Sheffield Park railway station
| Sheffield Park | |
|---|---|
 |
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| A view of the station from the bridge before the new carriage shed was built | |
| Location | |
| Place | Fletching |
| Area | Lewes District, East Sussex |
| Grid reference | TQ404237 |
| Operations | |
| Managed by | London, Brighton and South Coast Railway |
| Owned by | Southern Railway Southern Region of British Railways Bluebell Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| August 1882 | Opened |
| May 1955 | closed |
| August 1956 | reopened |
| 17 March 1958 | Closed |
| 7 August 1960 | Reopened |
| Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom | |
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | |
_at_Sheffield_Park_in_1961_geograph-2687313-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg)
Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse (which the line crosses just beyond the platforms) and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian.
Contents |
[edit] History
The station opened in 1882 at the request of the Earl of Sheffield, a local landowner and promoter of the The Lewes and East Grinstead Railway Act 1877 which authorised the construction of a line from East Grinstead to Lewes, now popularly known as the Bluebell Railway.[1] Originally named "Fletching and Sheffield Park", the name of the nearby village was dropped following objections by the Earl.[2] It was originally closed in May 1955 but was reopened in August 1956 after it was found the closure was illegal.
Following the line's closure in 1958, a group of students formed a society with the intention of preserving part of the East Grinstead to Lewes line. On 7 August 1960 the group began working a short stretch of line between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes which was leased to it by British Rail. By 1968, the group had raised enough funds to purchase both the Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations with the former now the Bluebell Railway's headquarters.[3]
[edit] Modern day use
The station now plays host to a shop, model railway, museum and the Bessemer Arms pub (named after Mrs Bessemer who fought British Rail over the closure of the line claiming it to be illegal, and whose victory spurred the movement to save the line). The new combined shop and office block was opened in the late 1990s as the original shop was deemed too cramped for the purpose. This was subsequently entirely demolished, creating an open area on the platform for picnic tables.
The station also houses the line's locomotive workshops and sheds, which are a major focal point for visitors to the line. It is restored in a turn of the 19th to 20th century LBSCR style. An unusual signal box can be found on the platform, a feature of the LBSCR and still visible in locations on the national network, such as Falmer near Brighton.
Beside the station, with a separate entrance from the A275 is the former Woodpax yard, on which is now being built a large carriage shed and exhibition centre; this project is known as "Operation Undercover". Construction work started in January 2010 with the about three quarters of the money coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is anticipated that it will be complete by the end of the 2011. When operational it will provide storage for many of the line's vintage carriages such as the Metropolitan Railway carriages and the line's Pullman dining train.
[edit] Future
An extension to the south has been mooted a few times, returning the line to its original southern terminus of Lewes; however this is likely to be near impossible as the next station on the line, Newick and Chailey, has been lost under housing, and the following station, Barcombe, is now in private hands. In addition, several road bridges would need to be replaced on the route, including one just south of Sheffield Park station.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Bluebell Railway | Horsted Keynes | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Newick and Chailey | Lewes and East Grinstead Railway London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Southern Railway Southern Region Lewes to East Grinstead line (The Bluebell Line) |
Horsted Keynes | ||
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A Pullman train in Platform 1 at Sheffield Park
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O1 no. 65 draws a train into Platform 2
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E4 no. 32473 waits under the impressive station building
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The station entrance, coming up from the car park
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[edit] References
- ^ The History of the Lewes & East Grinstead Railway
- ^ Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1984). Branch Lines to East Grinstead. Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 090652007X.
- ^ The Bluebell Railway
Coordinates: 50°59′44.31″N 0°00′03.86″W / 50.9956417°N 0.0010722°W
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