By Richard Bryant and John Mills, Lindfield History Project Group
Lindfield nearly had a railway station north of the church - at the bottom of Town Hill (north of the High Street, close to Ardingly Road). It was planned to be the first stop on the Ouse Valley line. The proposed line ran from Skew Bridge, just north of Haywards Heath, and a little way south of the impressive Ouse Valley Viaduct on the main London to Brighton line. The line was to be built in sections, with the stretch from the Brighton line to Uckfield being called Ouse Valley No. 1 and that from Uckfield to Hailsham called Ouse Valley No. 2. A third section was planned to St Leonards.
There were to be further stations at Fletching, Newick, Uckfield junction, East Hoathly, Hailsham and ultimately additional stations to St Leonards. Stops serving Scaynes Hill, Framfield and Chiddingly were proposed.
The reason for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSC) wanting to build the line was not due to heavy passenger or freight demand from Haywards Heath to Hailsham and beyond. The origins of the desire to build the line were myriad in railway politics of the 1850s and early 1860s. The relationship between LBSC and the rival South Eastern Railway could briefly be described as competitive and far from harmonious.
The LBSC wanted to extend its routes and influence eastward from the Brighton line, while the South Eastern and the London, Chatham and Dover Railways were equally keen to expand westward into LBSC territory and even to Brighton itself. The Ouse Valley line was seen as a means of countering such moves and to create a shorter route to Eastbourne and Hastings. The first and second sections – No.1 and No.2 – were sanctioned by Parliament with the passing of the London Brighton South Coast Act on 23rd June 1864. Further sections were sanctioned the following year.
Construction work was put out to tender and the contract secured by W&J Pickering, railway contractors of Blackfriars, London, under the supervision of William Pickering. Preparatory work was put in hand and the Brighton Gazette reported: “Near the Ardingly Road a novelty has sprung up in a marvellously short time in the shape of a considerable village with ‘Tommy’ shops and workshops, stabling, offices and a complete street of neat and substantial dwellings for the workmen, erected by the contractors.”
The ‘first sod’ was cut on 17th May 1866 and celebrated with a dinner in the Bent Arms. The railway company had established a local office in a building (demolished c.1958) adjacent to the inn.
At its starting point at Skew Bridge, the brick abutments carrying the London to Brighton line were widened and this brickwork can still be seen today. From here the track bed travelled east along a large embankment, through a 57 foot deep cutting and across Copyhold Lane. It then skirted the northern edge of today’s Haywards Heath Golf Club, before entering a deep cutting to pass under High Beech Lane. A shallow cutting followed as it neared Kenwards farmhouse and continued with two cottages in its path being demolished. Spoil from cuttings was run out along trolley lines and tipped to create the embankments.
After Kenwards, a short tunnel was planned but never dug, emerging into another cutting before running onto an embankment and across Spring Lane. The track continued on an embankment crossing the B2028 Lindfield to Ardingly road on a bridge. This embankment and bridge abutments remain visible at the bottom of Town Hill.
The embankment continued for a short distance on the eastern side, requiring the demolition of two old cottages that LBSC had purchased in 1866. The railway company replaced these with two small semi-detached cottages, known as Town Hill Cottages, situated immediately downhill of the eastern bridge abutment. Perhaps they were intended to house LBSC workers? The railway company owned the cottages for many years before being sold and becoming part of the Old Place Estate; they were demolished around 1936. After this short embankment, the track bed runs into a cutting at Hangmans Acre.
The contractors were making good progress despite the difficulties caused by a hard winter, several fatal accidents and being successfully sued by the Newchapel to Brighton Turnpike Trust for damage to the road by carts.
Work was starting to head eastward out of Lindfield when construction stopped abruptly in February 1867. Building of Lindfield station had yet to start. The reason for stopping at this point will be explained shortly.
There has been much speculation as to the actual proposed site of Lindfield station; was it to be constructed to the east or west of the B2028? The topography and available space to the east would have been tight for platforms, station buildings, and forecourt and road entrance. Whereas the western side offered plenty of space with Spring Lane providing road access, but would require considerable earth works. This would probably have been the most likely location, although we will never know for certain as no plans appear to exist.
On 21st February 1867, the LBSC decided to suspend construction of the line and a telegram was sent to Pickering to halt all work. Some 500 men were ‘paid off’ and the many cart horses sold at auction. The work never resumed, leaving a partially completed track bed; no rails had been laid. The Ouse Valley line was formally abandoned by an Act in 1868.
The seeds for the cessation of work had been sown within days of the commencement of construction work when in May 1866, the London bill discounting and banking house, Overend, Gurney and Company Ltd, collapsed. The LBSC was not directly affected by the bank’s collapse but the London, Chatham & Dover Railway was greatly affected. This resulted in their withdrawal from planned lines to Brighton and the South Eastern railway could not continue with these alone and also withdrew. This removed the route threat to LBSC, who were also financially strained, and negated the need for their strategic Ouse Valley line. The banking credit problems signalled the end of the railway boom of the early 1860s.
The banking collapse brought to an end the competition and antagonism between LBSC and South Eastern, when it was realised by the former that the continued pursuance of strategic routes was placing strain on their own finances. Discussions with South Eastern commenced, resulting in a new agreement regarding territory and lines in September 1867.
Lindfield never obtained a rail connection nor a railway station, but could at least boast two ‘railway cottages’!
Contact via https://lindfieldhistoryproject.group/ or 01444 482136.
Please note the abandoned track is on private land and not accessible.