Bishopsbourne | |
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General information | |
Location |
Bishopsbourne,
Kent England |
Coordinates | 51°13′44″N 1°07′41″E / 51.228942°N 1.128170°E |
Grid reference | TR 185 524 |
Platforms | 2 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Pre-grouping |
South Eastern Railway South Eastern and Chatham Railway |
Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
Key dates | |
1 July 1889 | Opened |
1 December 1940 | Closed to passengers |
1 October 1947 | Closed to freight |
Bishopsbourne was a station on the Elham Valley Railway. It opened in 1889 and closed to passengers in 1940 and freight in 1947.
The station opened on 1 July 1889. It was situated on the extension of the Elham Valley Railway from Barham to Harbledown Junction, on the Ashford to Ramsgate line. [1] A 16-lever signal box was provided. [2] Initially, there were six passenger trains per day. By 1906 there were nine trains a day, with five on Sunday. This had reduced to six trains a day by 1922. [3] The double track between Lyminge and Harbledown Junction was reduced to single track from 25 October 1931 and the signal boxes between those points were abolished. [4] Services had been reduced to five trains a day by 1937. [3]
Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line was placed under military control. [1] The military established block posts at Canterbury South and Bishopbourne, under the control of the Royal Corps of Signals. [5] The station remained open to freight during the war. [6] A passing loop was installed in Bourne Tunnel, 3⁄4 mile (1.21 km) south of Bishopsbourne on which was kept a BL 18-inch railway howitzer, nicknamed the "Boche Buster". It had a range of 50 miles (80 km). [7] A curved siding was constructed at Charlton Park, south of Bishopsbourne from which the gun was fired. [8] Military control was relinquished on 19 February 1945. [6] The War Department ground frames and points were decommissioned on 2 May 1946. [9] The Elham Valley Railway closed on 1 October 1947. [6] After closure the station has been converted to a private house.
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
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Bridge |
Southern Railway Elham Valley Railway |
Barham |