Penshurst Station and Penshurst Tunnel
All the stations opened with the line on 26 May 1842, with the exception of Nutfield and Leigh, which are covered in their respective galleries.
Separate collections cover (a) Tonbridge Station; (b) Leigh Station; (c) Penshurst Station; (d) Edenbridge Station; (e) Godstone Station; (f) Nutfield Station ; and (g) Redhill Station.
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Penshurst Station, looking west, on 21.11.1965. The generously sized station building, complete with canopy, was on the south side of the line, which was a pity because the majority of the adjacent population are on the north side. As built, canopies were rarely provided on this line, but the original building was destroyed by fire in 1924, and this replacement was constructed in 1925. The station is actually in Chiddingstone Causeway, the village of Penshurst being some two miles distant. Railway companies rarely worried about such details when lines were constructed, this route being almost entirely straight. In the distance both the westbound Starting signal and eastbound Home signal are in the Off position. On the right is the site of a long siding which was taken out of use on 09.09.1963 and subsequently lifted. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station, looking east, on 21.11.1965. The platforms were staggered, a common feature on this route, with passengers crossing the track via the board crossing in the foreground. The signal box is on the left, with St. Luke's Church on the hill to the left of the box. Some current pictures of the church are at the end of the gallery. The construction of the railway in 1842 made it necessary to divert the road from Penshurst (which ran through the station site) over the top of the nearby Penshurst Tunnel. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station looking west from the eastbound platform on 21.11.1965. On the left is a glimpse of the former goods shed and loading dock, from which the track had already been lifted. There were two short sidings; one entering the goods shed and the other alongside the cattle/loading dock where the buffers can still be seen. Owing to the proximity of Penshurst Tunnel the headshunt on the south side of the line was quite short, leading to rather cramped operations in the shed and dock. Most unusually road vehicles needing to access the shed used the board crossing, an arrangement that was far from ideal. Passengers on the eastbound platform retained the original small shelter and canopy when the main station building was rebuilt. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
The ornate main station building at Penshurst, dating from 1925 and photographed on Saturday 26.07.1969, sadly only a couple of years before it was demolished in 1971. Note the very low curved kerb surrounding the building; we will see more of that in pictures from the year 2022. Austin RMY978, owned by our intrepid photographer's Father, is featured and probably lasted longer than the station building. The car facilitated many of the historical pictures on this site. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station building, pictured from the platform side on Saturday 26.07.1969. Passengers intending to travel east used the board crossing at the bottom of the picture to cross the track. On the fence on the left four hangers for the fire buckets are empty, which might have been tempting fate given that the previous building burned down. Note the point rodding installed along the base of the platform, adjacent to the track. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The eastbound platform at Penshurst Station, looking towards Penshurst Tunnel and Tonbridge on Saturday 26.07.1969. The small wooden shelter and canopy are on the left and the Starting signal is in the Off position. Note the signal wires carried on wooden supports, attached to the face of the platform. On the right the relatively short headshunt for the former goods shed has been lifted, its length restricted by the presence of the tunnel. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station, viewed from near the end of the westbound platform on Saturday 26.07.1969. Nearest the camera is the 38 mile post, with a neat and appropriate fence behind it. We will see more of the mile post in later images. Note that the station only had rudimentary lighting, provided by single bulbs under small shades. On the right there is a tiny glimpse of the approach road to the station on the south side. I remember being puzzled as to why the railway had constructed such a long, wide sweeping drive. I then realised that it was the former main road, that had been cut off by the construction of the station and transformed into a cul-de-sac. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst signal box with with a very well loaded adjacent telegraph pole, pictured on Saturday 26.07.1969. The box was sited on the north side of the line, adjacent to the board crossing. Pulleys can be seen under the platform ramp, carrying the signal wires. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
"Tadpole" unit 1205 approaches the platform at Penshurst Station en route for Tonbridge on Saturday 26.07.1969. In the background there is a new westbound Starting signal in the Off position. The previous signal was on a bracket. Close inspection of the photo reveals the points for the long siding which was sited on the south side of the station. The siding left the westbound line via trailing points and ran towards the camera out of shot on the left. There is also a cross-over from the eastbound line, and a ground signal controlling it. There is a conspicuous notice on the right (outside the railway boundary) saying "Kings". Does anyone know to what it referred? Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst signal box, very much in need of a repaint, pictured on 19.03.1972. The box had lost its green "Penshurst" name board. This was, of course, the era of black on white signs and all the traditional signs were removed. The windows of the locking room on the ground floor have been bricked up. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The sunlight catches the rear of Hastings unit 1037 as it leaves Penshurst for Tonbridge on Sunday 19.03.1972. This was one of the units with a Buffet coach included in the formation and was not normally seen on this line. A Buffet service was not a feature of the Redhill to Tonbridge timetable. Its usual allocation was on the main line London to Hastings services. Being a Sunday, engineering works might have resulted in diversion from the normal route via Orpington. The picture also shows that by 1972 the inadequate lighting had been replaced by metal columns supporting fluorescent tubes. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Clearly the signalman at Penshurst complained about the awful decorative condition of his box because by 1976 it had been painted black and white. The lever frame can be seen clearly through the windows. Note the ornate boards at the eaves, the finules and the small window at upper level. The box remained in use until 05.03.1986, and was subsequently demolished. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The waiting shelter on the Redhill bound platform at Penshurst Station, pictured on Sunday 12.09.1976. The shelter dated from 1925 and was constructed after the original buildings on the platform were destroyed in a fire. Beyond the Starting signal the points to the goods yard and the cross-over have disappeared and been replaced by plain line. They were in situ in 1969, thus clarifying roughly when they were removed. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
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"Tadpole" unit 1205 approaches Penshurst on Sunday 12.09.1976. The train was only venturing as far as Edenbridge owing to engineering works between that station and Godstone. In the background there is a view right through Penshurst Tunnel. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
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The eastbound Starting signal at Penshurst Station in the Off position on 12.09.1976. The concrete post was starting to show its age and was suffering from spalling, where rusting of the metal reinforcing rods caused the concrete to break away. It would soon require attention, and the signal was placed on a new post not later than 1983. The semaphore signalling in the area lasted until March 1986. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
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Penshurst Station, looking east on 25.03.1999. The line had been electrified and so passengers could no longer saunter over a board crossing; they now had the luxury of a footbridge. Furthermore the eastbound platform had been demolished and rebuilt further west, opposite the westbound platform, so no more staggered platforms. Also demolished was the signal box, with the semaphore signals replaced by colour lights. The station signs say "Penshurst for Chiddingstone Causeway", which is just as well because when passengers alighted they were in Chiddingstone Causeway. It was a two mile walk to Penshurst. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station pictured on 25 03 1999. Very little survives of the original station, except the westbound platform. Even the ornate shelter opposite is a replacement building, constructed in 1925 following a fire the previous year. Eastbound passengers were not so lucky; they had a small bus shelter. At the eastern end of the platforms there was a large Cab Secure Radio mast allowing the signalman to talk to drivers, but the system was subsequently decommissioned. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station on 25.03.1999, looking east through the footbridge at the site of the old eastbound platform, which had been demolished. Unusually the exit from the new eastbound platform was down the ramp at the end of the platform and through the footway between the two fences. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station looking west on 25.03.1999. Unlike the brick built original platform the newer eastbound platform is prefabricated concrete; the legs can be seen under the platform edge. As was the case with other stations on the line Penshurst had an identity crisis. The signs were erected by Connex, but the lamp standards remained in Network South East red. The large dish antenna adjacent to the shelter roof was associated with the train information system. John Attfield retains all rights to this image.
Penshurst Station looking west from the end of the platform on 10.04.2005. Most of the colour light signals installed along the line were simple two aspect versions. Signal AD512 carries a plate above its unique number to show that it is an automatic signal, returning to green when the line is clear. However, in this case it is a little unusual in being "Semi-automatic", allowing the signalman to control it if required.
Penshurst looking east from the station footbridge on 10.04.2005. The site of the former eastbound platform is on the left but something odd had happened. The platform shelter had not been demolished. Instead the front was boarded up and the canopy cut back to the railway boundary. The remainder of the building had been left intact. Meanwhile, a two aspect colour light signal had replaced the former semaphore Starting signal. There was previously a headshunt for the goods shed on the right, but all trace of the siding had vanished.
Penshurst Station, looking east through Penshurst Tunnel with a longer lens. There are very few curves on the route between Tonbridge and Redhill. On the extreme left the boarded up front of the old platform shelter can be seen, and someone has gone to some trouble to wrap roofing felt over the new edge of the roof. The explanation for this work is not known. 10.04.2005
Penshurst Station looking east from the westbound platform on 10.04.2005. A man with a paint brush had finally arrived and transformed the lamp standards into Connex blue, but unfortunately at the time of the visit the lights were permanently on. A more modern train departure board can be seen at the end of the platform, the heavy screens having been phased out.
Penshurst Station looking east from the eastbound platform on 10.04.2005. A man with a paint brush had finally arrived and transformed the lamp standards into Connex blue, but unfortunately at the time of the visit the lights were permanently on. A more modern train departure board can be seen at the end of the platform, the heavy screens having been phased out.
"The Little Brown Jug" is opposite the northern entrance to Penshurst Station, and was originally "The Railway Hotel". I decided it was unwise to inform the publican that the the establishment was temperance when it served the railway. 24.02.2022 21136
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station, which is now a short "No Through Road" but which was formerly the main road to Penshurst. The road was severed when the railway was built, and diverted over the top of the nearby Penshurst Tunnel. Network Rail had thrown caution to the wind and erected two double arrow signs. 27.02.2022 21351
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station, looking west. 24.02.2022 21135
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station, looking east. At the bottom of the pole is a tiny "Rail Replacement Bus Stop" sign. Hopefully the bus driver has been to Specsavers. 24.02.2022 21352
The northern approach road to Penshurst Station. 27.02.2022 21353
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station. 27.02.2022 21350
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station. 27.02.2022 21134
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station. There is only one ticket machine and passengers approaching from the south have to cross the footbridge to obtain a ticket. 27.02.2022 21137
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station. 27.02.2022 21138
The northern entrance to Penshurst Station. The vast majority of stations in the area have been equipped with a defibrillator in an alarmed case. 27.02.2022 21139
The southern entrance to Penshurst Station. Unusually, on both sides of the station, passengers gain access by walking up the platform ramp at the eastern end. 27.02.2022 21142
The southern entrance to Penshurst Station. 27.02.2022 21354
The southern entrance to Penshurst Station, together with the footbridge. 27.02.2022 21346
The southern entrance to Penshurst Station. The main station building (demolished in 1971) stood in front of the camera on the site now occupied by the footbridge, which was installed in 1993. The goods shed was on the right. 27.02.2022 21355
The southern side of Penshurst Station. A very long siding left the westbound line west of the station platform and ran east past the station building to end adjacent to the goods shed. It was always necessary to pass over this siding to enter the station from the south and it was surprising to find the track still in situ where the (ungated) crossing was sited. 27.02.2022 21340
The southern side of Penshurst Station, looking west. A very long siding left the westbound line west of the station platform and ran east past the station building to end adjacent to the goods shed. It was always necessary to pass over this siding to enter the station from the south and it was surprising to find the track still in situ where the (ungated) crossing was sited. Either side of the crossing the track appeared to have been cut and lifted. It is not clear why this short section survived. 27.02.2022 21341
A large proportion of the goods yard south of Penshurst Station is now occupied by a commercial company who had closed the yard to everyone except their staff owing to Covid precautions. It was not possible to establish if there was any trace of the base of the 4 ton crane that was sited there. 24.02.2022 21143
Looking south from the entrance to Penshurst Station. The curved kerb on the right marks the boundary between the original forecourt and the demolished station building. The track from the long siding can be seen at the centre left of the picture. The forecourt was in a very poor state of repair. 27.02.2022 21345
Looking west from the southern entrance to Penshurst Station. The curved kerb in the centre of the picture marks the boundary between the original forecourt and the demolished station building. Part of the footprint of the original station building is now occupied by the footbridge, which was not installed until 1993. The track from the long siding can just be seen at the extreme left of the picture. The forecourt was in a very poor state of repair. 27.02.2022 21344
The rear of the shelter on the westbound platform on Penshurst Station. Someone appeared to be maintaining the "non-railway" side, and had painted it white. 24.02.2022 21144
A wider view of the southern entrance to Penshurst Station. Extensive concrete surfacing had been laid over the area of the former goods yard. 27.02.2022 21357
