The story part
Been sitting on this one for a while, missed it the first time as we quickly run out of time, but the 2nd time we were more successful, and satisfyingly easy to find, with the old railway sleepers lining the 'valley' were it used to run through - the only tricky part was getting down...
The boring part
The construction between 1842 and 1853 of the Ashford to Hastings Line, the Tonbridge to Hastings line and South Eastern Main Line between Redhill and Folkestone left a triangle of land within the Kentish High Weald devoid of rail communication.[1] It was a heavily wooded and agricultural area which comprised many small villages and hamlets. The three largest settlements in this area were Cranbrook; the former heart of the defunct Wealden cloth industry, Hawkhurst and Tenterden. There were no large landowners or wealthy industrialists to promote a branch line,[2] while the local railway company - the South Eastern Railway (SER) - preferred to wait until local enterprise had funded the route's construction.[3]
A variety of abortive schemes were proposed, including an 1864 proposal by the nominally independent Weald of Kent Railway to run a route from Paddock Wood to Hythe via Cranbrook for which the SER obtained parliamentary authorisation as a defensive measure against a similar scheme proposed by the rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway. The SER's enthusiasm for the scheme waned after the financial collapse of its rival in the wake of the 1866 Overend Gurney crisis.[4] It was left to another independent company, the locally-promoted Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway, to revive the scheme in 1877 and pursue it for a further 15 years before its opening in October 1892.[5] The company was incorporated on 2 August 1877.[6]
The tunnel is 186 yards Long.
The pretty part
And the sleepers that run along side the valley:
Thankeryou and good night!
Been sitting on this one for a while, missed it the first time as we quickly run out of time, but the 2nd time we were more successful, and satisfyingly easy to find, with the old railway sleepers lining the 'valley' were it used to run through - the only tricky part was getting down...
The boring part
The construction between 1842 and 1853 of the Ashford to Hastings Line, the Tonbridge to Hastings line and South Eastern Main Line between Redhill and Folkestone left a triangle of land within the Kentish High Weald devoid of rail communication.[1] It was a heavily wooded and agricultural area which comprised many small villages and hamlets. The three largest settlements in this area were Cranbrook; the former heart of the defunct Wealden cloth industry, Hawkhurst and Tenterden. There were no large landowners or wealthy industrialists to promote a branch line,[2] while the local railway company - the South Eastern Railway (SER) - preferred to wait until local enterprise had funded the route's construction.[3]
A variety of abortive schemes were proposed, including an 1864 proposal by the nominally independent Weald of Kent Railway to run a route from Paddock Wood to Hythe via Cranbrook for which the SER obtained parliamentary authorisation as a defensive measure against a similar scheme proposed by the rival London, Chatham and Dover Railway. The SER's enthusiasm for the scheme waned after the financial collapse of its rival in the wake of the 1866 Overend Gurney crisis.[4] It was left to another independent company, the locally-promoted Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway, to revive the scheme in 1877 and pursue it for a further 15 years before its opening in October 1892.[5] The company was incorporated on 2 August 1877.[6]
The tunnel is 186 yards Long.
The pretty part
And the sleepers that run along side the valley:
Thankeryou and good night!
