Wittersham Road railway station
Encyclopedia
Wittersham Road is a railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway
. It is located to the north-east of the level crossing
on Maytham Road which links the Kent
ish villages of Rolvenden
and Wittersham
. Having served the area for over sixty years, the station closed with the line in 1961 and was later reopened in 1977 by the Kent and East Sussex Railway
heritage organisation.
Wittersham Road was one of the original stations on the 12 miles (19.3 km) line opened by the Rother Valley Railway between Rolvenden
and Robertsbridge
in 1900. The remote location of the station meant that there was no particular settlement for it to serve, the village of Wittersham
being some 2.75 miles (4.4 km) away, a distance reflected in the decision to name the station "Wittersham Road". The station consisted of a single platform and two sidings
on the Down side facing Tenterden
.
As with the station buildings at Bodiam
and Northiam
, a corrugated iron structure was provided at Wittersham Road, but this time lacking a platform awning
. Unlike however all the Rother Valley stations, the station building at Wittersham Road was built at a right-angle to the platform. According to a 1948 timetable, the station was a compulsory stop for all trains from at least 1929 and possibly even earlier.
Between February 1941 and August 1944, a rail-mounted howitzer
named SM Cleeve, belonging to the No. 4 (Suffolk) Super-Heavy Railway Battery RA, was stationed at Wittersham Road. Weighing 86 tonnes (84.6 LT) and capable of firing 9.2 inches (23.4 cm) shells
, it was only fired once, causing all the windows in the station to break. Three GWR Dean Goods Class
locomotives were on hand to move the howitzer.
extended their operations to Wittersham Road on 5 March 1977, following the replacement of a bridge over the Newmill Channel. It was however a further 15 months before a replacement station building could be provided, British Rail having levelled the station site following the closure of the line. A collection of items was sourced from Heathfield
, Cranbrook and Deal junction; the station building itself came from Borth
on the Cambrian Line
in Wales
. The rebuilt station was officially opened by Edward Heath
MP on 16 June 1978. A water tower
from on Colonel Stephens'
Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway was later erected on site in April 1980.
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
. It is located to the north-east of the level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
on Maytham Road which links the 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...
ish villages of Rolvenden
Rolvenden
Rolvenden is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A28 Ashford to Hastings road, south-west of Tenterden.The settlement of Rolvenden Layne, south of Rolvenden, is also in the parish.-History:...
and Wittersham
Wittersham
Wittersham is a village and civil parish, part of the Isle of Oxney, south of Ashford in Kent, South East England, near Tenterden.The Domesday Book does not mention Wittersham, but it does assign the manor of Palstre to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Palstre was only one of four places in the Weald,...
. Having served the area for over sixty years, the station closed with the line in 1961 and was later reopened in 1977 by the Kent and East Sussex Railway
Kent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
heritage organisation.
History
Rolvenden railway station
Rolvenden railway station is a heritage railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in Tenterden, Kent, in the United Kingdom.- History :...
and Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge railway station
Robertsbridge railway station is on the Hastings Line in East Sussex in England, and serves Robertsbridge. Train services are provided by Southeastern.- History :...
in 1900. The remote location of the station meant that there was no particular settlement for it to serve, the village of Wittersham
Wittersham
Wittersham is a village and civil parish, part of the Isle of Oxney, south of Ashford in Kent, South East England, near Tenterden.The Domesday Book does not mention Wittersham, but it does assign the manor of Palstre to Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. Palstre was only one of four places in the Weald,...
being some 2.75 miles (4.4 km) away, a distance reflected in the decision to name the station "Wittersham Road". The station consisted of a single platform and two sidings
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...
on the Down side facing Tenterden
Tenterden
Tenterden is a Cinque Port town in the Ashford District of Kent, England. It stands on the edge of the Weald, overlooking the valley of the River Rother....
.
As with the station buildings at Bodiam
Bodiam railway station
Bodiam is a heritage railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway in Bodiam, East Sussex.- History :Situated half a mile from the Bodiam village itself and its fourteenth century castle, the station opened in 1900 in a rather remote and rural location...
and Northiam
Northiam railway station
Northiam is a railway station on the Kent and East Sussex Railway. It is located to the west of the level crossing on the A28 road linking the Kentish village of Newenden and the East Sussex village of Northiam...
, a corrugated iron structure was provided at Wittersham Road, but this time lacking a platform awning
Awning
An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a light structure of aluminium, iron or steel, possibly...
. Unlike however all the Rother Valley stations, the station building at Wittersham Road was built at a right-angle to the platform. According to a 1948 timetable, the station was a compulsory stop for all trains from at least 1929 and possibly even earlier.
Between February 1941 and August 1944, a rail-mounted howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
named SM Cleeve, belonging to the No. 4 (Suffolk) Super-Heavy Railway Battery RA, was stationed at Wittersham Road. Weighing 86 tonnes (84.6 LT) and capable of firing 9.2 inches (23.4 cm) shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
, it was only fired once, causing all the windows in the station to break. Three GWR Dean Goods Class
GWR 2301 Class
The Great Western Railway 2301 Class or Dean Goods Class is a class of British 0-6-0 steam locomotives.Swindon railway works built 260 of these goods locomotives between 1883 and 1899 to a design of William Dean...
locomotives were on hand to move the howitzer.
Present day
The Kent and East Sussex RailwayKent and East Sussex Railway
The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...
extended their operations to Wittersham Road on 5 March 1977, following the replacement of a bridge over the Newmill Channel. It was however a further 15 months before a replacement station building could be provided, British Rail having levelled the station site following the closure of the line. A collection of items was sourced from Heathfield
Heathfield (Sussex) railway station
Heathfield railway station was on the Cuckoo Line between Horam and Mayfield, serving the market town of Heathfield.It was built in 1880 by London, Brighton and South Coast Railway on the line extension from Hailsham to Eridge.- Present day :...
, Cranbrook and Deal junction; the station building itself came from Borth
Borth railway station
Borth railway station is a railway station on the Cambrian Line in mid-Wales, serving the village of Borth near Aberystwyth.The station, which originally had two platforms, is now an unmanned halt. The original station building still remains and is in private / commercial use apart from one room...
on the Cambrian Line
Cambrian Line
The Cambrian Line is a railway from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. The railway runs first through the central part of Wales and then along the coast of Cardigan Bay....
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The rebuilt station was officially opened by Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
MP on 16 June 1978. A water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
from on Colonel Stephens'
H. F. Stephens
Colonel Holman Fred Stephens was a British light railway civil engineer and manager. During his lifetime he was engaged in engineering and building, and later managing, 16 light railways in England and Wales.- Biography :...
Shropshire and Montgomeryshire Railway was later erected on site in April 1980.