Hothfield railway station

Hothfield railway station (later Hothfield Halt) was a railway station on the Maidstone Line at Hothfield, Kent. It was situated between Ashford and Charing stations. The station opened in 1884; it closed to passengers in 1959 and general freight in 1964 although the sidings continued to be used for deliveries of aggregate traffic.

Hothfield
The site of the station in 1995
General information
LocationEngland
Coordinates51.1812°N 0.8328°E / 51.1812; 0.8328
Grid referenceTQ 980 462
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLondon, Chatham and Dover Railway
Pre-groupingSouth Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
1 July 1884 (1884-07-01)Station opened
25 September 1937 (1937-09-25)Reduced to unstaffed halt
2 November 1959 (1959-11-02)Closed to passengers
22 February 1964 (1964-02-22)Closed to general freight

History

Hothfield station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1 July 1884, when the railway between Maidstone East and Ashford West opened.[1] From 1 January 1899, passenger trains ran to and from the former South Eastern Railway's Ashford station.[2] In 1922, weekday passenger services comprised ten down and nine up trains. Four trains ran in each direction on Sundays. The station was listed as "Hothfield for Westwell".[3] From 6 January 1935, eleven trains served the station daily.[1][4]

On 25 September 1937, the station was reduced to an unstaffed halt.[5] From 2 July 1939, an hourly service was provided.[1][4] During the Second World War the station buildings were damaged by enemy action. The station closed to passengers on 2 November 1959, and freight on 22 February 1964, as it was deemed uneconomical to improve the station to cater for electrification of the Maidstone line.[6] but the platforms remained and were used by railway staff until the 1980s. The signal box at Hothfield remained in use until 28 April 1984, and then served as a ground frame until 16 February 1985.[7] Freight facilities comprised four sidings on the down side of the station, one of which served a goods shed. A crane of 1 ton 15 cwt (1,800 kg) capacity was provided.[8]

Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Ashford West   London, Chatham and Dover Railway
Maidstone Line		   Charing
Ashford   British Rail
Southern Region
Maidstone Line		   Charing

References
  1. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Historical Background.
  2. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Ashford West.
  3. Bradshaw 1986, pp. 240–41.
  4. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Passenger Services.
  5. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Illustration 108.
  6. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Illustration 110.
  7. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Illustration 109.
  8. Mitchell & Smith 1994, Hothfield Halt.
Sources
  • Bradshaw, George (1986) [1922]. Bradshaw's Guide. Swindon: Book Club Associates.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (1994). Swanley to Ashford. Midhurst: Middleton Press. ISBN 1 873793 45 6.
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