Lewes railway station
Encyclopedia
Lewes railway station serves the town of Lewes
in East Sussex
, England
. It has five platforms and is on the East Coastway Line
. Train services are provided by Southern
.
The station has a café and a newsagent, and there is a taxi office on the main forecourt. There is a small taxi rank outside.
The typical arrangement for services is:
Northern platforms
Platform 1 is an eastbound platform for trains towards Eastbourne
, Seaford
and Hastings
, from London
Platform 2 is a westbound platform for trains towards London Victoria via Haywards Heath
Southern platforms
Platform 3 is an eastbound platform for trains towards Eastbourne
, Seaford
and Ashford
, from Brighton
Platform 4 is a westbound platform for trains to Brighton
from Eastbourne and Ashford
Platform 5 is a bi-directional through platform for terminating trains towards Brighton and Seaford
(tph = trains per hour)
The new station was itself extensively remodelled some time after a new through line was laid, effectively extending what had been the spur to the original station.
Not all of the lines serving Lewes Station survived the 20th century. The Wealden Line
had headed north to Uckfield
and on to London via Eridge
— this line also had trains to Tunbridge Wells West
. This line has been closed and lifted between Lewes and Uckfield. Branching off the Lewes to Uckfield section at Culver Farm was the lower portion of the Bluebell Railway
, a portion of which remains as a preserved railway. Evidence of the line closures remains in the form of filled-in trackbeds at former, now redundant platforms in the station.
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
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:...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has five platforms and is on the East Coastway Line
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
. Train services are provided by Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
.
The station has a café and a newsagent, and there is a taxi office on the main forecourt. There is a small taxi rank outside.
Layout
The station platforms are arranged in a "V" shape, with the main buildings in between. There have been many changes during the lifetime of the station (see history section, below).The typical arrangement for services is:
Northern platforms
Platform 1 is an eastbound platform for trains towards Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
, Seaford
Seaford railway station
Seaford Railway Station is in Seaford in East Sussex, England. Seaford is the terminus of the Seaford Branch Line of the East Coastway Line. The station has been reduced to single track and only one platform remains in use...
and Hastings
Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
, from London
Platform 2 is a westbound platform for trains towards London Victoria via Haywards Heath
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
Southern platforms
Platform 3 is an eastbound platform for trains towards Eastbourne
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
, Seaford
Seaford railway station
Seaford Railway Station is in Seaford in East Sussex, England. Seaford is the terminus of the Seaford Branch Line of the East Coastway Line. The station has been reduced to single track and only one platform remains in use...
and Ashford
Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
, from Brighton
Platform 4 is a westbound platform for trains to Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
from Eastbourne and Ashford
Platform 5 is a bi-directional through platform for terminating trains towards Brighton and Seaford
Services
The typical off-peak service is:- 5tph to BrightonBrighton railway stationBrighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
- 2tph to London VictoriaVictoria station (London)Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex. It is named after nearby Victoria Street and not Queen Victoria. It is the second busiest railway terminus in London after Waterloo, and includes an air terminal for passengers...
via Gatwick AirportGatwick Airport railway stationGatwick Airport station is the railway station at London Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km away. The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse... - 2tph to OreOre railway stationOre railway station serves Ore Valley in East Sussex, England. It is on the Marshlink Line, and train services are provided by Southern, with a few peak services operated by Southeastern.Third rail 750V DC electrification from Hastings ends here....
via EastbourneEastbourne railway stationEastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
and HastingsHastings railway stationHastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International.... - 1tph to Ashford InternationalAshford International railway stationAshford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
via EastbourneEastbourne railway stationEastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
and HastingsHastings railway stationHastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International.... - 2tph to SeafordSeaford railway stationSeaford Railway Station is in Seaford in East Sussex, England. Seaford is the terminus of the Seaford Branch Line of the East Coastway Line. The station has been reduced to single track and only one platform remains in use...
- 1tph to Eastbourne
(tph = trains per hour)
History
The station was originally built as a terminus on the Brighton line. This station became inconvenient after extra tracks were laid to Hastings, meeting the Brighton line at a junction just west of Lewes Station (i.e. towards Brighton), necessitating reversals for trains serving Lewes. Capacity increases also became desirable because of new direct links to London. This first station was therefore replaced; the original booking hall with grand classical columns outside survived until the 1960s but was then demolished.The new station was itself extensively remodelled some time after a new through line was laid, effectively extending what had been the spur to the original station.
Not all of the lines serving Lewes Station survived the 20th century. The Wealden Line
Wealden Line
Taking its name from its route through the chalk hills of the North and South Downs of the Weald, England, the Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of ....
had headed north to Uckfield
Uckfield railway station
Uckfield railway station serves Uckfield in East Sussex, England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is the terminus for the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line.- History :...
and on to London via Eridge
Eridge railway station
Eridge railway station serves a rural district around Eridge in East Sussex. Mainline train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line. Also heritage services connecting to Groombridge, High Rocks and Tunbridge Wells West are run...
— this line also had trains to Tunbridge Wells West
Tunbridge Wells West railway station
Tunbridge Wells West is a railway station located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent. It is one of two railway stations in Tunbridge Wells constructed by rival companies. The other, Tunbridge Wells Central was opened in 1845 by the South Eastern Railway . Tunbridge Wells West was closed to mainline...
. This line has been closed and lifted between Lewes and Uckfield. Branching off the Lewes to Uckfield section at Culver Farm was the lower portion of the Bluebell Railway
Bluebell Railway
The Bluebell Railway is a heritage line running for nine miles along the border between East and West Sussex, England. Steam trains are operated between and , with an intermediate station at .The railway is managed and run largely by volunteers...
, a portion of which remains as a preserved railway. Evidence of the line closures remains in the form of filled-in trackbeds at former, now redundant platforms in the station.
Timeline
- 8 June 1846: Line from Brighton opened.
- A terminus was provided for services arriving from Brighton (1846–57).
- 27 June 1846: Line is extended from Lewes to Hastings.
- A platform is provided, called "Ham (or Southover)", slightly west of the divergence for the Hastings line (1846–48).
- 2 October 1847: Keymer Junction to Lewes line opened.
- Platforms (going by the name of Pinwell) are built opposite the Terminus, west of the Hasting line divergence, serving trains to and from the Hasting direction (1847–57).
- 1857: A new station is built at the divergence of the Keymer line.
- This was the first station at this site, the station building being of a Swiss chalet style (1857–89).
- 1 October 1886: a new junction for the realigned Wealden Line opened.
- The alignment of this line appears to have passed through the location of the original terminus; the station goods yard also being at this location. Prior to this date the Wealden line joined the Keymer line at a junction between the north portal of Lewes Tunnel and Cooksbridge Station (see the Wealden LineWealden LineTaking its name from its route through the chalk hills of the North and South Downs of the Weald, England, the Wealden Line is a partly abandoned double track railway line in East Sussex and Kent that connected Lewes with Tunbridge Wells, a distance of ....
article for details).- 17 June 1889: Current station opened.
- The 1857 station is totally rebuilt and the track layout changed; this new station is the one still in use today.
- On 5 November 1960, Lewes suffered severe flooding, legend has it that the Borough SurveyorSurveyingSee Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
requested that the London Platforms be blown up to allow flood water to escape via the railway track-bed. The British Railways district EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
declined to co-operate. In the 1960s, the original 1846 terminus building fronting the public street (Friars Walk), was demolished.
- On 5 November 1960, Lewes suffered severe flooding, legend has it that the Borough Surveyor