Folkestone Warren Halt railway station
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the former SER station at Folkestone in Kent.
- For the current RH&DR station at New Romney in Kent see Warren Halt railway stationWarren Halt railway stationRomney Warren Halt railway station is a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent, England. It has also been known as Warren Bridge Halt.-History:...
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Folkestone Warren Halt was a station on the South Eastern Main Line of the South Eastern Railway
South Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
at the beach location known as "The Warren" in the east end of Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. Now within the East Cliff and Warren Country Park
East Cliff and Warren Country Park
East Cliff and Warren Country Park is in Folkestone, in Kent, England.This country park is formed of the East Cliffs of Folkestone, the sandy beaches of East Wear Bay and the land slipped nature reserve land between the cliffs and the sea.-History:...
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1886 opening
The station was first opened by the South Eastern RailwaySouth Eastern Railway (UK)
The South Eastern Railway was a railway company in south-eastern England from 1836 until 1922. The company was formed to construct a route from London to Dover. Branch lines were later opened to Tunbridge Wells, Hastings, Canterbury and other places in Kent...
in 1886 which installed a bridge over the Main Line leading to a gate on to The Warren from which the public could picnic and enjoy the dramatic scenery in the area; a zig-zag path led down the East Cliff to the station. The Halt enjoyed, however, a brief existence, closing after the Summer in the face of threats by Lord Radnor
William Pleydell-Bouverie, 5th Earl of Radnor
William Pleydell-Bouverie, 5th Earl of Radnor PC , styled Viscount Folkestone from 1869 to 1889, was a British Conservative politician...
who felt that his land was being trespass
Trespass
Trespass is an area of tort law broadly divided into three groups: trespass to the person, trespass to chattels and trespass to land.Trespass to the person, historically involved six separate trespasses: threats, assault, battery, wounding, mayhem, and maiming...
ed upon. There is also a suggestion that the station had not been formally authorised by the Board of Trade
Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, HM Railway Inspectorate was the British organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways...
which, upon discovering its existence, refused to grant consent.
1908 reopening
Warren Halt was reopened 22 years later by the South Eastern and Chatham RailwaySouth Eastern and Chatham Railway
The South Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies Joint Management Committee , known by its shorter name of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway was a working union of two neighbouring rival railways, the South Eastern Railway and London, Chatham and Dover Railway , that operated services between...
and remained open until the evening of 19 December 1915 when a large landslip resulted in the entire undercliff supporting the Main Line moving towards the sea causing approximately 1.5 million cubic metres of chalk to slip or fall burying Warren Halt. Fortunately, the railway watchman was able to stop the 6.10pm Ashford
Ashford International railway station
Ashford International railway station serves Ashford in Kent, England. Services are provided by Southeastern, Southern and Eurostar.International services use platforms 3 & 4, whilst domestic trains use the original platforms 1 & 2, and a new island built when the Channel Tunnel opened...
to Dover
Dover Priory railway station
Dover Priory railway station is the main station in Dover in Kent, with the other station being Kearsney situated on the outskirts of Dover. . All train services are provided by Southeastern...
service as it emerged from Martello Tunnel, hauled by D class, no. 493
SECR D class
The SECR D class was a class of 4-4-0 tender locomotives designed by Harry Wainwright for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway.-Overview:The construction of the initial 20 engines was shared between Ashford railway works and the Glasgow builder, Sharp, Stewart and Company. The first of the class...
.
The station as well as the affected section of the South Eastern Main Line remained closed until 1919. The Warren was a popular picnic spot in Edwardian times
Edwardian period
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period in the United Kingdom is the period covering the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910.The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 and the succession of her son Edward marked the end of the Victorian era...
and a nearby tea chalet
Tea garden
Tea garden may refer to:* Roji, gardens surrounding Japanese tea houses and which form part of the architecture associated with Japanese tea ceremony* Tea plantations, where tea bushes are cultivated...
served hundreds of visitors daily.
In 1923 the Halt was rebuilt by the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
which added a set of platforms. The station remained open for a further 16 years before another landslip in 1939. The Halt was, however, kept open as a staff facility until 1971 and a nearby siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
subsequently served early Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
works.