Whitstable Harbour railway station

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Whitstable Harbour railway station was the name of three disused railway stations serving Whitstable the terminus of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway. The line approached the harbour between Station Road and Clare Road, before curving west to the Harbour station around Tower Parade, and then the railway continued onto the harbour itself.

History

The original C&W station was opened in 1830 on Harbour Street. The harbour itself was built by the railway company as well as extending the line into the harbour. Its principal trade in the harbour was the import of Northumberland coal.

When the South Eastern Railway took over the line they built a second station in 1846, also on the north side of Harbour Street but further east, near the entrance to the harbour where the harbour offices and public toilets now stand. A larger third station was opened south of Tower Parade in 1895 but closed to passenger trains in 1931. The line continued to carry freight traffic until 1952 but was re-opened for a few weeks in February 1953 to aid rescue work following the floods that badly affected the town. Today all evidence of the three stations have been removed, a health centre has now been built on the site of the 1895 station south of Tower Parade. Some railway fencing can be seen between Tower Parade and the harbour, and a railway logo in one of the gates. The only railway building that remains is now the Whitstable Marine showroom, which occupies the stables of the horses used for shunting wagons around the harbour.

External links

• Crab and Winkle Line Trust - charity seeking to bring the C&WR route back into public use for cycling and walking
• Simply Whitstable - detailed article on the railways around the harbour, including maps and modern photos