Folkestone Warren Halt | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | East Folkestone, Folkestone & Hythe England |
Grid reference | TR249379 |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Pre-grouping | SER SE&CR |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
1 July 1886 | Opened |
1886 | Closed |
1 June 1908 | Reopened |
19 December 1915 | Closed |
11 August 1919 | Reopened |
25 September 1939 | Closed to the public |
1971 | Closed [1] |
Folkestone Warren Halt was a station on the South Eastern Main Line of the South Eastern Railway at the beach location known as "The Warren" in the east end of Folkestone, Kent, now within the East Cliff and Warren Country Park.
The station was first opened by the South Eastern Railway 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. [2] The Halt enjoyed, however, a brief existence, closing after the Summer in the face of threats by Lord Radnor who felt that his land was being trespassed upon. [3] There is also a suggestion that the station had not been formally authorised by the Board of Trade which, upon discovering its existence, refused to grant consent. [4]
Warren Halt was reopened 22 years later by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway 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. The railway watchman was able to stop the 6.10pm Ashford to Dover service as it emerged from Martello Tunnel, hauled by D class, no. 493. [5]
The station as well as the affected section of the South Eastern Main Line remained closed until 1919. [6] The Warren was a popular picnic spot in Edwardian times and a nearby tea chalet served hundreds of visitors daily. [7]
In 1923 the Halt was rebuilt by the Southern Railway 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 subsequently served early Channel Tunnel works. [8]
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The South Eastern Railway (SER) 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. The SER absorbed or leased other railways, some older than itself, including the London and Greenwich Railway and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. Most of the company's routes were in Kent, eastern Sussex and the London suburbs, with a long cross-country route from Redhill in Surrey to Reading, Berkshire.
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Smeeth is a disused railway station on the South Eastern Main Line which served the village of Smeeth in Kent, England. The station opened in 1852 and closed in 1954.
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.
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