Hartington Road Halt railway station

Last updated

Hartington Road Halt
Old Viaduct Court, Hartington Road, Brighton (January 2011) (2).JPG
The site of the halt in January 2011
General information
LocationHartington Road, Brighton
Grid reference TQ323056
Other information
StatusDemolished
History
Opened1 January 1906
ClosedJune 1911
Original company London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Kemp Town
branch line
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon STR+r.svg
BSicon HST.svg
London Road
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
Ditchling Road Tunnel (
63 yd
58 m
)
BSicon xABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
BSicon exHST.svg
Lewes Road
BSicon exhSTRae.svg
Lewes Road Viaduct
BSicon exSTRo.svg
Hartington Road Viaduct
BSicon exHST.svg
Hartington Road Halt
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
Kemptown Tunnel (
1024 yd
936 m
)
BSicon exKHSTe.svg
Kemp Town

Hartington Road Halt railway station was a stop on the Kemp Town branch railway line between Brighton station and Kemp Town, Brighton, East Sussex. It was open only briefly between 1906 and 1911. The line it stood on was closed permanently in 1971 and has now been demolished.

Contents

History

Hartington Road Halt opened on 1 January 1906 with access from both Hartington Road itself and Upper Wellington Road (a cul-de-sac in the Elm Grove district) by means of cinder paths. [1] The opening of the halt coincided with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway's (LB&SCR) use of single-class (Third Class only) [2] petrol railmotor vehicles on the branch line, in place of conventional trains which carried First, Second and Third Class accommodation. Reports in various newspapers in December 1905 recorded the halt as having already been built. It was further stated that all trains on the branch line (29 per day, with three fewer on Sundays) would stop there and that tickets had to be bought from the conductor of the railmotor. [3] Both the introduction of railmotors and the opening of the halt were an attempt to counter competition from trams: [4] Brighton Corporation Tramways had operated a popular route along the nearby Lewes Road since November 1901. [5] Hartington Road Halt was opened specifically to serve the adjacent cemeteries as well as residents of Hartington Road and neighbouring streets. [4] Journey times from the halt were three minutes to the terminus at Kemp Town and two minutes to Lewes Road station; [6] beyond the latter it was a further three minutes to London Road (Brighton) and eight to Brighton. [7]

The single platform was on the west (Up) [lower-alpha 1] side of the line immediately south of the bridge over Hartington Road. [8] It was 150 feet (46 m) long, 3 feet (0.91 m) wide and 7 feet (2.1 m) above the ground and had a gas lamp and a name-board, but no shelter. [9] A short distance to the south, after passing through a cutting, the line entered Kemp Town Tunnel. [8] The halt was on a short section of level ground between two long downhill gradients from Kemp Town Junction, [10] where the branch left the Brighton–Lewes line. [11]

The day after the halt opened, it was discovered that it had accidentally been opened illegally without authorisation from the Board of Trade, which at the time had to be informed of all railway station and halt openings so that they could be inspected. [12] The Board only found out when a copy of the December 1905 newspaper article from The Times was sent to them along with a copy of the new railmotor timetable. On 2 January 1906 the Board wrote to the LB&SCR demanding an explanation as to why they had not been told about the new halt and had not been asked to inspect it. The LB&SCR's company secretary sent a "somewhat embarrassing" reply [12] stating that he had mistakenly overlooked the requirement because the halt had been built in the same way as others on the LB&SCR network and no alterations had been made to the line or its signalling. [12] A Board of Trade inspector visited on 5 January 1906 and confirmed he was satisfied with the halt. [9]

The halt was unsuccessful: it was closed in April 1911. Two months later the Brighton Herald reported that a petition with 96 signatures had been presented to the LB&SCR requesting the closure (still described at that time as "the proposed closure") be rescinded. The LB&SCR's directors refused to change the decision, and the closure was formally ratified at some point in June 1911. [9] [13] The branch line itself closed to passengers on 1 January 1933; [2] freight services continued until 1971, and final closure took place on 26 June 1971. [14] Brighton Borough Council bought the line and its infrastructure and demolished it: Hartington Road Halt had already been cleared soon after it closed, but the adjacent bridge was demolished in December 1973. [15] Flats were built there, and the site of Hartington Road Halt is now crossed by a footpath between the flats and William Clarke Park, which was built in the cutting between the road and Kemp Town Tunnel. [16]

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Lewes Road
Line and station closed
  London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Kemp Town branch line
  Kemp Town
Line and station closed

Notes

  1. In British railway terminology, "Up" means "in the direction of London".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluebell Railway</span> Heritage railway in England

The Bluebell Railway is an 11 mi (17.7 km) heritage line almost entirely in West Sussex in England, except for Sheffield Park which is in East Sussex. It is managed by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It uses steam trains which operate between Sheffield Park and East Grinstead, with intermediate stations at Horsted Keynes and Kingscote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Cross Gate railway station</span> London Overground station

New Cross Gate is a railway station in New Cross, London, on the Brighton Main Line and the London Overground. It is 2 miles 70 chains down the line from London Bridge and is about 600 m (660 yd) west of New Cross station. It is in Travelcard Zone 2, and is operated by London Overground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London, Brighton and South Coast Railway</span> British pre-grouping railway company

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. It was bounded on its western side by the London and South Western Railway (L&SWR), which provided an alternative route to Portsmouth. On its eastern side the LB&SCR was bounded by the South Eastern Railway (SER)—later one component of the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SE&CR)—which provided an alternative route to Bexhill, St Leonards-on-Sea, and Hastings. The LB&SCR had the most direct routes from London to the south coast seaside resorts of Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, and to the ports of Newhaven and Shoreham-by-Sea. It served the inland towns and cities of Chichester, Horsham, East Grinstead and Lewes, and jointly served Croydon, Tunbridge Wells, Dorking and Guildford. At the London end was a complicated suburban and outer-suburban network of lines emanating from London Bridge and Victoria, and shared interests in two cross-London lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheppey Light Railway</span>

The Sheppey Light Railway was a railway on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, England, which ran from Leysdown to Queenborough, where it connected with the South Eastern and Chatham Railway's Sheerness Line. It was engineered by Holman Fred Stephens and opened in August 1901 and closed on 4 December 1950. Originally there were stations at Sheerness East, East Minster on Sea, Minster on Sea, Eastchurch and Leysdown. Two halts were opened in 1905 at Brambledown and Harty Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oxted line</span> National Rail line in southern England

The Oxted line is a railway in southern England and part of the Southern franchise. The railway splits into two branches towards the south and has direct trains throughout to London termini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshlink line</span> Railway line in South East England

The Marshlink line is a railway line in South East England. It runs from Ashford, Kent via Romney Marsh, Rye and the Ore Tunnel to Hastings where it connects to the East Coastway line towards Eastbourne. Services are provided by Southern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Coastway line</span> Railway line in Sussex, England

The East Coastway line is a railway line along the south coast of Sussex to the east of Brighton, England. Trains to the west of Brighton operate on the West Coastway line. Together with the West Coastway and the Marshlink line to the east, the line forms part of a continuous route from Havant to Ashford. The Brighton Main Line route to Eastbourne and Hastings, via Plumpton and Cooksbridge, shares the East Coastway line east of Lewes station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastbourne railway station</span> Railway station in East Sussex, England

Eastbourne railway station serves the seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line. The station is managed by Southern, who operate all trains serving it. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station. There are also two other stations in the Eastbourne area, one being Pevensey & Westham, in nearby Westham, the other being Polegate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kemp Town railway station</span> Closed station in Brighton, England

Kemp Town railway station was the terminus station of the Kemp Town branch line, a short branch line serving the Kemptown district of Brighton, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in Brighton and Hove</span>

Public transport in Brighton and Hove, a city on the south coast of England, dates back to 1840. Brighton and Hove has a major railway station, an extensive bus service, many taxis, coach services, and it has previously had trolley buses, ferries, trams, auto rickshaws and hydrofoils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Leonards West Marina railway station</span> Disused railway station in East Sussex, England

St Leonards West Marina is a disused railway station in the Bopeep area of the borough of Hastings, East Sussex. Opened by the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway in 1846, it was the first permanent station to serve the area and became part of a feud between two rival railway companies over access to nearby Hastings. Although not very convenient for local services, the station became an important goods rail-head and the location of a Motive Power Depot for steam locomotives working non electrified services, including those to London. The station was closed in 1967 and the buildings subsequently demolished, although in 2023 the down platform could still be seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bingham Road railway station</span> Disused railway station in Addiscombe, Croydon, England

Bingham Road railway station was in Addiscombe, Croydon on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway. It was opened on 1 September 1906 on the north side of Bingham Road, with two wooden platforms without buildings and was closed on 15 March 1915 as a wartime economy measure. A new station on the south side of Bingham Road was opened in 1935 and finally closed in 1983. The modern Addiscombe tram stop at ground level is situated at the location of the first halt closed in 1915 which was situated on an embankment above the present site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bexhill West railway station</span> Disused railway station in Rother, East Sussex

Bexhill West is a closed station in Bexhill-on-Sea in East Sussex. It was the terminus of the Bexhill West branch of the Hastings Line. It was opened by the South Eastern and Chatham Railway and was operated by the Southern Region of British Railways on closing. The station building still survives as an antiques house. The trackbed and site of the now demolished platforms are now occupied by commercial industrial buildings.

Frederick Dale Banister MICE, was an English civil engineer, best known for his 35 years as the Chief Engineer of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elm Grove, Brighton</span>

Elm Grove is a mainly residential area of Brighton, part of the English coastal city of Brighton and Hove. The densely populated district lies on a steep hill northeast of the city centre and developed in the second half of the 19th century after the laying out of a major west–east road, also called Elm Grove. Terraced houses, small shops and architecturally impressive public buildings characterise the streetscape: within the area are a major hospital, two churches and a former board school, as well as Brighton's oldest council houses and an interwar council estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton and Dyke Railway</span>

The Brighton and Dyke Railway was an independent railway company which built a branch line from Brighton in East Sussex to the Devil's Dyke, a popular beauty spot nearby in the South Downs, England. The line opened in 1887. The intermediary Golf Club Halt opened in 1891 and Rowan Halt opened in 1934. The line was not commercially successful and closed in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coombe Road railway station</span> Former railway station in Croydon, south London

Coombe Road was a railway station on the Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway in London. When it was closed it was owned and managed by British Rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bricklayers Arms railway station</span> Disused railway station in England

Bricklayers Arms was a railway station in Southwark opened by the London and Croydon Railway and the South Eastern Railway in 1844 as an alternative to the London and Greenwich Railway's terminus at London Bridge. The station was at the end of a short branch line from the main line to London Bridge and served as a passenger terminus for a few years before being converted to a goods station and engineering facility. The goods station closed in 1981.

Kemp Town branch line was a railway line running from Brighton to Kemptown in the UK that operated between 1869 and 1971. It ran from a junction off the Brighton to Lewes line between London Road and Moulsecoomb stations, to Kemp Town railway station. It opened in 1869 and was expensive to construct, requiring a tunnel and a large viaduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Clarke Park</span> Public park in Brighton, England

William Clarke Park, better known as The Patch, is a public park in Brighton, England, which was opened in the late 20th century. The park has a sports area, which contains a basketball hoop and a football goal, a children's playground and a pond among other things. It can be accessed by paths from Hartington Road, Picton Street and Franklin Street.

References

  1. Cooper 1991 , p. 106.
  2. 1 2 Harding 1999 , p. 11.
  3. "Brighton Railway Motors" . Daily Telegraph & Courier . No. 15798. London. 18 December 1905. p. 3. Retrieved 2 September 2022 via British Newspaper Archive.
  4. 1 2 Harding 1999 , p. 8.
  5. Carder 1990 , §185, Section a.
  6. Harding 1999 , pp. 8–9.
  7. Harding 1999 , p. 27.
  8. 1 2 Harding 1999 , p. 20.
  9. 1 2 3 Harding 1999 , p. 10.
  10. Harding 1999 , p. 21.
  11. Harding 1999 , p. 16.
  12. 1 2 3 Harding 1999 , p. 9.
  13. "The Hartington Road Halt". Brighton Herald . 3 June 1911.
  14. Harding 1999 , p. 14.
  15. Harding 1999 , pp. 28–29.
  16. Harding 1999 , p. 30.

Bibliography

50°50′05″N0°07′27″W / 50.8347°N 0.1241°W / 50.8347; -0.1241