Sheffield Park railway station

Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse (which the line crosses just beyond the platforms) and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian.

History

The station opened in 1882 at the request of the Earl of Sheffield, a local landowner and promoter of The Lewes and East Grinstead Railway Act 1877 which authorised the construction of a line from East Grinstead to Lewes, now popularly known as the Bluebell Railway. Originally named "Fletching and Sheffield Park", the name of the nearby village was dropped in 1883 following objections by the Earl. It was originally closed in May 1955 but was reopened in August 1956 after it was found the closure was illegal.

Following the line's closure in 1958, a group of students formed a society with the intention of preserving part of the East Grinstead to Lewes line. On 7 August 1960 the group began working a short stretch of line between Sheffield Park and Bluebell Halt, just south of Horsted Keynes which was leased to it by British Railways. By 1968, the group had raised enough funds to purchase both the Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations, with the former now the Bluebell Railway's headquarters.

Modern day use

The station now plays host to a shop, model railway, museum and the Bessemer Arms pub (named after Miss Bessemer who fought British Rail over the closure of the line claiming it to be illegal, and whose victory spurred the movement to save the line). The new combined shop and office block was opened in the late 1990s as the original shop was too cramped for the purpose. This was subsequently entirely demolished, creating an open area on the platform for picnic tables.

The station also houses the line's locomotive workshops and sheds, which are a major focal point for visitors to the line. It is restored in a LBSCR style of the start of the 20th century. An unusual signal box can be found on the platform, a popular feature being found at other small stations on the LBSCR where cost saving during SR days reduced manning to a Porter/Signalman. The structure of the box is post-preservation, replacing a fence enclosing what was little more than a ground frame. In the longer term a new signal box will be provided to the north of the station, roughly in the same position as the original North signal box, since the current frame is both life expired and too cramped to serve what is now a much busier station than it was ever intended to control.

Beside the station, with a separate entrance from the A275 is the former Woodpax yard, on which has been built a large carriage shed and adjoining Museum building; this project was known as "Operation Undercover". Construction work started in January 2010 with about three quarters of the money coming from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The project was completed in early 2012. It provides storage for many of the line's operational vintage carriages and the Pullman dining train.

Future

An extension to the south has been mooted a few times, returning the line to its original southern terminus of Lewes; however this is likely to be near impossible as the next station on the line, Newick and Chailey, has been lost under housing, and the following station, Barcombe, is now in private hands. In addition, several road bridges would need to be replaced on the route, including one just south of Sheffield Park station.

Gallery

File:Sheffield Park railway station (2).JPG, A Pullman train in Platform 1 at Sheffield Park
File:Sheffield Park railway station (1).JPG, O1 no. 65 draws a train into Platform 2
File:Sheffield Park railway station.JPG, E4 no. 32473 waits under the impressive station building
Image:Bluebell Railway, Sheffield Park Exterior.jpg, The station entrance, coming up from the car park
File:Fletching Bluebell Railway train at Sheffield Park in 1961 geograph-2687078-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg, Ex-SE&C Wainwright class P 0-6-0T No. 323 in 1961
File:Fletching Bluebell Railway train (2) at Sheffield Park in 1961 geograph-2687313-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg, Ex-LB&SC A1X class No. 55 'Stepney' in 1961

References

{{East Sussex railway stations

Heritage railway stations in East Sussex
Former London, Brighton and South Coast Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1882
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1955
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1956
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1958
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1960
Bluebell Railway
Thomas Myres buildings