Station Name:GRAVESEND WEST STREET

[Source: Nick Catford]
Date opened: 10 May 1886
Location: Branch from Farningham Road
Company on opening: Gravesend Railway
Date closed to passengers: 3 August 1953
Date closed completely: 25 March 1968
Company on closing: British Railways (Southern Region)
Present state: The majority of the station was demolished in 1991 but the pier with its covered way, West Street bridge and a short section of platform survived until September 2006 when the remaining section of viaduct and the bridge over West Street were demolished. At the time of writing the pier still survived.
County: Kent
OS Grid Ref: TQ643743
Date of visit: 1968, November 1976 & 18.9.2006
Notes: There were two platforms at Gravesend West Street forming a 'V' with the two left hand tracks alongside No 1 (down) platform extending part of the way along the line to Gravesend Pier. The station building was sited at the base of the 'V' and was of brick construction. The goods yard was located on the south side of the station with a goods shed, loading bank and cattle pens. A turntable was sited on the down side of the line to the west of the station opposite a signalbox on the up side.

The station was opened as Gravesend, later renamed Gravesend West Street and renamed for a third time on 26th September 1949 when it became Gravesend West.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GRAVESEND WEST STREET BRANCH
The branch to Gravesend West Street opened on by the Gravesend Railway on 17th April 1886 with the first passenger services on the 10th of May 1886.

All trains were through to/from London and there were express services linking with river steamers to Walton on the Naze, Clacton and Southend.There were intermediate stations Southfleet & Betsham and Rosherville, a third intermediate station, Longfield Halt opened on 1.7.1913. Following the closure of the Rosherville Gardens in 1910 most through London
services were withdrawn and substituted with push pull trains to Farningham Road.

The Gravesend Railway Company was taken over by the London Chatham and Dover on June 29th 1883.

Passenger trains were withdrawn on 3rd August 1953 and the line singled in 1959. The freight service was withdrawn from 24th March 1968 but coal trains for the APCM (Blue Circle) cement works at Northfleet continued until 1976.

The trackbed was retained after closure, first by B.R.,

then Railtrack, and used to route a high voltage feeder cable to a converter/3rd rail supply station at Fawkham Junction for powering the main line. Part of the line south of Southfleet station has been used for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Further reading: The Gravesend West Branch by N. Pallant - Oakwood Press 1984
ISBN 0 85361 307 9. See also Kent Rail web site. Tickets from Brian Halford. Route map drawn by Alan Young

To see the other stations on the Gravesend West Street branch line click on the station name: Rosherville Halt & Southfleet



Gravesend West Street Station in January 1948
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection


1925 Ordnance Survey Map


Gravesend West Street Station in 1968
Photo by Nick Catford


Gravesend West Street Station in November 1975
Photo by Nick Catford



Gravesend West Street Station in 1991
Photo by Rob Poole



A short section of the platform at Gravesend West Street Station still remained in September 2006
Photo by Nick Catford



Click here for more pictures of Gravesend West Street Station


 

 

 

[Source: Nick Catford]


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