Station Name: ROWFANT

 

[Source: Nick Catford]



Date opened: 9.7.1855
Location: On the east side of Wallage Lane
Company on opening: East Grinstead Railway
Date closed to passengers: 2.1.1967
Date closed completely: 2.1.1967
Company on closing: British Railways (Southern Region)
Present state: The majority of the station site and goods yard is occupied by Colas Ltd who manufacture road making materials. The main station building and part of the eastbound platform survive as does the stationmaster's house, now a private residence. Worth Way runs along the north side of the station building which is unused with bricked up doorways and windows.
County: Sussex
OS Grid Ref: TQ325368
Date of visit: November 1967, March 1975, May 1976 & 14.11.1005

Notes: Rowfant Station was built largely for the benefit of Curtis Miranda Lampson of Rowfant House who sold his land to the railway cheaply on the condition that a station was built there. It served no village. Originally the station had one platform. The main station building had a small alcove at one end. Although this looked like an entrance there was no access into the building. This was a porch with stone seats for Lampson's coachman to shelter while he waited for his 'master' to return from London.

Rowfant held the record for the least revenue for passenger journeys on the LBSC jointly with Kingscote (now part of Bluebell Line)! Not surprising when you look at the lack of local population. After Gatwick Airport opened in the late 1950's the goods yard was used as a fuel store for jet fuel until the line shut in 1967 and was therefore busy with tanker traffic. Goods facilities were withdrawn from the station from 7.1.1961.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE THREE BRIDGES - TUNBRIDGE WELLS WEST RAILWAY
Following a public meeting in 1852, the East Grinstead Railway Company was in formed and in November of that year applied to parliament for powers to construct a 6 3/4 mile branch line from a terminus at East Grinstead to a junction with the London Brighton & South Coast Railway's main line at Three Bridges. The bill received Royal Assent on 8th July 1853 and the branch line opened on 9th July 1855 with a single intermediate station at Rowfant; a second station at Grange Road was added in March 1860.

The new line was an immediate success carrying both passengers and goods. Even before the line opened there was talk of an extension to Tunbridge Wells and the East Grinstead Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells Railway Act was passed on 7th August 1862. Prior to this date the Brighton, Uckfield and Tunbridge Wells Railway had their Act passed in 1861 for an extension from the existing terminus at Uckfield to a new terminus at Tunbridge Wells and work on this line had already started in April 1862.
The EGG & TWR proposed to obtain powers to run over the BU & TWR line between Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells but before either line was opened the two companies were absorbed into the London Brighton & South Coast Railway in January 1865.

The extension to Tunbridge Wells was opened on 1st October 1866, nearly two years before the, line from Uckfield was ready; it was single throughout except for a resited East Grinstead Station and at Groombridge

There were three intermediate stations at Forest Row, Hartfield and Withyham.

Despite the success of the original line to East Grinstead, the extension proved less popular and the initial passenger service of 6 trains each way per day was soon reduced to save money, the goods service was however more profitable.

The extension from Uckfield to Groombridge was opened on 3rd August 1868 and on 1st February 1876 a short spur through Grove Tunnel was opened between the LBSC terminus and Tunbridge Wells to a junction with the South Eastern Railway south of their own station in the town to allow the running of through trains. On 5th April 1880 the LBSC extended their line from Hailsham to a junction with the Uckfield line at Eridge with services running on into Tunbridge Wells.

With the opening of the Lewes & East Grinstead Railway and the Croydon, Oxted and East Grinstead Railway in 1883 it was once again necessary to resite East Grinstead Station. The two new lines approached the Three Bridges line at right angles from the north and south respectively. Because of the angle it was impossible to take the L & GR into the existing station so a new station was built quarter of a mile to the west with two island platforms on the old line above and at right angles to a new station at the end on junction between the EGR and the CO & EGR with a sharply curving spur linking the two lines.

The final line in the equation was the Oxted and Groombridge Railway which opened on 1st October 1888 bringing yet another service into Tunbridge Wells.

The opening of these new routes from London all reduced passenger numbers on the line from Three Bridges which was now the longest out of four routes from London to Tunbridge Wells. Only one intermediate station, Forest Row was able to build up quite respectable commuter traffic to London with several trains terminating there.

With ever rising operating costs a new rail motor service consisting of a single carriage hauled or propelled by a small tank engine was introduced in 1906. A new halt was opened at High Rocks between Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells, served only by the rail motors. These new trains eventually halted the decline in passenger revenue with the service reaching its peak in 1914.

WW1 had little affect on the line and some new services were introduced following the formation of the Southern Railway in 1923. WW2 brought a reduction in services with the withdrawal of the rail motors. A government oil store was established at Rowfant bringing an increase in freight traffic. After the war some passenger services were reinstated but by 1950 both passenger and freight service were in decline and BR was considering the possible closure of the line between Three Bridges and Ashurst Junction in 1951 with passenger numbers at Hartfield in 1949 being only a quarter of those carried in 1923.

The East Grinstead - Lewes line closed in May 1955 but the Three Bridges line survived with a new timetable being introduced in June 1955. There was a marked improvement in passenger numbers, especially between Three Bridges and East Grinstead but despite a proposal to introduce diesel-electric train in 1962 the line was threatened by the Beeching Axe (Dr. Beeching lived in East Grinstead) when the Three bridges - Tunbridge Wells line was one of many proposed for closure in March 1963. (The only line to remain open was the line from London - East Grinstead via Oxted on which Dr. Beeching was a first class season ticket holder!)

Despite strong local objections and a new timetable, Barbara Castle confirmed closure of the line between Three Bridges and Groombridge from 1st January 1967. Although originally proposed for closure the section between Groombridge and Tunbridge Wells West (West was added to the name in 1923) remained open.

Track lifting began at the east end of the line late in 1967 and was not completed until 1970. In July 1979 much of the trackbed between Three Bridges and East Grinstead was turned into a public footpath and cycleway known as Worth Way. The 9 1/2 mile section of line between East Grinstead and Groombridge has also been converted into a public footpath and cycleway known as Forest Way.

Although the route into Tunbridge Wells West remained open there was no investment in the line and by the early 1980's the track and signaling needed replacing. With the planned removal of Grove Junction during the upgrade of the Tonbridge - Hastings line British Rail decided they could no longer justify keeping the line open and announced closure of the line from 16th May 1983. Once again there were strong objections but these were outweighed by British Rail's cost argument. They estimated that to upgrade the infrastructure, while retaining the existing services, would give a £175,000 loss per year and the Secretary of State confirmed closure of the line on 6th July 1985.

Grove Junction was removed the day after closure but the line from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells remained in use until 10th August 1985 when the depot was closed.

Shortly after closure the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society was formed with an aim of reinstating the passenger service on the line. The Society acquired the line in the early 1990's and by winter 1996 they had refurbished half a mile of track and were able to run a steam service from their base on part of the old Tunbridge Wells West station site. TWERPS later merged with the North Downs Steam Railway at Dartford, Kent. The line is now known as The Spa Valley Railways, a name chosen as the result of a competition.

The Spa Valley Railways now runs for 3 1/2 miles to a new station at Groombridge with an intermediate station at High Rocks built by the owner of the High Rocks Inn and Restaurant.

Further reading: Three Bridges to Tunbridge Wells by David Gould Oakwood Press 1983
ISBN 0 85361 299 4

Branch lines to East Grinstead by Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith - Middleton Press 1984
ISBN ISBN 090652007X

To see the other stations on the Three Bridges - Tunbridge Wells West line click on the station name: Three Bridges,
Grange Road, East Grinstead High Level, Forest Row, Hartfield, Withyham, Groombridge, High Rocks Halt
& Tunbridge Wells West


Rowfant Station in 1960
Photo from Richard Clark collection



Rowfant Station in November 1969
P
hoto by Nick Catford

Rowfant Station in November 2005 - the track bed between the platforms has been largely filled in and replaced by a works road just below platform level.
P
hoto by Derek Hayward

Click here for more pictures of Rowfant Station

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF LINES AND STATIONS SERVING TUNBRIDGE WELLS WEST

 

 

 

:[Source: Nick Catford]


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