Edenbridge Town Station (including the Goods Shed and Signal Box)
For very many years all services coming south from Ashurst and east from the Withyham line turned towards Tunbridge Wells. Passengers were required to change at Groombridge to go south towards Eridge.
Although a direct line was constructed between "Ashurst Junction" and "Birchden Junction" (north of Eridge) it was only used for the storage of out of service locomotives. It was not until 7 June 1914
that direct services ran between Ashurst and Eridge. 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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There are two stations serving Edenbridge; the Uckfield line uses Edenbridge Town, which is nearer to the shopping centre. The station forecourt is pictured on 24.05.1969. The white gate gave access to the Station Master's house and garden. A number of cars of the era are parked, including a Mark 1 Ford Cortina on the right. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
Edenbridge Town, pictured on Saturday 18.06.1983, and remarkably the photographer has managed to achieve an almost clear shot of the building, excluding a Ford Cortina estate. Normally parking blocks the view. Passengers entering the booking hall are greeted with a large Red Star Parcels poster (who remembers Red Star?) and there is a notice about parking on the forecourt. To the right the roof features wooden ventilators for the toilets. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
A boot scraper at Edenbridge Town station entrance, pictured on Monday 25.05.1998. These were always painted black, but there seems to be a later fashion to use other colours. Note the detail in the metalwork, despite this being a purely functional object. There appears to be little call for boot scraping at the station nowadays as the void behind the scraper is clean. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
The entrance to the booking hall at Edenbridge Town station with an old Victorian post box on the right (as found at other stations in the area). Note the old boot scraper below the post box which has been painted in "Southern" green (to be historically accurate it should of course be black). The entrance is rather cluttered by signage and there is an inevitable ticket machine as the ticket office is only open during limited hours. 30.05.2021 20731
Edenbridge Town station, looking north on Wednesday 24.11.1982. On the left, behind the fence, are the remains of the loading dock. The presence of a wooden roof ventilator on the right indicates that lavatories were also provided on the southbound platform. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Edenbridge Town station, looking north on Saturday 14.12.1996. The canopy has been shortened on the southbound platform and is no longer attached to the brick building. The station is in Connex colours and new digital clocks have arrived. A fence has been erected on the left to screen the area of the old goods dock. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
The northbound platform at Edenbridge Town station, looking north in 2021. The platform has retained it's canopy which has been nicely refurbished in "Southern" colours. The "out of hours" exit gate from the station is on the extreme left. On the roof next to the gate is a wooden ventilator for the Ladies and Gents toilets, but the facilities only appear to be available during limited hours, a situation that can be an "in-convenience". 30.05.2021 20744
The northbound platform at Edenbridge Town Station, pictured on Saturday 18.06.1983, looking south. Everything looks a bit dilapidated, with the canopy in poor decorative condition and weeds growing in the platform in the bottom left hand corner of the picture. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image
33210 leaving Edenbridge Town northbound on Sunday 11.07.1976 with hopper wagons from engineering works between Edenbridge Town and Eridge. The locomotive did not survive into preservation. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
33210leavingEdenbridgeTownwithhopperwagonsetc.fromengineeringworksbetweenE.TownandEridgeSun.11.07.1976
Looking south from Edenbridge Town Station on Wednesday 02.05.1984, with both canopies in a rather dilapidated condition. The signal box at the end of the platform had closed by then, and the arm of the southbound Starting signal had been removed. The straight track stretches away into the distance. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
Looking south from the southbound platform at Edenbridge Town in 1998, with the station in Connex colours and the canopies in much better decorative condition. The base of the Cab Secure Radio mast is on the right (this system has since been decommissioned and the mast removed). A subway links the platforms. 10.10.1998
Edenbridge Town Station on Monday 25.05.1998 with 207201 (better known as 1301) heading south with another unit in the rear. This unit was one of three Class 207/2 units that were refurbished in 1995 before being eventually scrapped in 2003. It carried the name "Ashford Fayre" and is seen in Network South East livery although it was later given Connex colours. The more observant will notice that it has a non-standard middle coach from a 4-CEP unit, which looks rather odd. This coach is believed to be 70286 from 4-CEP unit 1546 (originally 7137). Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
1116 (in blue livery) at Edenbridge Town on the 10:09 service from Victoria on Sunday 13.07.1969. The train usually ran to East Grinstead but engineering work was blocking the line at Lingfield. Eric Kemp retains all rights to this image.
1116blueEdenbridgeTownthe10.09VictoriausuallyEastGrinsteadbutengineeringworkLingfieldSun.13.07.1969
Looking across at the southbound platform at Edenbridge Town Station on Saturday 18.06.1983, before the canopy was shortened. Note the roof ventilator for the lavatories, which are entered via the two doors furthest from the camera. Adverts extol the benefits of a Nat West Bank personal loan and Stonedene Garages Ltd (Audi). To the right of these posters is a wider arch with an apparently closed set of double doors. These doors disappear from later images suggesting that the building was subsequently partially reconstructed. Nick Bailey retains all rights to this image.
A 2003 view north along the southbound platform at Edenbridge Town, and (compared with the 1983 photograph) it is obvious that the building has been altered. There is a new roof, from which the wooden ventilators for the lavatories have been removed, the toilets being (presumably) no longer in service. The arrangement of the doors and windows has also changed and a very close examination of the image shows a slight variation in brick colours where windows have been bricked up. Finally the arch and double doors that existed in 1983 have been opened out to form a waiting area. Unlike other stations the passengers also continue to benefit from the shortened canopy. 18.09.2003
Looking north along the southbound platform at Edenbridge Town station in 2021. The doors on the old building are blocked off, but the platform does retain part of it's canopy and the (formerly open) small waiting area has been enclosed behind green double doors. This must make the waiting area much more suitable for the purpose. There is also new platform seating nearest the camera. 30.05.2021 20732
A view taken in 1998 looking north from the southbound platform at Edenbridge Town. Note the old digital clocks. The station is in "Connex" colours. The red salt bin dates from Network South East times when the line received a batch in the corporate red colour; perhaps taking branding to it's limits. 10.10.1998