Harrietsham
Harrietsham came into
use with the 18¾-mile-long Maidstone to Ashford route on 1st July 1884, and
comparatively speaking, has stood the test of time well. The station is typical
of the route, and as mentioned elsewhere on the website, the site is a virtual
carbon copy of that which was established at nearby Hollingbourne, save for a
couple of detail differences. Standard buildings were provided here: the
‘’up’’ platform was host to a crème brick structure of 103-feet in length; the
‘’down’’ side demonstrated an attractive 30-foot-long brick-built waiting
shelter. With reference to the former, this was two storeys high at its tallest
section, and in common with several LC&DR stations, the building included
orange-lined arched window frames. Such features were also incorporated into the
‘’high-level’’ building at the rebuilt Maidstone East in 1884, in addition to
being readily identifiable on the other crème brick builds at Bearsted and
Hollingbourne. Platform canopies along the route were based on a standardised
flat-roof design demonstrating an intricate icicle-patterned valance: a
30-foot-long example extended from the northern elevation of Harrietsham’s main
building, this of which was supported by four cast-iron struts. This canopy was
matched in design and length by that of the ‘’down’’ side waiting shelter;
however, the latter was of reduced depth, and was supported by two cats-iron
struts and the side walls. In common with all intermediate affairs on the
1884 route, no footbridge was provided at Harrietsham; a track foot crossing, at
the eastern ends of the platforms, was instead provided. Luxuries such as
footbridges were omitted from several stations on both SER and LC&DR networks
from the outset. However, with the Board of Trade tightening standards around
1890, a number of these structures were later installed by the rival companies,
but many stations on secondary routes still continued without them.
Like at Hollingbourne, the goods yard at Harrietsham was in evidence on the
‘’up’’ side, to the east of the platforms. A complicated track layout here, with
numerous points and Y-formations, eventually produced a pair of westward-facing
sidings and one eastward-facing dock line. The latter was a common feature; all
those stations opened between Borough Green and Hothfield inclusive, were built
with dock platforms, and such provision made it possible for the loading of
cattle at these sites. The dock line and the southern-most of the sidings at
Harrietsham were joined by a single connecting line, and straddled over the
latter was the goods shed. This was built to a standardised design, which had
appeared at both Hollingbourne and Bearsted: the structure was just under
65-foot in length, by about 30-foot wide, and accommodated a single track.
Attached to the goods shed’s western elevation was a small, 15-foot-long,
10-foot-wide appendix. The entire layout was signalled by outside contractor
Saxby & Farmer, and one of this company’s attractive signal boxes was in
evidence at the eastern end of the ‘’down’’ platform. Again, the cabin was to a
design standardised along the 1884 route, with a brick base, a timber
upper-half, and a slated pitched-roof.
During the SE&CR’s tenure, the front portions of the intricate canopy valances
on both ‘’up’’ and ‘’down’’ sides, were removed. Such also occurred at nearby
Hollingbourne, and in both cases, it is not clear why, since counterparts at
Bearsted, Charing, and Lenham escaped such modification. Under Southern Railway
ownership, this station changed little. The ‘’down’’ platform was rebuilt by the
company in the then prevailing Exmouth Junction-manufactured prefabricated
concrete. Even so, Harrietsham managed to retain the traditional Victorian
diamond-shaped gas lamps – in fact, it would appear that Charing was the only
intermediate station between Maidstone and Ashford which was later equipped with
the SR’s distinctive swan neck-shaped lamp posts. It was left to British
Railways to implement the most severe changes and, naturally, many of these were
undertaken in conjunction with the Kent Coast Electrification. The goods yard
was subject to closure on 1st May 1961, just over five months before the
commencement of the first scheduled electric services along the route. In
preparation for the latter, a prefabricated concrete footbridge was installed to
the immediate east of the station structures, in common with several stations
along the route, to supersede the existing track foot crossing. Scheduled
electric services began on 9th October 1961, to existing steam timings, and the
full accelerated timetable came into use on 18th June of the following year. The
electrification also resulted in the abolition of the 19th Century gas lamps.
The signal box here was one of the route’s earlier casualties, closure coming on
5th November 1972. Approximately twelve years later, the station was subject to
a restoration exercise, in conjunction with many other sites along the route.
This included the cleaning of the crème brickwork of both platform structures,
and the simplification of the canopies. The latter involved the complete
truncation of the ornate sections of the valances. Finally, circa 2003, the
‘’up’’ and ‘’down’’ platform surfaces were lengthened at their eastern ends in
preparation for the complete conversion from slam-door to sliding-door stock
operation.
19th April 2007
A westward view reveals the two 1984-simplified canopies framed by the 1961 prefabricated concrete
footbridge. The dock line formerly terminated on the far left, but the site of this line has now been built
on, as evidenced here. However, of historical note is the vintage railings on the far left, still painted in
Network SouthEast red. David Glasspool
An eastward view better reveals all station structures, including the goods shed in the background.
As per all waiting shelters on this section of line, the example at Hollingbourne has had its windows
bricked up. The station building sports a recently slated roof, and unlike its counterpart down the
line at Hollingbourne, has suffered less from boarded up windows. David Glasspool
A second eastward view, this time from the footbridge, shows the former goods yard area, complete
with surviving crème brick shed, and the recent platform extensions. The goods shed is of a standard
design, and a similar example still exists at Bearsted. David Glasspool
Harrietsham's façade presented a clean and tidy appearance when viewed. Only those windows
on the bottom floor of the two-storey section were boarded up. Notice that the canopy on this
side of the building retains an ornate valance: this is identical to those valances which formerly
graced the platforms. David Glasspool
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