Notes: Raydon Wood station was originally named Raydon and was located two miles north-east of Raydon village. The name was changed to Raydon Wood on 1 October 1895 to avoid confusion with Roydon station on the Liverpool Street - Cambridge main line. The new name was taken from a neighbouring area of woodland called Raydon Great Wood.
The station had a 200ft long single platform on the Down side of the line. For a station of relatively little importance Raydon Wood possessed a surprisingly dignified, classically-influenced two-storey building. It bore a family resemblance to the more elaborate building at the neighbouring Capel station. The building at Raydon Wood was constructed of red brick with buff quoins and string courses beneath a hipped slate roof with a deep cornice. Despite its elegance the building looked a little 'top heavy' owing to the equally tall windows on the ground and first floors. The building was of a 'T' plan. On the platform elevation (north-east) the north-west end was significantly stepped forward. The ground-floor windows were given arches but other openings were rectangular. A single-storey range at the south-east end probably contained a toilet and a lamp room or coal house. The south-west elevation possessed ground-floor windows under shallow segmental arches; the same feature was found above the doorway in the slightly projecting north-west end of the building. The main doorway was beneath a semicircular arch. The doors were approached by short staircases. First-floor openings were rectangular. Unlike Capel there was no canopy over the platform for weather protection for waiting passengers.

The south-east elevation had no windows and a centrally-placed, robust but unremarkable chimneystack with its flues extending from the ground. The north-west elevation facing the level crossing was given two semicircular-arched ground floor windows but none on the first floor. The highlight of this elevation was the pair of tall chimneystacks, the flues springing from the string-course between the two storeys and concealed by pilasters. The twin chimneystacks were coupled by a semicircular arch.

A basement ran the length of the building with ground level arched windows at the north-west end and external stairs on the south-west elevation.

The building comprised an integral booking hall and office, also included a waiting room, staff room and toilets. The upper floor was the living quarters for the station master and his family. Because of wet rot from inadequate drainage, the building received structural alterations in 1857 to resolve the problem. In the 1890s George March was station master at Raydon Wood. He was replaced by George Fogden in 1896, who in turn was replaced by Henry Avery in 1904 and Sydney Orman in 1909. In 1912 Both Raydon Wood and Capel came under the control of one station master, Charles Watson, as an economy measure until the job ceased to exist in October 1921. From that date the Bentley station master PJG Cooke took on responsibility for the two intermediate stations. After that date the tenancy of the station house was taken by foreman-in-charge Harry Gray.

The small goods yard was at the east end of the platform on the down side and, like Capel, the station was provided with a 350ft loop siding, There was a short dead-end siding at the west end of the loop running up to the back of the platform; this served the coal ground of merchant William Bell on the south side. A further set of points was provided west of the original down direction loop points after 1888 to create a much shorter loop. The original loop was only used when the up goods had coal wagons to leave or empty wagons to collect. The LNER considered this extra connection was unnecessary and the points were removed in the early 1930s leaving the shorter loop and two dead end sidings, one at either end of the loop. At one time the loop siding was provided with a goods shed of 50ft X 30ft on the south side at the west end of the loop. This was demolished shortly after WW1.

The level crossing gates and the goods yard were controlled by a signal box with a 20-lever Dutton frame opposite the station building; this was provided after 1888. The box was abolished in April 1923; after that date the points were operated from a ground frame with levers released and locked by Annett’s key attached to the train staff. Working gate distant signals were retained and operated from the ground frame by the foreman-in- charge and interlocked with the gate lock lever. In later years the gate distant signals were fixed at caution, and gates operated by trainmen.

During WW2 the goods yards at both Capel and Raydon Wood became exceptionally busy. The Americans started to arrive at Raydon Wood station after their long journey. They were the engineers of the 833rd and 862nd battalions, who were soon at work constructing a new fighter airfield between Raydon and Great Wenham. The East Anglian railway network was also working to full capacity, with large loads of building materials being brought via the Hadleigh branch. The runway was built with hardcore brought from bombed buildings in London, this arriving at Raydon by rail. Work went on through 1942 and into 1943 until the airfield was declared fit for operation. A spur was built into Raydon Wood on the northern perimeter of airfield. When it was being built Woodlands Road (the road that goes over level crossing at Raydon Wood station) was truncated at the airfield boundary.

Raydon Wood was downgraded to an unstaffed public siding on 6 April 1964 and all traffic ceased a year later on 19 April 1965.

After closure to all traffic the goods yard was occupied by coal merchant Cawoods Solid Fuels Ltd and later Cawoods Coal. At one time they used the station building as an office. By the early 2000s another coal merchant, CPL Distribution, had taken over the site. They are a national solid fuel distribution company with Raydon Wood being their Essex (although it's in Suffolk) depot. In 2011 the station building was surrounded by scaffolding with restoration underway. This included adding a second floor to the single storey east end of the building. The scaffolding was removed before the work was completed and nothing has happened since. The station building is now securely fenced off from the CPL site.

The Hadleigh Railway Walk is a 2 mile footpath and cycleway along the track bed of the Hadleigh branch from Raydon Wood station to Hadleigh station.

Route map drawn by Alan Young. Ticket from Michael Stewart. Bradshaw from Nick Catford

To see the other stations on the Hadleigh branch click on the station name: Bentley, Bentley Church, Capel & Hadleigh

Click here for a brief history of the Hadleigh branch
Click here for a tour of the Hadleigh branch in 2020