the railway station
To cut a long story short, the Shoreham to Itchingfield Junction section of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway opened west of the village centre, following the line of the Adur, in 1861. The line closed under the plans of Dr. Beeching, in March 1966. The track was taken up and the disused line became first a footpath for walkers and now, more formally, the Downs Link footpath.
The station was pulled down, the land filled in, and the road - where modern houses were built on the old station site - was christened, with a nice irony, Beechings. For a modern, comprehensive narrative of the railway in Henfield, read E.J. Colgate's detailed "Henfield's Wonderful Railway: The Brighton to Horsham Line 1861-1966". George Mann Publications, 2015.
MISCELLANY 4
Railway station 1: This black & white photo from 1960 shows the main station building and the track with the foot bridge over it.
Railway station 2: This is a much earlier black & white photo from 1909 showing the signal box - with signalman - the track leading up to the station, and the footbridge further on.
Railway station 3: This rather murky photo is a still from Jack Wickham's 8mm footage of the station area shortly after the track was taken up, but with the platforms still intact.
MISCELLANY 5
Railway station: A postcard from 1915 showing the track, platforms and footbridge.
MISCELLANY 36
Railway station: A view which, from the clothing of the people in the photo, looks like it was taken in the Edwardian era.
The station was pulled down, the land filled in, and the road - where modern houses were built on the old station site - was christened, with a nice irony, Beechings. For a modern, comprehensive narrative of the railway in Henfield, read E.J. Colgate's detailed "Henfield's Wonderful Railway: The Brighton to Horsham Line 1861-1966". George Mann Publications, 2015.
MISCELLANY 4
Railway station 1: This black & white photo from 1960 shows the main station building and the track with the foot bridge over it.
Railway station 2: This is a much earlier black & white photo from 1909 showing the signal box - with signalman - the track leading up to the station, and the footbridge further on.
Railway station 3: This rather murky photo is a still from Jack Wickham's 8mm footage of the station area shortly after the track was taken up, but with the platforms still intact.
MISCELLANY 5
Railway station: A postcard from 1915 showing the track, platforms and footbridge.
MISCELLANY 36
Railway station: A view which, from the clothing of the people in the photo, looks like it was taken in the Edwardian era.
