Bishopsbourne railway station

Bishopsbourne was a station on the Elham Valley Railway. It opened in 1889 and closed to passengers in 1940 and freight in 1947.

Bishopsbourne
Bishopsbourne station, 16 April 1963
Location
PlaceBishopsbourne, Kent
Coordinates51°13′44″N 1°07′41″E
Grid referenceTR 185 524
Operations
Pre-groupingSouth Eastern Railway
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Platforms2
History
1 July 1889Opened
1 December 1940Closed to passengers
1 October 1947Closed to freight
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain
A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

History

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] An 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 Barham 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]

The Boche Buster firing near Bishopsbourne on 7 May 1941.

Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line was placed under military control.[1] The military established block posts at Canterbury South and Bishopbourne, under the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 an 18-in rail-mounted gun, 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]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Bridge   Southern Railway
Elham Valley Railway		   Barham

References
Citations
  1. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical Background.
  2. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 107.
  3. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Passenger Services.
  4. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 104.
  5. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 105.
  6. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Historical background.
  7. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 109.
  8. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 108.
  9. Mitchell & Smith 1995, Illustration 110.
Sources
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1995). Branch Lines Around Canterbury. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1 873793 58 8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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