Isfield railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Isfield
gridref = TQ452172


caption =
manager = London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
owner = Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
locale = Isfield
borough = Wealden, East Sussex
platforms = 2
years = 18 October 1858
events = Opened
years1 = 4 May 1969
events1 = Closed
years2 = 16 June 1983
events2 = Sold by British Rail

Isfield is a preserved railway station on the closed section of the Wealden Line which served the East Sussex village of Isfield near Uckfield. Originally opened in 1858, the station closed in 1969 and was sold into private hands in 1983 to subsequently become the current centrepiece of the Lavender Line, a heritage railway.

History

Serving a relatively rural area, Isfield was a quiet station on the busy through-route from Brighton and Tunbridge Wells. Architecturally, it was a mirror image of Barcombe Mills station; equipped with two platforms, the main station buildings were on the Up side, whilst a small wooden waiting shelter was provided for the Down platform. There was no footbridge between the platforms, but passengers could easily cross by the level crossing just to the west of the station. [Cite book | author=Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=Branch Lines to Tunbridge Wells | date=1986 | publisher=Middleton Press | location=Midhurst, West Sussex | isbn=0-906520-32-0 | pages= Plate 39]

During the First World War milk churns were brought by rail to the station, a handbell being rung from the signalbox to warn of the approach of a train. The trains also carried German Prisoners of War to the village for forestry work in the area around Plashett Wood; at the end of the day, the prisoners were marched back to the station where a train would take them back to their camp. [Cite book | author=Oppitz, Leslie | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=Lost Railways of Sussex (Lost Railways) | date=2001 | publisher=Countryside Books | location=Newbury, Berkshire | isbn=978-1-85306-697-9 | pages= p.28]

Although the last train ran on 23 February 1969, the station remained open to issue bus tickets until the buses themselves were withdrawn on 6 May.

Restoration

Following its closure in 1969, Isfield Station remained neglected and overgrown, envelopped by a shroud of trees and grass. After fourteen years of disuse, it was auctioned on 14 June 1983 by British Rail and sold for £60,500 to Dave and Gwen Milham who operated a landscaping business in the area and had attended the auction merely out of curiosity. [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/i/isfield/index.shtml Isfield Station on Subterranea Britannica] ] A first inspection of the station site revealed a convert|3|ft|m|sing=on high carpet of grass on the platforms and trees up to convert|20|ft|m|sing=on high flourishing on the down line. The Saxby & Farmer signalbox was structurally sound, as was the main booking hall area which nevertheless needed new ceilings and windows, and part of the slate roof had to be relaid. However, in less than 18 months the station had been transformed back into a period working station bearing the green and yellow colours of the Southern Railway which had taken over the Wealden Line in 1922.Cite book | author=Jennings, Richard | authorlink= | coauthors= | title=The Lavender Line: The story of Isfield Station 1858-1969 (reborn 1984) | date=1985 | publisher=Ashdown Publishing Ltd | location=Steyning, Sussex | isbn= | pages= ]

The wooden down waiting platform had been sold to the Bluebell Railway in 1978 and so Dave Milham had to commission a replica from local craftsman. Graffiti was sandblasted from the walls and hanging baskets, milk churns and original gas lamps were brought in to adorn the platforms. Track materials came from a British Rail surplus at Croydon, and three sidings were subsequently laid out with a small headshunt together with a special connection to facilitate the easy unloading of stock delivered by road. The Milhams converted the stationmaster's house into a family residence and made it into their home, converting the first class passengers' waiting room into a lounge area.

It was decided to operate the station as a small heritage operation called the Lavender Line after A.E. Lavender & Sons who were the original coal merchants who operated from the station yard; lavender was also grown in the area. [Oppitz, L., p. 33.] Rolling stock was purchased and the first engine, a Barclay 0-4-0 saddle tank locomotive (945/1904) known as "Annie", arrived on 23 February 1984, the 15th anniversary of the station's closure. The second engine, a WD Austerity 2-10-0, came to Isfield shortly afterwards and, following a year-long restoration, was the object of a visit by Dame Vera Lynn on 6 August 1985 who gave the locomotive her name. It was sold the following year to a wealthy American who gave it as a wedding anniversary present to his wife. The Dame Vera Lynn nevertheless returned to railway use, first at the Watercress Line, and now with the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. [Oppitz, L., p. 35.]

Having invested around £750,000 into the site, Dave Milham sold his interest in the Lavender Line in 1992, leaving the operation to be taken over by the Lavender Line Preservation Society, a group of enthusiasts whose membership rose from 15 to around 300 in little under 15 months. Substantial track modifications were undertaken to prepare the line for opening to the public, giving the line around one mile (1.6 km) of track extending to the north.

Future

The Wealden Line Campaign has lobbied strongly for the reinstatement of the line between Lewes and Uckfield, including the section through Isfield, and a feasibility study has been carried out to determine the merits of this scheme.

References