Hellingly railway station
Encyclopedia
Hellingly was a railway station on the now closed Eridge to Polegate
line (the Cuckoo Line
) in East Sussex
. It served the village of Hellingly
.
There was also a separate platform for passengers visiting Hellingly Hospital
by tram, until 1933, the passenger service via Tramcar being discontinued from 1931. The line, known as the Hellingly Hospital Railway
continued in use for transporting coal wagons from Hellingly Station for use at the Hospital until 1959 .
It was built by London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
. The line was closed under the Beeching Axe
in 1965 for passenger trains and completely in 1968. The station building survives today as a private residence, complete with canopy. The "Cuckoo Trail" public footpath and cycleway now runs along the trackbed.
Polegate
Polegate is a town and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England, United Kingdom. It is located five miles north of the seaside resort of Eastbourne, and is part of the greater area of that town. Although once a railway settlement, its importance as such has now waned with...
line (the Cuckoo Line
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route...
) in 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:...
. It served the village of Hellingly
Hellingly
Hellingly is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village is located 1.5 miles north of Hailsham.The nearby village of Lower Dicker is located within the parish.-History:...
.
There was also a separate platform for passengers visiting Hellingly Hospital
Hellingly Hospital
Hellingly Hospital was a large mental hospital in the village of Hellingly, east of Hailsham, in East Sussex, England. The hospital, also known as East Sussex County Asylum or just Hellingly, was opened in 1903...
by tram, until 1933, the passenger service via Tramcar being discontinued from 1931. The line, known as the Hellingly Hospital Railway
Hellingly Hospital Railway
The Hellingly Hospital Railway was a light railway owned and operated by the East Sussex County Council. It was used to deliver coal and passengers to Hellingly Hospital, a psychiatric hospital near Hailsham, via a spur from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway’s Cuckoo Line at Hellingly...
continued in use for transporting coal wagons from Hellingly Station for use at the Hospital until 1959 .
It was built by 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...
. The line was closed under 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...
in 1965 for passenger trains and completely in 1968. The station building survives today as a private residence, complete with canopy. The "Cuckoo Trail" public footpath and cycleway now runs along the trackbed.