Bodiam railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Bodiam
gridref = TQ783249


caption =
manager = Kent and East Sussex Railway
owner = Southern Region of British Railways
locale = Bodiam
borough = Rother, East Sussex
platforms = ?
years = 15 May 1905
events = Opened
years2 = 2 January 1954
events2 = Closed
years3 = 2 April 2000
events3 = Reopened

Bodiam is a heritage railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in Bodiam, East Sussex.

History

Situated half a mile from the Bodiam village itself and its fourteenth century castle, the station opened in 1905 in a rather remote and rural location. It was surrounded by hop fields, mainly owned by Guinness, and helped to serve the industry in the area, bringing hop-pickers to and from the fields and transporting hops to the breweries. [ [http://www.kesr.org.uk/stations/bodiam.htm Kent and East Sussex Railway, "Bodiam"] ] In 1910, a siding was added which effectively acted as a loop allowing freight trains to pass passenger trains.cite book | last = Mitchell | first = Vic | authorlink = | coauthors = Smith, Keith | title = Branch Line to Tenterden | publisher = Middleton Press | date = 1988 | location = Midhurst, West Sussex | isbn = 978-0906520215 ] The station was known as "Bodiam for Staplecross".

In keeping with other stations on the line, the main station building was fitted out in typical spartan style. Only Gents toilet facilities were available and the urinal was flushed using water gathered in the building's rainwater pipe.

Dwindling passenger numbers and increased competition from road hauliers saw the line close in 1954. It was subsequently rescued in 1971 by the Tenterden Railway Company (now the Kent and East Sussex Railway) who purchased the line between Tenterden and Bodiam for £60,000. Its extension to Bodiam was completed in 2000 and the station now marks the line's southern terminus. [ [http://www.kesr.org.uk/about_kesr/history.htm Kent and East Sussex Railway, "History"] ]

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References