Westerham railway station
Westerham | |
|---|---|
Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways | |
| Key dates | |
| 3 July 1881[1] | Opened |
| 30 October 1961[1] | Closed |
Westerham railway station served the village of Westerham in Kent from 1881 until its closure in 1961.
History
No railway was ever constructed all the way between
However, in 1881 the Westerham Valley Railway Company built the
The line was ostensibly closed in October 1961 as being unremunerative due to low patronage[1] and was the subject of a preservation attempt by the Westerham Valley Railway Association. The Association had succeeded in obtaining a lease of Westerham Station from British Rail in April 1962 and had carried out maintenance works. Just after this it was purchased from British Rail by Kent County Council under the terms of compulsory purchase; the Council demolished the road bridge at Chevening in order to build the A21 Sevenoaks Bypass. Whilst the Council was happy to lease the line to the Association this was on condition that the Association had to raise the required funds to construct an overbridge for the now widened A21 at Chevening. The Association was unable to meet the costs of constructing the overbridge and the Council promptly in-filled the section, effectively cutting the line in two. The station buildings were later demolished and track lifted by March 1967.[2] Some 15 year later in 1976 the Southern section of the London Orbital motorway, the M25 was built over a proportion of the old line.[1] This closure was coincident with the removal of all steam services in the Kent area following the completion of a number of major electrification schemes.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Westerham branch
|
Brasted |
Present day
The "Westerham Flyer" was the