Company
Atlantic Telegraph Company
The Atlantic Telegraph Company was a company formed in 1856 to undertake and exploit a commercial telegraph cable across the Atlantic ocean, the first such telecommunications link....
, who agreed to sell his land cheaply to 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...
(LBSCR) on condition that a station be provided, together with the right to stop trains on request. Apart from Lampson's Rowfant House the only other nearby residence was Worth Hall owned by John Nix, an LBSCR director. At Lampson's request a shelter was provided for his coachmen.
Three Bridges railway station
Three Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
and East Grinstead
East Grinstead railway station
East Grinstead railway station serves the town of East Grinstead in West Sussex. The station was formerly divided into two levels: the higher level platforms serving the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line, whilst the lower level platforms received services from the Oxted Line 49 km ...
, saw an initial service of six passenger trains per day, with two on Sundays. By 1859 this had increased to nine services with one early morning goods train, and four Sunday services. The opening of another intermediate station in 1860, Grange Road
Grange Road railway station
Grange Road was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe.The original proposal to construct the railway line drew objections from one J.H. Wilson, the owner of "The Grange" house, who refused to allow a station on...
, saw passenger trains cut to six on weekdays. An additional siding and crossover
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
were provided in 1878, the siding serving a nearby brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
. The station was further enlarged in 1900-1901 when it became a crossing station with a new 500ft. Up platform and footbridge. In 1906 the introduction of new motor carriages led to an increase in weekday services.
Nevertheless, Rowfant saw very little passenger traffic and jointly held with Kingscote
Kingscote railway station
Kingscote railway station is a railway station on the Bluebell Railway. It is currently the northern terminus, pending completion of the extension to East Grinstead...
the record for the least revenue for passenger journeys on the LBSCR. Although it saw a brief revival in terms of freight traffic when Gatwick Airport opened in the late 1950s and jet fuel was stored in the goods yard, its days were numbered and it closed with the rest of the line in January 1967 under the programme of closures put forward by local resident and British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Chairman, Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
.
Today the majority of the station survives, with the station site and goods yard occupied by a company producing road-building materials, Colas Limited
Colas Ltd
Colas Ltd is a UK based service provider to the highways and airfield sectors. Services include civil engineering, maintenance and construction and all operations are carried out nationally...
. The station building, stationmaster's house and part of the Down platform survive. The Worth Way, a public footpath following the line of the railway, runs alongside the north face of the station building which is currently disused with its windows and doorways bricked up.