Herne Bay
The
beginnings of the LC&DR's endeavour to break up the SER's monopoly of Thanet can
be traced back to a small independent concern known as the ''Herne Bay &
Faversham Railway''. The company was established by an Act of Parliament in 1857
to allow for the extension of the existing line of the East Kent Railway
(renamed LC&DR in 1859) from Faversham to Herne Bay via Whitstable, with future
plans outlining the inclusion of Margate and Ramsgate. The line was built and
opened piecemeal, the Faversham to Whitstable section being commissioned for
passenger traffic on 1st August 1860. The SER, attempting to protect its
business interests, tried to delay the opening of the Whitstable to Herne Bay
section on the basis that the newly built bridge under which the Herne Bay line
passed the SER's existing Canterbury to Whitstable branch, was structurally
unstable. These claims were unfounded and subsequently, the second section was
opened to traffic on 13th July 1861, giving the LC&DR a direct connection to the
coastal resort. The SER's Sturry station, which proclaimed on its name boards to
serve Herne Bay, was some six miles away!
The construction of the eastward extension from Faversham by an independent
concern explains why the main building at Herne Bay is wholly non-standard
LC&DR. It more or less resembles an old Victorian school and a virtually
identical design opened concurrent at Margate West on 5th October 1863, with the
Ramsgate extension. Whilst the arched windows are identifiable with later LC&DR
products, the symmetrical two-pitched structure, built in red brick, is unique
on this former company’s network (Margate West’s building having succumbed
during the Southern Railway’s Thanet reorganisation). On both southern and
northern elevations, this building received large canopies featuring a
succession of glazed pitch-roof sections (the platform canopy originally had
four such sections, but only the larger pair of the entrance canopy survive).
After acquiring the line’s assets in 1871, the LC&DR decided to make its own
additions to Herne Bay and fairly significant these were too. Immediately to the
west of the station building, a two-storey Station Master’s house was erected;
its design was readily comparable with those LSWR products west of Salisbury,
but a more or less identical building had also been commissioned by the LC&DR on
the ‘’up’’ platform at nearby Broadstairs. Naturally, these structures received
the customary LC&DR all-over white paint finish. The platform canopy at Herne
Bay was extended from the original building to cover the façade of the later
Station Master’s house, but this was undertaken using an alternate, more common
pitched-roof design. The ‘’up’’ side had been protected by a canopy as large as
the original ‘’down’’ side structure from the outset, and even boasted a
substantial valance, which its opposite counterpart lacked. The platforms here
were staggered, linked by a subway, but the original structures on both sides
laid directly opposite each other.
Freight facilities here were initially conservative, probably dating back to
when the through route to Ramsgate was opened in 1863. The goods shed,
single-track and with a pitched roof, was evidently of the independent company’s
own design, it being more elaborate than the plainer LC&DR examples. It was
positioned on the ‘’down’’ side, albeit some distance to the west of the
platforms, and was accompanied by three sidings, one of which intercepted the
structure and another which led to a ‘’dock’’ platform. The ‘’up’’ side was
arguably provided with equal storage capacity in 1902, for a pair of lengthy
westward-facing coal sidings ran for most of the platform’s length. An
additional siding later appeared on the ‘’down’’ side in 1914, serving an
adjacent gas works, beyond the western road bridge. Controlling this layout was
a ground frame (for the gas works) and a 21-lever signal box; this was
positioned on the ‘’up’’ side, to the west of the platform and immediately to
the south of the 1902-installed coal sidings.
Under Southern Railway ownership, there were some significant alterations,
forming part of this company’s general modernisation of East Kent lines. The
decision was taken to convert the ‘’up’’ platform to an island by the extension
of a single coal siding to create a loop, and rebuild both surfaces in
prefabricated concrete delivered from Exmouth Junction. This was undertaken in
conjunction with the widening of the platform surface and the installation of a
then new, rather austere, riveted steel canopy – a far cry from the grandeur of
those contemporary canopies which came into use at Margate and Ramsgate. The
island also acquired a second subway entrance, positioned beyond the eastern end
of the steel canopy. Cylindrical water tanks came into use at the western and
eastern ends of the ‘’up’’ and ‘’down’’ platforms respectively, whilst at the
western end of the latter, a replacement signal box came into use. This was
fundamentally a taller version of the cabin still in use today at Aylesford. The
siding count on both sides of the running lines had remained more or less
unchanged. All modifications were deemed officially complete on 11th July 1926,
which included brick-built waiting facilities on the island.
Under the Southern Region, the first change occurred to the name boards: from
the outset, the station had been known as ‘’Herne Bay & Hampton-on-Sea’’, but
the suffix was dropped during March 1951. Then, on 3rd May 1959, the station’s
semaphore signals were replaced by colour aspect lights, these being controlled
by the 1926-installed signal box. This was then followed by the electrification
of the ‘’Chatham’’ main line, both Thanet and Dover routes, on 15th June of the
same year. The goods yard remained open to traffic until 16th October 1965, and
the gas works siding did not go out of use until 14th March 1966, its ground
frame being removed on 20th August of the same year. Coal was the last goods
traffic to be handled here, this finally disappearing in 1968. The ‘’up’’
sidings did not last much longer than this, all such tracks going out of use on
10th November 1969 – this included the loop which, although not lifted, was
instead converted to siding status and used by engineers’ vehicles. The former
island also had its second subway entrance locked out of use at this time and
during the 1990s, the disused platform face received railings. The signal box
was the next casualty, this being decommissioned on 22nd August 1971, the nearby
colour aspect lights being converted for automatic operation. It was demolished,
along with the Station Master’s house, and the dreaded ‘’CLASP’’ modular
structures appeared in their places. The transformation of Herne Bay was
complete.
David Glasspool
10th June 2008
The façade of Herne Bay station is somewhat reminiscent of the design of a traditional Victorian school. Apart
from the ground floor windows either side of the canopy, the building is symmetrical. Note the pitched glazed
sections of the canopy, mentioned in the main text: the platform canopy once had a succession of four such features.
David Glasspool
10th June 2008
The ''down'' side canopy is of Herne Bay & Faversham Railway origin, thus is actually of considerable vintage.
The LC&DR canopy succumbed with the Station Master's house, but a remaining piece of its valance can still
be seen in this view, overlapping the end of the older structure. The plain steel canopy of the SR is in evidence
on the island. David Glasspool
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