Buxted Station, Sleeches Viaduct and Greenhurst Viaduct
The line was extended north from Uckfield to join a new line from Tunbridge Wells to Groombridge in the period 1864 to 1868. Work was complicated by the need to construct a tunnel and two viaducts between Buxted and Crowborough, but the line opened on 5 August 1868. Double track was provided in 1894. For very many years all services going north from Eridge turned towards Tunbridge Wells. Passengers were required to change at Groombridge to go north towards Ashurst or west towards Withyham. Although a direct line was constructed between "Birchden Junction" (north of Eridge) and "Ashurst Junction" it was only used for the storage of out of service locomotives. It was not until 7 June 1914 that direct services ran between Eridge and Ashurst. Thus, from 1914, a triangle of operational lines was formed in the area. More information about this appears in the Spa Valley Railway index.
Separate collections cover (a) Monks Lane Halt (closed) and Little Browns Tunnel; (b) Edenbridge Town Station; (c) Hever Station; (d) Cowden Station and Markbeech Tunnel; (e) Ashurst Station; (f) Eridge Station (covered in the Spa Valley Railway Index); (g) Crowborough Station and Crowborough Tunnel; (h) Buxted Station, Sleeches Viaduct and Greenhurst Viaduct; and (i) Uckfield Station.
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Sleeches Viaduct, looking east. This is the more northerly of two viaducts on the line between Crowborough Station and Buxted Station. The viaduct is 183 yards in length and consists of 11 brick arches, unfortunately partially obscured by trees. 10.04.2008
Greenhurst Viaduct is located south of Sleeches Viaduct and is 185 yards in length, consisting of 10 brick arches. This view from the west is unfortunately slightly obstructed by trees. 10.04.2008
A second view of Greenhurst viaduct, looking east. 10.04.2008
Within this general area it is very common to find wartime pillboxes overlooking the line. This example survives on the western side of Greenhurst viaduct and would have had a line of fire over the whole structure. 10.04.2008
Buxted Station forecourt pictured on 14.01.1976, with a nice selection of typical cars of the era. Note the presence of the Station Master's house on the left of the booking hall. This was subsequently demolished. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The main entrance to Buxted Station, pictured on 14.01.1976. The notice on the door says "When this entrance is closed please use side gate in the car park". Note the small lamp over the canopy and the boot scraper by the door, courtesy of the Victorian builders. There are bars on the window on the left, probably to stop the staff from escaping... Who remembers those scooters? Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The road sign gives the basic information, but this is Buxted Station in an image probably taken on Thursday 03.05.1984. The Station Master's brick-built house still exists adjacent to the booking hall, and there are two railway cottages with a somewhat drab rendered finish on the left. The cottages had front doors on the right and left respectively, and both featured a small brick building in their garden which might originally have been a store or outside convenience. Both of these small brick buildings were later demolished. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted station house and booking hall in an image probably taken on Thursday 03.05.1984. Note the old concrete lamp standard on the extreme right and the roof ventilator on the right of the booking hall roof, which catered for the Gents below. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
An unusual view of the side of Buxted Station booking office on 08.07.1984. The platform is to the right and the fence looks past its best. The sign on the right says "When this station is unstaffed please obtain tickets on the train, at destination or interchange station". Alan Young retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station forecourt on Saturday 09.05.1987, with (if my shaky vehicle identification is correct) a Ford Sierra and a Vauxhall parked adjacent to the pedestrian exit. By chance the photographer has captured the arrival (on the right) of red lamp standards. The heads have yet to be fitted, and the tarmac shows where the trench has been filled in. The two young children playing in the cottage garden would now be aged about 45. Time passes when you are having fun. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station forecourt on Saturday 09.05.1987. No parking is allowed outside the Station Master's front window. Quite right too. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station forecourt on Saturday 09.05.1987, with the camera catching the station footbridge beyond the houses. The side-mounted front door to one of the cottages is also in view. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station forecourt pictured on Saturday 14.12.1996, by which time the Station Master's house had been demolished. The southern end of the booking office had a freshly painted white wall to replace it. There is what looks like a Mk 4 Ford Cortina in the car park. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station booking office, photographed on Saturday 14.12.1996. The yellow double doors defeat my livery knowledge, but I am told they are in the colours of Connex South Central. The bus shelter on the right by the side gate is still in Network South East blue and red. There are two glass globes for illumination which frankly don't compare with the traditional oil lamps. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station forecourt in 2008. The cars are more modern and block paving has reached the old station cottages, but otherwise little has changed. 10.04.2008
The remaining part of Buxted Station building, with the inevitable car park payment machine. The station attracts passengers from the Uckfield area because of inadequate parking facilities at Uckfield. 02.09.2007
The same view two years earlier, with a less obvious requirement to "Pay Here" for the car park. 17.11.2005
Buxted Station booking office. There is a ticket machine and defibrillator under the canopy, the former because the ticket office is unstaffed and locked for most of the time. Helpfully they hang a "Closed" sign in the window, rather like a shop. Unusually for stations on this line there is no Royal Mail collection box. 24.10.2021 20967
Buxted Station car park was originally a goods yard with a goods shed, although this was demolished many years ago. When the goods yard was operational there was a siding directly behind the Down platform, another leading through the goods shed, and a very long siding running along the extreme right of the picture (where the cars are parked adjacent to the fence). This long siding extended right through to the station approach road. This view looks north with the Cab Secure Radio mast on the left and a mobile phone mast on the right. 10.04.2008
The original entrance to Buxted goods yard, with the former trackbed still visible. 10.04.2008
A double tracked Buxted Station pictured looking north from under the footbridge in about 1970 by John Clark. By this time all the signals at the station had been removed and the signal box that stood at the north end of the Down platform had been demolished. There is a staff board crossing and a corrugated iron bike shed, although it appears to be empty of bicycles. These were the days when the areas adjacent to the line were kept neatly trimmed and clear of trees, although some ivy appears to be exploring the Up Waiting Room. John Clark retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station pictured in 1971 by Graham Larkbey. Both platforms have a canopy. The Gents has a modesty screen (a fairly unusual sight), there are two lights on the footbridge and the sign on the Up platform reads "Waiting Room", although that might be thought obvious. Note the cross-over just south of the bridge for shunting.
Buxted Station pictured on 09.11.1974 in slightly damp conditions. The Down platform has lost its canopy and a bus shelter has replaced the corrugated iron bike shed. The cross-over formerly used for shunting south of the station has been removed and there are "monuments" sunk between the rails to assist with track alignment. All the green station signs have vanished and been replaced by the white and black signs that were typical of the era. There is also the first sighting of the yellow litter bins that were Introduced in those years. They were presumably brightly coloured in the hope that passengers would use them. The tall thin chimney on the Up Waiting Room suggests that a fire was available. No such luxury is provided in modern times. Alan Young retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station building, pictured on 14.01.1976, before they demolished the Station Master's house nearest the camera. Even in 1976 bus shelters were appearing instead of proper station canopies. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station building, pictured on 14.01.1976, before they demolished the Station Master's house nearest the camera. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station building, pictured on 14.01.1976, before they demolished the Station Master's house nearest the camera. Note the ventilator between the two chimneys to cater for the Gents lavatory. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
A close look at the Up platform waiting room at Buxted Station on 14.01.1976. The nearest door is marked "Private" and is possibly a staff room. Adjacent to the front entrance to the Waiting Room is a long stretcher cabinet, part of the First Aid equipment at stations in those years. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
The main station building at Buxted in an image that is thought to date from Tuesday 01.03.1983. The platform still had concrete lamp standards with white hexagonal shades, but a lamp containing fluorescent tubes had been fitted above the main door. In practice the main entrance to the station was through the gate next to the rusty bus shelter. The end of the footbridge steps can just be seen, and the notice adjacent to the entrance states "This platform for trains to Uckfield. Over footbridge for trains to Eridge, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Oxted, East Croydon & London". Those were the days. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station photographed on 08.07.1984, looking south. This is a typical scene for Southern Region stations at the time, with concrete lamp standards and the six-sided white shades. It would appear that the staff had not been supplied with a lawn mower for the Up platform. Alan Young retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station looking north on 08.07.1984. The station building loses much of its character without the canopy. In earlier years a signal box would have stood at the end of the platform, and on the Up platform there would have been a semaphore Starting signal. The concrete lamp standard on the extreme right illustrates why they were eventually removed from stations; the concrete has "blown" (spalling) owing to rusting of the metal strengthening bars. Alan Young retains all rights to this image.
As all enthusiasts know, if you hear a Class 33 locomotive approaching you should immediately hurl yourself into the nearest bush. Nick Bailey followed this advice, but still captured 332xx heading north from Buxted Station on Saturday 18.05.1985. Services to Eastbourne from London were being diverted to Uckfield (with passengers continuing by coach) and this is the return stock working. The headcode tells us it is heading for Victoria. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
BuxtedSaturday18.05.1985332xxReturnEastbournedivertNickBailey
1107 at Buxted Station on Thursday 08.08.1985 with the Uckfield portion of the 18:36 service from Victoria. The unit was running with a 'Hastings' motor coach, which had been temporarily renumbered; an unusual sight. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
1107runningwith'Hastings'motorcoachtheUckfieldportion18.36VictoriaBuxtedThurs.8.08.1985
With Ashdown Forest in the background, 1317 arrives at Buxted Station with the Uckfield portion of the 12:24 service from Victoria on Saturday 10.08.1985. The unit is now preserved on the Spa Valley Railway. Note the concrete lamp standards with white shades, that were typical of stations at the time. Northbound passengers then had their own platform and a canopy. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
A lovely view south along the line at Buxted station on Saturday 09.05.1987. These were the days when the station was civilised and still had two platforms and a footbridge. However the red lamp standards had arrived (on the left) although still without their heads. They would replace the traditional concrete lamp standards with their white shades. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
The northbound waiting room and canopy at Buxted station on Saturday 09.05.1987. Estate agents were advertising "1 Croft Cottages, Crowborough Road, Nutley" for sale in their posters. No internet property websites in those days. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Buxted Station in a low resolution photo from 29.03.1997. The Up line has been lifted and the northbound platform is abandoned. There is new signage on the remaining platform and the station is in Connex colours. However the bus shelter retains the red livery of Network South East. Alan Young retains all rights to this image.
Looking south from the end of Buxted station platform in 1998. The original double track bridge can be seen. When double track was in operation there was a shunting cross-over south of the bridge. 19.09.1998
In 1998 it was possible to gain access to the abandoned northbound platform for this view north along the platforms. Some sleepers from the lifted Up line are still in situ. The remaining line is now single track from Greenhurst Viaduct into Uckfield. The former northbound platform was then tatty but not completely overgrown. A footbridge used to link the two platforms at the southern end of the station. The operational platform is in Connex colours.
19.09.1998
