Rowfant Station

This is nothing to do with the Hawkhurst Line. I started working in a new role on Monday for a construction company a few miles east of Crawley in West Sussex, their premises are on the site of an old railway station and goods yard which was on the Tunbridge Wells to Three Bridges Railway, so I feel compelled to add it to this site for general interest purposes.
This railway was built in 1855 and it lasted for 112 years before the Beeching axe fell on it in 1967.
I heard that a rich American owned some of the required land which he refused to sell it unless a  station was built for his use (the place is very rural even today). Not surprisingly the station was hardly ever used and it became a 'white elephant' although trains were obliged to stop there.

            The old railway station hidden among the trees. (Taken from Wallage Lane.)

                                                    

                                                    Was this once the main entrance?

More of the outside can be seen from 'Worth Way' a cycle path that runs most of the length of the line. This is looking towards East Grinstead. The track bed would have been the other side of the station.

On the business premises a lot of heavy lorries carrying aggregates pass over the old track bed, close to the station so I had to get permission to take pictures and wear a 'hi vis' jacket. The security guard (Andrew) was a very pleasant man from Hungary who chatted for about twenty minutes. He said that yesterday a coach load of train 'fanatics' has pulled up to look at the station. One of them was brandishing an original ticket. Andrew promised to email me the photo that he had taken, if he does I will add it to this posting.

The road is now some feet above the old track bed but the top part of much of the platform is still apparent.

There is a preservation order on the station site today but a closer inspection reveals that it could do with a coat of paint.

 All the widows are bricked or boarded up but it has not stopped a colony of bats settling there!

                This is looking towards Wallage Lane, Three Bridges and Crawley.

This seems to be the most imposing door, presumably this would be the way outside from the platform.

                                                            
                                                              Or maybe this one?

              A part of the platform (just beyond the kerb) the bricks look fairly recent.

The work site includes an area that was once a fairly large goods yard, the area is very flat and long so I will try to find out if there is anything else left to see.



Andrew told me that he was not able to find the ticket photo but he did send a photo of an old photo which is displayed in one of the offices.