441:) was established in the Ardingly goods yard shortly after closure of the line, and was served by a daily freight working from Haywards Heath using the former down local line. Access to the up main and up local lines at Copyhold Junction has been severed. The new occupant demolished the station platforms (except for a short length of the former up platform near the road bridge). The track in the station was removed and a loop installed at the southern end of the former goods yard area. The station buildings remain, used as offices by Hanson Aggregates. A pair of ornamental cast iron station canopy brackets and the ticket office window were sold as lots 302 and 303 by auctioneers T. Bannister & co. at their July 1983 auction at the Ardingly historic vehicle spectacular show at the South of England Showground.
37:
244:. Doubled throughout, the line curved away from Horsted Keynes over Sheriff Mill Viaduct (117 yards and named after the nearby Lower Sheriff Farm), climbing on a gradient to reach Lywood Tunnel (218 yards) before continuing on the level for nearly 2 miles to reach the line's only intermediate station at Ardingly. From Ardingly, the line continued for a further mile to reach Copyhold Junction on the Brighton Line, just south of the
453:
acquired the trackbed, only as far as the
Aggregate Depot boundary at Ardingly, and holds long-term aspirations to restore and reopen the branch. To help bridge the gap created by the missing (Sheriff Mill) viaduct, spoil from the excavation of Imberhorne cutting (part of the works necessary for the
288:
The station's two platforms had fairly basic facilities with platform awnings and an alcove-like waiting room on the down platform; a platform signal cabin was to be found at the western end of the station, overseeing a small goods yard. The yard saw considerable inward traffic in the form of timber
363:
wished to straighten the bend on New Lane as it curved under the viaduct; BR was only too happy to relieve itself of the maintenance costs of the structure. The
Bluebell Railway had been invited to purchase the line in 1962, but could not afford BR's asking price of between £25,000-£30,000 together
353:
steam stock and new electric stock, whilst single line working with electric train staff was introduced on the up line. The branch was itself closed on 28 October 1963. The section was however still used occasionally to transport rolling stock to the newly established
Bluebell Railway, and the last
293:
which was subsequently dispatched back out in consignments of prepared boards. The station was run by a staff of four: the stationmaster, signal porter, porter and assistant clerk; the last stationmaster left in 1926, at which point
Ardingly came under the control of Horsted Keynes.
259:
The line opened without ceremony, with the first service, a goods train, leaving
Haywards Heath at 8.34am to collect freight at Ardingly and continue to Horsted Keynes. It was later to prove its worth as a useful alternative to the Brighton Main Line in both wars and for specials to
332:
were stationed at
Ardingly from Summer 1930 until the end of the war, an acknowledgment of Ardingly's popularity amongst ramblers who were ferried to and from the station in special trains. The station was also busy at the beginning and end of term at
458:) was used to extend existing embankments, towards Ardingly. Re-signalling work had also taken place at Horsted Keynes, with signals being installed in preparation for the eventual re-laying of the track. Mid Sussex District Council has accordingly
462:
the route of the line from re-development that would be prejudicial to its reinstatement. Two public consultation sessions were held at
Ardingly in September 2022, to set out proposals which have been submitted to Mid-Sussex District Council.
284:
country cottage. The upper storey is decoratively timbered with plaster patterning (flower patterns in black on a white background) and projecting slightly; unlike the other stations on the line, Ardingly was never tile-hung.
875:
358:
passed through prior to lifting of the track. The lifting, which had commenced on 15 July, had reached
Horsted Keynes by 21 September. During the summer of 1968, Sheriff Mill Viaduct was demolished as the
322:
in 1935, the new electric service comprised some 18 trains on an hourly service to and from
Horsted Keynes daily, around half of which terminated at Haywards Heath whilst the rest ran as far as
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860:
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at
Haywards Heath. A box was installed in 1912 which remained in use until 1932 when Haywards Heath was rebuilt with up and down loop platforms, and a new box brought into service there.
816:
75:
855:
276:, the main station building was sited at road level away from the platforms. In common with other Lewes and East Grinstead line stations, it was constructed in a
796:
808:
326:. The Ardingly branch was closed on Sundays until 1945, and the connection from the up Ardingly line to the up Horsted Keynes main platform was severed.
402:
319:
208:
152:
112:
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677:
The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present
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346:
126:
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at the junction, with services running on an independent line parallel to the Brighton Main Line as far as the north-facing
277:
69:
219:
owns the trackbed from just east of the station to Horsted Keynes and has long-term plans to rebuild the line.
212:
717:
Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830-1977
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349:(BR), the down line between Horsted Keynes and Ardingly was used as a siding for condemned
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The Ardingly branch had a very infrequent service under the LBSCR and following the
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when up to 450 packages of luggage were sent and received for around 250 pupils.
602:
Bluebell Railway, "Horsted Keynes Re-Signalling Archive of Progress 3 (2004/5)".
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60:
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204:
52:
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Images of the disused Ardingly branch on the derekhayward.co.uk website.
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232:
The LBSCR opened a 4½-mile link line between Horsted Keynes on its
738:(1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers.
613:
Bluebell Railway, "Extending the Bluebell Railway", 12 July 2008.
345:
After the closure of the Lewes to East Grinstead line in 1958 by
763:
An Illustrated History of the Lewes & East Grinstead Railway
211:(LBSCR) closed eighty years later and is currently used as an
354:
movement along the line was recorded on 13 May 1964 when
876:
Former London, Brighton and South Coast Railway stations
643:"Bluebell Railway ready to advance 'through' railway"
624:
Mid Sussex District Council, Local Plan, para. 17.18.
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in England. It was opened on 3 September 1883 by the
719:. Bristol: Avon-AngliA Publications & Services.
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Ardingly railway station on Subterranea Britannica.
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310:took over the line when it was mainly serviced by
364:with the £10,000 needed to maintain the viaduct.
866:Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1963
861:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1883
16:Disused railway station in Ardingly, West Sussex
8:
765:. Shepperton, Surrey: Ian Allan Publishing.
809:List of closed railway stations in Britain
20:
314:, with some through services to and from
403:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
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209:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
113:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
856:Disused railway stations in West Sussex
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199:was a railway station which served the
178:Aggregates depot opened in goods yard
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792:Station on navigable 1948 O.S. map.
736:Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas
127:Southern Region of British Railways
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408:Lewes and East Grinstead Railway
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268:Station building and facilities
715:Clinker, C.R. (October 1978).
280:and presented as a two-storey
1:
234:Lewes to East Grinstead Line
361:Mid Sussex District Council
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554:Marx, K., pp. 161 and 212.
421:Line closed, station open
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395:Line closed, station open
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34:
684:: Patrick Stephens Ltd.
454:Bluebell's extension to
248:. At first there was no
871:Thomas Myres buildings
629:7 January 2009 at the
734:Jowett, Alan (2000).
572:Marx, K., p. 215-216.
518:Marx, K., p. 209-211.
449:In 1997 the Heritage
274:Thomas Harrison Myres
761:Marx, Klaus (2000).
647:www.railmagazine.com
278:neo-Queen Anne style
262:Lingfield Racecourse
170:Closed to passengers
828: /
591:Business Directory.
509:Marx, K., p. 57-58.
445:Preservation future
246:Ouse Valley Viaduct
44:General information
832:51.0321°N 0.0904°W
385:Following station
373:Preceding station
242:Brighton Main Line
745:978-0-906899-99-1
691:978-1-85260-508-7
581:Marx, K., p. 249.
563:Marx, K., p. 189.
545:Marx, K., p. 185.
536:Marx, K., p. 213.
527:Marx, K., p. 123.
500:Marx, K., p. 212.
479:Marx, K., p. 209.
439:Hanson Aggregates
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379:Disused railways
228:Opening and route
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162:Closed to freight
91:Other information
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356:Terrier No 32636
347:British Railways
335:Ardingly College
312:push-pull trains
308:Southern Railway
217:Bluebell Railway
213:aggregates depot
151:Ardingly branch
140:3 September 1883
130:Aggregates depot
123:Southern Railway
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318:. Following
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289:for a local
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272:Designed by
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254:bay platform
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159:2 April 1962
109:Pre-grouping
18:
835: /
652:28 December
460:safeguarded
437:plant (now
429:Present day
203:village of
201:West Sussex
153:electrified
148:7 July 1935
61:West Sussex
850:Categories
820:51°01′56″N
467:References
351:Kent Coast
298:Operations
250:signal box
57:Mid Sussex
823:0°05′25″W
754:228266687
708:11956311M
682:Sparkford
306:when the
282:Victorian
135:Key dates
83:Platforms
881:Ardingly
803:See also
700:60251199
627:Archived
316:Brighton
304:grouping
205:Ardingly
197:Ardingly
76:TQ338276
53:Ardingly
49:Location
27:Ardingly
665:Sources
413:
399:
382:
376:
341:Closure
324:Seaford
291:sawmill
240:on the
223:History
104:History
99:Disused
64:England
769:
752:
742:
723:
706:
698:
688:
215:. The
143:Opened
96:Status
767:ISBN
750:OCLC
740:ISBN
721:ISBN
696:OCLC
686:ISBN
654:2022
236:and
175:1963
433:An
852::
748:.
704:OL
702:.
694:.
645:.
493:^
264:.
59:,
55:,
775:.
756:.
729:.
710:.
656:.
86:2
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