Sussex: Disused railway stations are a window to the past

The country thrived during the 1800s as a result of the industrial revolution and first steam railway locomotive which was introduced by Richard Trevithick in 1804. 

Since then there has been a lot of development in the rail industry, including switching from coal-powered locomotives to diesel and now making the switch to electric lines.

But in its wake old railway lines and stations have become abandoned.

In the 1960s, as households began to own cars, commuters started to prefer using road to rail - this switch is another key reason for the decline of old stations. 

A railway signal at West Grinstead (Image: Bob Plowman/The Argus Camera Club) And a landmark report by then head of British Rail, Richard Beeching, led to the closure of many stations in the 1960s. 

Now, many routes and stations have been reclaimed by nature and the Downs Link, a popular walking route which stretches from Shoreham to Surrey, following two disused railway lines. 

A sign at Southwater to mark where the station once was (Image: Bob Plowman/The Argus Camera Club)

Since the trains departed in the 1960s, the embankments and cuttings have become a green corridor for wildlife and people.

READ MORE: The forgotten history of lost Sussex village wiped out by the Black Death

Walkers and cyclists can see kingfishers fishing from the railway bridges. 

Camera club snapper Bob Plowman recently took a stroll on the walkway from the still-running Christ's Hospital station and to the disused stations Southwater and West Grinstead.

An old railway tunnel on the Downs Link (Image: Bob Plowman/The Argus Camera Club)

Until the mid-1960s, Christ's Hospital was an important junction with connections to Guildford via Cranleigh and Brighton via Shoreham.

Further down the route, Southwater closed in 1966, as did West Grinstead.

West Sussex County Council once owned the site of the former station at Southwater but, with the growth of the village and the need for a library and police service, the council sold the land to Horsham District Council so these facilities could be provided.

An undated picture of Southwater railway station (Image: Wikimedia Commons) At West Grinstead, the main station building, station worker's cottages and platforms remain. The station building and cottages are now privately owned.

West Grinstead Parish Council put up a replica station sign and an old railway signal in the area to highlight its heritage.

There is also a railway carriage converted into an information centre, but this is currently closed.