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
Location	England
Coordinates	51.1812°N 0.8328°E
Grid reference	TQ 980 462
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	London, Chatham and Dover Railway
Pre-grouping	South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
1 July 1884	Station opened
25 September 1937	Reduced to unstaffed halt
2 November 1959	Closed to passengers
22 February 1964	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.[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.

External links

• Signal diagram for Hothfield