Grove Ferry and Upstreet railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Grove Ferry and Upstreet
manager = SER
locale = Canterbury
borough = City of Canterbury
platforms = 2
years = 1 December 1846
events = Opened
years1 = 30 April 1960
events1 = Station closed to freight
years2 = 3 January 1966
events2 = Station closed to passengers

Grove Ferry and Upstreet was a railway station in east Kent. It was opened by South Eastern Railway (SER), on the Ashford to Ramsgate (via Canterbury West) line between Minster station and Sturry station.

It is now lies derelict and the platforms can still be viewed on both sides from passing trains, and are simple wooden and concrete structures, similar to that at Newington station on the Chatham Main Line.

History

Opened on 1 December 1846 this rural station was built to serve the small hamlets of Upstreet and Grove Ferry. A ferry crossed the River Stour until the 1960s when a bridge was built. The nearby "Grove Ferry Inn" owned the rights to the ferry and farmed lavender, creating a popular day trip destination up until the Second World War.

The public Level Crossing and goods sidings leading to the ferry was operated from a small signalbox. The broad steps leading to the footpath connecting the station to the village, although overgrown, can still be seen.

Goods traffic ceased on 30 April 1960 and the station was closed to passenger traffic on 3 January 1966 shortly before the introduction of a bus service over the new Grove Ferry Bridge, which would have undermined the low patronage.

Grove Ferry and Upstreet Station lives on in model form and is sometimes taken on tour by the Ashford Model Railway Club [ [http://www.ashfordmrc.co.uk/index_files/page0018.htm Ashford Model Railway Club] ]

References