Folkestone Warren Halt railway station

Last updated

Folkestone Warren Halt
Warren Halt Station.jpg
General information
LocationEast Folkestone, Folkestone & Hythe
England
Grid reference TR249379
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Pre-grouping SER
SE&CR
Post-grouping Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 July 1886Opened
1886Closed
1 June 1908Reopened
19 December 1915Closed
11 August 1919Reopened
25 September 1939Closed to the public
1971Closed [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.

Contents

1886 opening

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]

1908 reopening

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]

Related Research Articles

Folkestone Town in Kent, England

Folkestone is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Folkestone and Hythe District Non-metropolitan district in England

Folkestone and Hythe is a local government district in Kent, England, in the south-east of the county. Its council is based in the town of Folkestone. The authority was renamed from Shepway in April 2018, and therefore has the same name as the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency, although a somewhat narrower area is covered by the district.

South Eastern Railway (England) British pre-grouping railway company

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.

Cheriton, Kent Suburb of Folkestone in Kent, England

Cheriton is a northern suburb of Folkestone in Kent. It is the location of the English terminal of the Channel Tunnel as well as of the major army barracks of Shorncliffe Camp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashford International railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Ashford International railway station is a National Rail international and regional station in Ashford, Kent, England. It connects several railway lines, including High Speed 1 and the South Eastern Main Line. Domestic trains that call at Ashford are operated by Southeastern and Southern, and international services by Eurostar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonbridge railway station</span> Railway station in Kent, England

Tonbridge railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Tonbridge, Kent. It is 29 miles 46 chains (47.6 km) from London Charing Cross via Sevenoaks. Trains calling at the station are operated by Southeastern and Southern.

Marden railway station Railway station in Kent, England

Marden railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Marden in the borough of Maidstone, Kent. It is 39 miles 31 chains (63.4 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern. The station is often referred to as Marden (Kent), to distinguish itself between similarly-named villages across England.

Headcorn railway station Railway station in Kent, England

Headcorn railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Headcorn, Kent. It is 45 miles 20 chains (72.8 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern.

Westenhanger railway station Railway station in Kent, England

Westenhanger railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the villages of Westenhanger and Stanford, as well as Folkestone Racecourse, in Kent. It is 64 miles 15 chains (103.3 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

Sandling railway station Railway station in Kent, England

Sandling railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the village of Sandling and the town of Hythe, Kent. It is 65 miles 36 chains (105.3 km) down the line from London Charing Cross. The station and all trains that call are operated by Southeastern.

South Eastern Main Line Major long-distance railway line in south-east England

The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the Chatham Main Line which runs along the north Kent coast to Ramsgate or Dover via Chatham and High Speed 1 which runs through the centre of Kent to the coast at Folkestone where it joins the Channel Tunnel.

Folkestone Harbour railway station Railway station in England

Folkestone Harbour station was one of four railway stations in Folkestone, Kent. It served Folkestone Harbour with connecting boat train services across the English Channel to Calais and Boulogne.

Elham Valley Railway Former railway in England, now closed.

The Elham Valley Railway was a line connecting Folkestone and Canterbury in Kent, England. It opened between 1887 and 1889 and closed in 1947.

Transportation needs within the county of Kent in South East England has been served by both historical and current transport systems.

The Sandgate branch was a three mile long railway branch line that ran from Sandling railway station in Kent on the South Eastern Main Line to Hythe and Sandgate railway stations. It opened in 1874 and closed completely in 1951.

Cheriton Halt is a disused railway station on the South Eastern Main Line which served the village of Cheriton on the outskirts of Folkestone in Kent, England. The station opened in 1908 and finally closed in 1947.

Smeeth railway station Disused railway station in Kent

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

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.

St Lawrence for Pegwell Bay railway station Disused railway station in Kent, England

St Lawrence for Pegwell Bay railway station was a railway station at Ramsgate, Kent, United Kingdom that was opened by the South Eastern Railway in 1864 and closed in 1916.

Hothfield railway station was a railway station on the Maidstone Line at Hothfield, Kent. It was situated between Ashford and Charing stations. The station opened in 1884; it closed to passengers in 1959 and general freight in 1964 although the sidings continued to be used for deliveries of aggregate traffic.

References

  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN   1-85260-508-1, p. 98.
  2. UK Railway Forum, "Old East Kent railways and stations", 2 June 2006.
  3. Kent Rail, "Shakespeare Cliff Halt".
  4. Mitchell, V.; Smith, K. (1988). South Coast Railways- Ashford to Dover including the Hythe and Sandgate branch. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. plate 88. ISBN   0-906520-48-7.
  5. Mitchell, V.; Smith, K. (1988). South Coast Railways- Ashford to Dover including the Hythe and Sandgate branch. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. plate 87. ISBN   0-906520-48-7.
  6. GeologyShop, "Folkestone & Hythe Landslips; the Warren, Copt Point, Castle Hill and the relict seacliffs between Hythe and Lympne".
  7. Jill Batchelor, "A buddleia waiting to start into growth again", 23 January 2005.
  8. John Law on the Rails, "Another view of the staff halt at Folkestone Warren, 1978. The siding served the Channel Tunnel workings", 18 January 2006. [ permanent dead link ]

Coordinates: 51°05′46″N1°12′39″E / 51.0962°N 1.2107°E / 51.0962; 1.2107