Shakespeare Cliff Halt railway station

Coordinates: 51°6′27″N 1°16′42″E / 51.10750°N 1.27833°E / 51.10750; 1.27833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Shakespeare Cliff Halt
Southern Railway
Key dates
2 June 1913[1]Opened
circa 1994?last used

Shakespeare Cliff Halt is a private

Shakespeare Cliff tunnel on the South Eastern Main Line to Folkestone, England. It never appeared in any public timetable and has been used successively by railway staff, coal miners, the military and Channel Tunnel workers.[2]

History

Shakespeare Cliff, Dover, photochrome print

Shakespeare Cliff near

Shakespeare Colliery was opened on the site in 1896 and was producing 8 long tons (8.1 t) of coal per day by 1907.[4]

In 1913, the

siding. The station was never advertised in any public timetable because members of the public alighting there would find themselves on an isolated wedge of flat land carved into the chalk cliff face.[6]

For some years a watchman was based at the station and a zig-zag path was provided to give access from the top of the cliff.

Second World War to serve a nearby military camp, and medical staff are also recorded as having used the halt in the post-war period.[5] Shakespeare Cliff Halt was given a new lease of life when work began again on the abortive Channel Tunnel of that time. Workmen carrying out preliminary work used the halt between November 1973 and January 1974, and it was used again in the early 1990s during the actual construction of the Channel Tunnel. At that time, the up platform was rebuilt and lengthened, and a substantial timber footbridge was built across the rail tracks, with offices on the bridge. Special season tickets were issued by British Rail for people involved in constructing the Tunnel.[7] The last use of the halt was by those constructing Samphire Hoe
Country Park on the site of the Tunnel workings.

Shakespeare Cliff halt (top left) seen during construction of Channel Tunnel 25/6/88 from the South East Coast Path.

Present day

The halt has fallen into disuse since completion of the Channel Tunnel in 1994. The timber shelter provided for users is barely standing, and the nameboard has gone, although its concrete supports remain.[8]

See also

  • Samphire Hoe Country Park - the carpark is to the seaward side of the station site

References

  1. ISBN 1-85260-508-1
    .
  2. ISBN 0-85361-321-4
    .
  3. ISBN 1-872009-48-4
    .
  4. ^ "Shakespeare Colliery". Coalfield Heritage Initiative Kent. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-85361-281-1
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-7134-0490-6
    .
  7. ^ "Shakespeare Cliff Halt". Disused Stations. Subterranea Britannica. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
  8. ^ "Shakespeare Cliff Halt". David Glasspool (Kent Rail). 2006. Retrieved 2 March 2011.

51°6′27″N 1°16′42″E / 51.10750°N 1.27833°E / 51.10750; 1.27833

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