Lydd-on-Sea Halt was a railway station which served the modern village of Lydd-on-Sea in Kent, England. The station opened in 1937 and closed in 1967.

History

Prompted by holiday camp development in the area, the Southern Railway decided in 1937 to realign its branch line to

New Romney New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...

(which had been opened in 1884) closer to the sea and to open two intermediate stations - Lydd-on-Sea and Greatstone-on-Sea. The opening of Lydd-on-Sea on 4 July 1937 coincided with the closure of Dungeness station to passengers; it was intended that Lydd-on-Sea, ½-mile from Dungeness, would serve both locations and its running in board read "''Lydd-on-Sea (for Dungeness)''". To handle the expected flow of holiday traffic, the station was equipped with a long curved island platform with a passing loop on which was perched a small wooden shed.Subterranea Britannica, "Lydd-on-Sea Halt".
/ref> The traffic never materialised and the station was downgraded to an unstaffed halt on 20 September 1954 when its passing loop was also lifted. As passenger traffic dwindled and freight became insignificant, the New Romney branch fell into decline and was listed for closure in the Beeching Report. In 1966 the Minister of Transport Barbara Castle announced her intention of closing the Appledore to New Romney Branch and passenger services ceased on 6 March 1967.

Present day

Although the trackbed from Romney Junction towards New Romney is easily traceable, nothing remains of Lydd-on-Sea Halt today except for a gated concrete approach road from Kerton Road . The island platform was demolished at some point after 1983.

References

Disused railway stations in Kent Former Southern Railway (UK) stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1937 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1967 Beeching closures in England 1937 establishments in England 1967 disestablishments in England Lydd {{Kent-railstation-stub