Withyham railway station
Encyclopedia
Withyham was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line
which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe
. The station building survived the closure and is now a private residence named the "Old Withyham Station"; much of the trackbed as far as Groombridge
and Three Bridges are part of the Worth Way and Forest Way
cyclepath/footpaths.
1) A bridge over the B2210 near Ashurst Junction has been removed and the embankment cut back.
2) An industrial site currently occupies the former location of Forest Row railway station
as well as a small recycling centre to the west.
3) At Forest Row a bridge over the A22 has been removed and the embankment cut back.
4) The formation has been built across in several places notably in East Grinstead
where about one mile of the trackbed from Station Road to the Lewes Road tunnel has been taken over for a relief road (the A22
ironically named Beeching Way after local resident Richard Beeching
whose recommendations
closed the railway line). As there is no feasible alternative route into the station, this road would need to be reconverted back to rail. Any such action would in all likelihood result in a cut in capacity on an already highly congested road network.
5) The site of Grange Road
has disappeared under a small parade of shops as well as housing which block 0.64 miles of the formation.
6) The M23 cuts across the trackbed between Three Bridges and Grange Road
on the Bluebell Railway
as part of the new museum.
Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line
The Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line was a railway line running from Three Bridges in West Sussex to Tunbridge Wells Central in Kent via East Grinstead in East Sussex, a distance of . Opened in 1855, the main section of the line was a casualty of the Beeching Axe the last train ran on...
which closed in 1967, a casualty of 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...
. The station building survived the closure and is now a private residence named the "Old Withyham Station"; much of the trackbed as far as Groombridge
Groombridge
thumb|right|A house in GroombridgeGroombridge is a village of about 1,600 people. It straddles the border between Kent and East Sussex, in England. The nearest large town is Tunbridge Wells, about away by road....
and Three Bridges are part of the Worth Way and Forest Way
Forest Way
The Forest Way is a linear Country park providing walking, cycling, horse riding and the quiet enjoyment of the countryside. It runs for around 16 km from East Grinstead to Groombridge....
cyclepath/footpaths.
Reopening
With regard to the possible reopening of the remaining section of the line from Groombridge to Three Bridges, a number of physical obstacles would appear to stand in the way of such action, most notably:1) A bridge over the B2210 near Ashurst Junction has been removed and the embankment cut back.
2) An industrial site currently occupies the former location of Forest Row railway station
Forest Row railway station
Forest Row was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe....
as well as a small recycling centre to the west.
3) At Forest Row a bridge over the A22 has been removed and the embankment cut back.
4) The formation has been built across in several places notably in East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
where about one mile of the trackbed from Station Road to the Lewes Road tunnel has been taken over for a relief road (the A22
A22 road
The A22 is one of the two-digit major roads in the south east of England. It carries traffic from London to Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast...
ironically named Beeching Way after local resident Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching
Richard Beeching, Baron Beeching , commonly known as Doctor Beeching, was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer...
whose recommendations
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...
closed the railway line). As there is no feasible alternative route into the station, this road would need to be reconverted back to rail. Any such action would in all likelihood result in a cut in capacity on an already highly congested road network.
5) The site of Grange Road
Grange Road railway station
Grange Road was a railway station on the Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells Central Line which closed in 1967, a casualty of the Beeching Axe.The original proposal to construct the railway line drew objections from one J.H. Wilson, the owner of "The Grange" house, who refused to allow a station on...
has disappeared under a small parade of shops as well as housing which block 0.64 miles of the formation.
6) The M23 cuts across the trackbed between Three Bridges and Grange Road
Signal Box
The signalbox that controlled the gates at the level crossing at the western end of the station is now preserved at Sheffield Park stationSheffield Park railway station
Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian....
on 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...
as part of the new museum.