Goudhurst is a closed railway station on the closed Hawkhurst Branch in Kent, England.[1]

Goudhurst
A postcard view of Goudhurst station in the 1900s
General information
LocationGoudhurst, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
England
Grid referenceTQ709373
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyCranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway
Pre-groupingSouth Eastern Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
1 October 1892Station opened as Hope Mill for Goudhurst and Lamberhurst
1 December 1892Renamed Goudhurst
12 June 1961Station closed

History

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The station originally opened on 1 October 1892 as Hope Mill, for Goudhurst & Lamberhurst,[2] when the line was opened from Paddock Wood.[3] It was named after the parish, but following the presentation of a petition to the Cranbrook & Paddock Wood Railway Company in November 1892,[4] the name was changed to Goudhurst on 1 December 1892.[2][5] The station was the terminus of the line for just over eleven months, until the extension to Hawkhurst was opened on 4 September 1893.[3][6] The station was approximately one mile to the west of the village of Goudhurst which was some 250 ft higher than the station, presenting a somewhat daunting task for a baggage-laden passenger.[4] The station achieved some degree of fame when it appeared in the 1950s children's television series "The Old Pull and Push".[7] It also featured in the 1953 children's film Adventures in the Hopfields.

The station was closed with the line on 12 June 1961.[3][5] The fine station building was demolished in the 1960s and replaced with a private dwelling called "Haltwhistle" which is situated on the area where the goods yard would have been. The property is surrounded by high conifer trees and a swimming pool has been put in between part of the former platforms. The old station lights line the drive to the house.[7]

Accidents

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On 18 February 1948, SECR C class 0-6-0 No. 1225 was wrongly despatched into the north sidings at Goudhurst and derailed.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Conolly, W. Philip (January 1976). British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas and Gazetteer (5th ed.). Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 6 section D5. ISBN 0-7110-0320-3. EX/0176.
  2. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 123. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  3. ^ a b c Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. p. 183. CN 8983.
  4. ^ a b Harding, Peter A. (1998). The Hawkhurst Branch line. Woking, Surrey: P.A. Harding. p. 9. ISBN 0-9523458-3-8.
  5. ^ a b Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 107. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  6. ^ Vallance, H.A. (February 1955). "Through the Wealden Hills to Hawkhurst" (PDF). The Railway Magazine. Vol. 101, no. 646. Westminster: Tothill Press. p. 122. ISSN 0033-8923. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b Oppitz, Leslie (2003). Lost Railways of Kent. Newbury, Berks: Countryside Books. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-85306-803-4. OCLC 52565653.
  8. ^ Scott-Morgan, John (2008). Branches & Byways – Kent. Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-86093-616-9.
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Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Horsmonden   British Railways
Southern Region

Hawkhurst Branch
  Cranbrook

51°06′33″N 0°26′21″E / 51.1093°N 0.4392°E / 51.1093; 0.4392