Disused Stations: Westerham Station

Westerham Station Gallery 10: August 1962 - Late 1962

An August 1962 view of a disused Westerham station and goods shed from the east end of the forecourt. A lamp standard can be seen beside the goods shed but minus lamp and thus indicative of the fittings removed following closure. Telegraphs wires had, however, been left intact as seen above as had all signalling equipment and most of the track. One suspects that what had happened was BR began to dismantle the line but ceased when the preservationists took steps towards taking over. But preservationists aside, it was common BR practice to remove fixtures and fittings from stations soon, or immediately, after closure and commence track-lifting at a later date. The platform runs in front of the station building, right, but is hidden by undergrowth. In the background the distinctive, albeit rather plain, spire of St Mary the Virgin church can be seen.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

A further 1962 view, this time from the end of the line with the dock on the right. The empty patch of ground right of centre marks the spot where a connection from the loop (or No.1 Siding as it was known) once ran and connected with the goods shed road to serve the dock. After this connection was removed, the track exiting the goods shed appears to have been slewed a little to the right. The advertisement hoarding continues to recommend beer and also Harp lager. In those days lager, which is really just a light beer, was a somewhat more select 'alternative' than it is today and the advertisement seen above, albeit only partly visible, implied lager was a fashionable drink for young blondes.

Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

View from the west end of the station and facing the goods shed in August 1962. Part of the platform and canopy can be seen towards the left, while beer continues to be lovely. Between shed and platform Westerham's 5-ton crane can be seen. The building to the right of the goods shed is a cement store with coal bunkers located between the shed and the store. The building first appeared in the first decade of the twentieth century and was probably originally a grain store for miller A E Barton which accounts for it being raised above the ground (to deter rats). It was later used as a cement store by Hortons and in the 1950s the name on the side said 'B. Horton... Cement and plaster.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

An unusual view of Westerham, taken in August 1962, ten months after closure. The road vehicle bay of the goods shed is clearly seen and its floor height appears to be rather low and more suited to the horse-drawn carts it was designed for rather than motor vehicles. The water tower is visible in the distance as is part of the signal box. The station is out of view to the left. The gates are the entrance to the goods yard. The weighbridge office which was just inside the gates on the left had been demolished by this time. The road is now known as Hortons Way although it was neither named nor adopted at this time; it leads to an industrial area and to Railway Terrace and Bloomfield Terrace.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Westerham's goods yard and 5-ton crane in the summer of 1962. The layout was basic yet quite spacious and another siding ran where the grassy strip is on the right. The crane was hand-operated and its jib can be seen anchored, apparently not too well, to the bar designed to prevent it swinging in high winds. The base of the crane still survives in the Flyers Way industrial estate. After closure and like most disused stations, Westerham station and its environs suffered some vandalism, smashed windows and so forth, but photographic evidence suggests much of the site was left to quietly slumber. The building to the right water tower is miller A E Barton's warehouse.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Looking north-east towards the water tower from the goods yard in August 1962. The signal box and station are out of view to the left. At far left a shunt signal can just be seen but under magnification its disc appears to be upside-down for some mysterious reason. Also visible are some stacks of sleepers; a feature which appears to have been ever-present during the final years of the branch and subsequently. The water crane is visible to the right of the water tower while in the background are the houses of Madan Road. The stationmaster lived at No. 46 which is the last house visible.

Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

August 1962 and a game of spot-the-railway in this unusual viewpoint looking east from London Road. Visible is the starting signal, signal box and part of the water tower but otherwise it would be impossible to tell a railway still existed here, albeit disused. The fencing on the right is at the back of the platform; one of the swan-necked lamp standards, now without its lamp, is seen. The timber buildings in the background are part of the timber yard and the houses in the distance are Railway Terrace. Just visible on the extreme left there is a low concrete structure; this might be part of a WW2 air raid shelter that was built here.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

The end of the line at Westerham in August 1962, ten months after closure. Had things gone to plan, trains would have passed this point en route to and from Oxted. The far track was the running line, effectively the headshunt for the run-round loop, while the near track was ran through the goods shed terminating end-on to the dock. The steps to the right of the tree give access to the dock. Westerham Primary School, right background, still stands today but is now in use as offices. The small building on the right is the lamp room.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Westerham station forecourt and building in August 1962, ten months after closure. The building shows evidence of removed noticeboards. On the right, the beer promoting campaign is now encouraging one to buy Harp lager but only, apparently, if one is a blonde female. Note the London Transport bus stop. People not from, or unfamiliar with, the area around London may find this surprising but the green 'country area' buses of London Transport operated outside in the Home Counties outside of the central red bus area. London Transport's country area, including Green Line, ultimately became part of the (now defunct) National Bus Company as London Country Bus Services Ltd. At the time of writing Transport for London route 246 serves Westerham from Bromley. The car on the left is a Renault Dauphine. Introduced in 1956 these little rear-engined cars were among the first foreign cars to be imported into Britain in large numbers. They were not well built suffering from corrosion when still relatively new and, like many rear-engined cars, had a tendency to oversteer. But then they were an economy car and Renault never claimed otherwise. Pluses were, now let us think, ah yes, good fuel economy for the time, three speed gearbox, for the adventurous driver a strange electro-magnetically operated clutch, four wheels and, apparently, seats. What more could the thrifty, unpatriotic British driver ask for.
Photo by Ian Nolan from his Flickr photostream

Another view of Westerham station and forecourt in August 1962. To the right of the door is the painted inscription 'Westerham Railway', probably the work of the would-be preservationists who leased the building from BR a few weeks earlier.

Photo by Nick Catford

By late 1962 little has changed apart from the removal of all station signage. The Westerham Valley Railway Association has only recently taken over the site. The advertisement hoarding continues to inform us 'Beer it's lovely!' but this time the text has changed from 'Beer - it's lovely!'. Perhaps the little dash was needed elsewhere.
Photo by Terry Tracey

Sometime in 1962 a group of volunteers from the preservation scheme busy themselves at Westerham. The scene is typical of embryonic preservation attempts back in the days before the railway preservation movement really took-off with, at that time, only the Bluebell and Middleton Railways to speak of in the standard gauge context. As the years marched on, railway preservationists became very professional (without meaning to deride the Westerham scheme) and adept at fund raising. We should also remember that in 1962 steam traction was still common and perhaps did not have the appeal it does today. The above scene illustrates the amount of manual labour involved and the clearing of undergrowth must have been a tedious task irrespective of enthusiasm. Tedious it may have been but scenes such as this at least told the public that something was being done. Unfortunately, as other images below show, this enthusiasm was not to last and probably because of a preoccupation with battles with officialdom which plagued and ultimately saw the demise of the Westerham scheme. On the left, it would appear the station building had yet to be repainted but the damaged part of the canopy, which became a feature in many photographs, has been repaired and possibly by the chap with the ladder. It is well known that the preservationists planned to operate steam tourist trains and diesel commuter services but what often slips the mind is that facilities for steam and diesel traction would have to be provided. This would have been expensive and time-consuming which highlights well the fact a bit of painting and undergrowth clearance was merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg. British Railways appeared to be unusually accommodating, even suspiciously so, of the preservationists, to the point of agreeing to the use of the branch platform at Dunton Green. With the benefit of hindsight one has to wonder if BR knew the scheme was doomed from the outset as this level of co-operation was not exactly typical as the years progressed.
Photo from Jim Lake collection

Click here for Westerham Station Gallery 11:
Winter 1962/3 - Early 1965

[Source: Nick Catford]