Heathfield railway station was on the

Cuckoo Line The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at ...

between

Horam Horam is a village, electoral ward and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, situated south of Heathfield.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publ ...

and Mayfield, serving the market town of Heathfield. It was opened in 1880 by

London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...

on the line extension from

Hailsham Hailsham is a town, a civil parish and the administrative centre of the Wealden district of East Sussex, England.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Dat ...

Eridge Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. The River Rother, which ...

. The station was closed for passenger trains in 1965 but freight trains continued to serve the goods yard until 1968.

Gas supply

In 1896, the LB&SCR drilled for water at the north end of the station.

Natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...

was discovered at . In 1898 and 1899,

Charles Dawson Charles Dawson (11 July 1864 – 10 August 1916) was a British amateur archaeologist who claimed to have made a number of archaeological and palaeontological discoveries that were later exposed as frauds. These forgeries included the Piltdow ...

gave several demonstrations with the gas and the railway began to use it to light the station. The natural gas was used for that purpose until February 1934, when the station was converted to town gas. The well was sealed in 1963.

Present day

An industrial estate and car park now occupy much of the station site to the south-east. Above them at road level (the station approach), the booking office still survives as a shop and café. As part of the extension to the

Cuckoo Trail The Cuckoo Trail is a footpath and cycleway which runs from Hampden Park to Heathfield in East Sussex. It passes through the towns of Polegate and Hailsham, as well as the villages of Hellingly and Horam. History The Trail largely foll ...

, the -long Heathfield tunnel north of the station was restored and reopened in 2002, with a lit footpath running through it and a skateboarding ramp just outside the south portal. The tunnel was closed following an alleged rape on 12 March 2005. A trial reopening period began on 26 March 2007,Wealden District Council, Heathfield Tunnel Opening Strategy.
/ref> but it is now fully closed. In 2019, Wealden District Council stated: "due to constant vandalism and anti social behaviour, the tunnel is to remain closed indefinitely with no plans to look into it".

Gas supply

Present day

References

Other reading