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A view of the former station building seen from the station forecourt c1972. The box van partly visible on the left gives the company address as Bentley Station, which probably gave rise to the ‘Nr. Ipswich' refinement whereas signwriting on other vehicles stated simply 'Ipswich'. The unkempt area on the right, apparently in use as a pallet dump, was once occupied by the south end of Bentley goods shed which abutted the station building. The darkened end of the station building is probably due to creosoting after removal of the goods shed. The shed housing the Ransomes fork lift truck looks suspiciously as if it has been constructed from remnants of the former goods shed (the station had closed to goods traffic in 1964) with the panel adjacent to the Lambretta appearing, on close examination, to have once been a sliding door. The fork lift truck is a product of Messrs. Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies of Ipswich. The company produced a wide range of products from farm equipment to steam traction engines and trolleybuses. Outside of Suffolk the Ransomes name was perhaps better known for Ransomes & Rapier railway cranes, although the railway side of the business had been split off to become a separate concern way back in the 19th century. Referring to photographs from GER days a tall signal for the Up line but positioned on the Down side can be seen. The reason for this was sighting, due to the station being on a curve and drivers view being obstructed by a wood adjacent to the line fourteen chains north of the station. There was a repeater signal for Up trains located close the point where the Hadleigh branch diverged. At some point in time the signal referred to, located on the Down side, was relocated to the more usual position on the Up side and it can be seen in this 1970s view, by now with an upper quadrant arm.
Photo from John Mann collection 15.jpg) Bentley station building and forecourt seen c1972, with the level crossing out of view to the left. The building is used as an office for Capel Contracting Services Ltd. and its offshoot Capel Continental Express Ltd. Despite the name, this haulage contractor appears to have been based at Bentley as signwriting on other vehicles gave the company address as Bentley Station. The Luton-bodied van is a petrol-engined Mark 1 Ford Transit. There was a degree of irony in that after a railway station closed it was not uncommon for land and buildings to be taken over by road haulers.
Photo from John Mann collection 32.jpg) Bentley station looking north from the Station Road level crossing c1974.
Photo by JE Connor 19a.jpg) Bentley Junction signal box in November 1974. The photographer is standing on the site of the Down sidings which passed either side of the signal box. The Hadleigh branch ran alongside the main line for half a mile. The box closed on 30 June 1975 with control passing to Manningtree.
Photo by David Burrows from his Flickr photostream 20.jpg) The main station building on the up platform at Bentley seen from Station Road in May 1978.Photo
by Alan Young
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The very degraded remains of the two platforms at Bentley station are still visible in October 2018 in this view looking north from Station Road.
Photo by Nick Catford  The crossing keeper’s cottage and the degraded remains of the down platform at Bentley station in October 2018. This was the site of the station footbridge.
Photo by Nick Catford 
Looking north along the degraded remains of the down platform at Bentley station in October 2018.
Photo by Nick Catford
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