Lydd-on-Sea Halt railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Lydd-on-Sea Halt


gridref = TR084192
owner = Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
locale = Lydd-on-Sea
borough = Shepway, Kent
platforms = 2
years = 4 July 1937
events = Opened (Lydd-on-Sea)
years1 = 20 September 1954
events1 = Renamed (Lydd-on-Sea Halt)
years2 = 6 March 1967
events2 = Closed [Butt, R.V.J. (1995). "The Directory of Railway Stations", Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 151.]

Lydd-on-Sea Halt was a railway station which served the modern village of Lydd-on-Sea in Kent, England. The station opened in 1937 and closed in 1967.

History

Prompted by holiday camp development in the area, the Southern Railway decided in 1937 to realign its branch line to New Romney (which had been opened in 1884) closer to the sea and to open two intermediate stations - Lydd-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea. The opening of Lydd-on-Sea on 4 July 1937 coincided with the closure of Dungeness station to passengers; it was intended that Lydd-on-Sea, ½-mile from Dungeness, would serve both locations and its running-in board read "Lydd-on-Sea (for Dungeness)". [cite book | last = Harding | first = Peter | title = The New Romney Branch Line | publisher = Peter A. Harding | date = 1983 | location = Woking, Surrey | pages =p. 14 | isbn = 0952345889 ]

To handle the expected flow of holiday traffic, the station was equipped with a long curved island platform with a passing loop on which was perched a small wooden shed. [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/l/lydd_on_sea_halt/index.shtml Subterranea Britannica, "Lydd-on-Sea Halt".] ] The traffic never materialised and the station was downgraded to an unstaffed halt on 20 September 1954 when its passing loop was also lifted. As passenger traffic dwindled and freight became insignificant, the New Romney branch fell into decline and was listed for closure in the Beeching Report. In 1966 the Minister of Transport Barbara Castle announced her intention of closing the Appledore to New Romney Branch and passenger services ceased on 6 March 1967. [cite book | last = Oppitz | first = Leslie | title = Lost Railways of Kent | publisher = Countryside Books | date = 2003 | location = Newbury, Berkshire | pages =p. 82 | isbn = 978-1853068034 ]

Present day

Although the trackbed from Romney Junction towards New Romney is easily traceable, little remains of Lydd-on-Sea Halt today except for a gated concrete approach road from Kerton Road and a slightly raised area of ground. The island platform was demolished at some point after 1983.

References