Christs Hospital railway station
Encyclopedia
Christ's Hospital railway station is near Horsham
, West Sussex
. It was opened in 1902 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
(LBSCR) and was intended primarily to serve Christ's Hospital
, a large independent school which had moved to the area in that year. It now also serves the rural area to the west of Horsham. In order to alight from the train here, one must travel in the first seven carriages as the station has a short platform.
Opened originally as "Christ's Hospital West Horsham", the station was until the mid-1960s an important junction with, in addition to the existing link to Arundel
via Pulborough
, connections to Guildford
via Cranleigh
and Brighton
via Shoreham
.
The magnificent red brick station, reflecting the LBSCR's aspirations for the area, was constructed using bricks supplied by the nearby Southwater Brickworks. Five through tracks were laid which served seven facing platforms. Three platforms were set aside to the Cranleigh Line
and two other platforms served passengers on the Steyning Line
and Arun Valley Line
- allowing trains travelling from London via Horsham the option of routes to Pulborough, Shoreham or Guildford and beyond. A single loop on the down line serving two facing platforms was installed to deal with the large number of pupils expected (the school had 835 pupils) and the van trains carrying their luggage, as well as holiday specials. The school governors subsidised the costs of construction.
In the event, the LBSCR's expectation of an income from the station to match the size of its premises would be defeated by two developments. Firstly, Christ's Hospital school has only ever accommodated boarders - the LBSCR did not consider this when building the station. Secondly, the anticipated residential development in the area did not materialise. This was not helped by the fact that the school had purchased much of the land around the junction, effectively ending any hopes for housing in the area. The LBSCR was therefore left with a white elephant
: the capacity and stature of the station being vastly out of proportion with its status as a useful rural interchange, rather than an important railway junction serving much of West Sussex.
Dwindling passenger numbers resulted in the station losing much of its usefulness in the 1960s, when the Steyning Line and Cranleigh Line closed as a consequence of the Beeching Axe
. For a time the station itself was under threat of closure, but survived following a public outcry and the presentation of a petition with 3,046 signatures to the Queen.
The station bears little resemblance today to the grand Edwardian structure erected by the LBSCR. In 1972 British Rail
reduced it to a size more suited to its existing traffic, demolishing the station building and reducing the number of platforms from seven to two. The platforms used for the Cranleigh Line (nos. 5, 6 and 7) were dismantled and fenced off. The down loop (plats 1 and 2) was filled in and the sidings have disappeared. The only platforms that remain in use are nos. 3 and 4 which are now respectively the downside and upside platforms, served by the double track line between Horsham and Billingshurst. The only original structures remaining are the subway and the platform 2 and 3 waiting room and toilet. The ticket office is now open from the first London bound train (Monday to Friday) which is about 0630, until 10:40 when the office shuts. There is also a 'Quick Ticket' machine allowing passengers to purchase tickets when the office is closed. In April 2009 Southern
installed display screens allowing passengers to see when trains are due.
(When returning from London passengers should ensure they are in the rear part of the train.)
In the peak more of the trains stop here although not all of them.
On Sundays there is only 1 tph down the line and all of these stop at Christ's Hospital.
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. It was opened in 1902 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
(LBSCR) and was intended primarily to serve Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
, a large independent school which had moved to the area in that year. It now also serves the rural area to the west of Horsham. In order to alight from the train here, one must travel in the first seven carriages as the station has a short platform.
Opened originally as "Christ's Hospital West Horsham", the station was until the mid-1960s an important junction with, in addition to the existing link to Arundel
Arundel railway station
Arundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex.The station is on the eastern side of the town, about 500m from the High Street, across the River Arun.-History:...
via Pulborough
Pulborough railway station
Pulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :...
, connections to Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
via Cranleigh
Cranleigh railway station
Cranleigh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line which served the village of Cranleigh. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley" and vice versa...
and Brighton
Brighton railway station
Brighton railway station is the principal railway station in the city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England. The station master is Mark Epsom...
via Shoreham
Shoreham-by-Sea railway station
Shoreham-by-Sea railway station serves the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in the county of West Sussex, and also serves the nearby Shoreham Airport. The station and the majority of trains serving it are operated by Southern...
.
History
The belief that the school's arrival would generate substantial passenger traffic, and that the growing town of Horsham would expand westwards, led the LBSCR to invest £30,000 into constructing a magnificent station building with a goods yard and facilities. Previously there had been no station at this point, only a small wooden platform which was used by a local dairy to ferry milk to London; this platform had fallen into disuse upon the bankruptcy of the dairy.Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
and two other platforms served passengers on the Steyning Line
Steyning Line
The Steyning Line was a railway line that connected the West Sussex market town of Horsham with the once bustling south-coast port of Shoreham-by-Sea, with the possibility of an onward connection to Brighton...
and Arun Valley Line
Arun Valley Line
The Arun Valley Line, also known as the Mid Sussex Line, is part of the Southern-operated railway services. For the initial part of the route trains follow the Brighton Main Line, and at a junction south of Three Bridges the route turns westwards...
- allowing trains travelling from London via Horsham the option of routes to Pulborough, Shoreham or Guildford and beyond. A single loop on the down line serving two facing platforms was installed to deal with the large number of pupils expected (the school had 835 pupils) and the van trains carrying their luggage, as well as holiday specials. The school governors subsidised the costs of construction.
In the event, the LBSCR's expectation of an income from the station to match the size of its premises would be defeated by two developments. Firstly, Christ's Hospital school has only ever accommodated boarders - the LBSCR did not consider this when building the station. Secondly, the anticipated residential development in the area did not materialise. This was not helped by the fact that the school had purchased much of the land around the junction, effectively ending any hopes for housing in the area. The LBSCR was therefore left with a white elephant
White elephant
A white elephant is an idiom for a valuable but burdensome possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness or worth...
: the capacity and stature of the station being vastly out of proportion with its status as a useful rural interchange, rather than an important railway junction serving much of West Sussex.
Dwindling passenger numbers resulted in the station losing much of its usefulness in the 1960s, when the Steyning Line and Cranleigh Line closed as a consequence 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...
. For a time the station itself was under threat of closure, but survived following a public outcry and the presentation of a petition with 3,046 signatures to the Queen.
Present day station
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
reduced it to a size more suited to its existing traffic, demolishing the station building and reducing the number of platforms from seven to two. The platforms used for the Cranleigh Line (nos. 5, 6 and 7) were dismantled and fenced off. The down loop (plats 1 and 2) was filled in and the sidings have disappeared. The only platforms that remain in use are nos. 3 and 4 which are now respectively the downside and upside platforms, served by the double track line between Horsham and Billingshurst. The only original structures remaining are the subway and the platform 2 and 3 waiting room and toilet. The ticket office is now open from the first London bound train (Monday to Friday) which is about 0630, until 10:40 when the office shuts. There is also a 'Quick Ticket' machine allowing passengers to purchase tickets when the office is closed. In April 2009 Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
installed display screens allowing passengers to see when trains are due.
Services
The typical Monday-Saturday off peak service is:- 1 train per hour (tph) to London Victoria calling at HorshamHorsham railway stationHorsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...
, CrawleyCrawley railway stationCrawley railway station is a railway station serving the town of Crawley in West Sussex. The station is 47 km south of London Victoria and is owned and operated by Southern...
, Three BridgesThree Bridges railway stationThree Bridges railway station is located in and named after the village of Three Bridges, which is now a district of Crawley, West Sussex, England...
, Gatwick AirportGatwick Airport railway stationGatwick Airport station is the railway station at London Gatwick Airport that provides a direct rail connection to London 43 km away. The station platforms are located directly below the airport’s South Terminal, and the ticket office is adjacent to that terminal’s concourse...
, RedhillRedhill railway stationRedhill railway station serves the town of Redhill, Surrey, England. The station is a major interchange point on the Brighton Main Line 21 miles south of London Victoria...
, East CroydonEast Croydon stationEast Croydon station is a railway station and tram stop in Croydon, 10.35 miles south of London Bridge in Travelcard Zone 5. It is the largest and busiest station in Croydon and the busiest in London outside Travelcard Zone 1 in terms of the number of passengers entering and exiting...
and Clapham JunctionClapham Junction railway stationClapham Junction railway station is near St John's Hill in the south-west of Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Although it is in Battersea, the area around the station is commonly identified as Clapham Junction....
, taking 1 hour 8 minutes.
(When returning from London passengers should ensure they are in the rear part of the train.)
- 1 tph to Bognor RegisBognor Regis railway stationBognor Regis railway station is in the town of Bognor Regis, in the English county of West Sussex, England. It is approximately 65 miles south of London Victoria. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern railway company...
calling at BillingshurstBillingshurst railway stationBillingshurst railway station serves the market town of Billingshurst, in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line. The station is operated by Southern. The signalbox is believed to be the oldest operational box in the country....
, PulboroughPulborough railway stationPulborough railway station serves the West Sussex village of Pulborough. It is situated at the western end of the village, just off the A283 road.- History :...
, AmberleyAmberley railway stationAmberley railway station is a railway station in West Sussex, England. It serves the village of Amberley, about half a mile away, and was opened by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway...
, ArundelArundel railway stationArundel railway station serves the market town of Arundel in West Sussex.The station is on the eastern side of the town, about 500m from the High Street, across the River Arun.-History:...
, FordFord railway stationFord railway station is a railway station in Ford, West Sussex.It is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton. The station and the trains serving it are operated by Southern....
and BarnhamBarnham railway stationBarnham railway station is in West Sussex, serving the village of Barnham, around 5 miles north of Bognor Regis.It is located on the West Coastway Line which runs between Brighton and Southampton. The station and the majority of trains serving it are operated by Southern...
, taking 40 minutes.
In the peak more of the trains stop here although not all of them.
On Sundays there is only 1 tph down the line and all of these stop at Christ's Hospital.