Lullingstone railway station
| Lullingstone | |
|---|---|
Platform remains in January 2012.
|
|
| Location | |
| Place | Lullingstone |
| Area | District of Sevenoaks |
| Grid reference | TQ530664 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Southern Railway |
| Platforms | 4 planned (2 built) |
| History | |
| 2 April 1939 | Intended opening |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
|
 |
|
Lullingstone railway station is an unopened station on the Maidstone East Line which was constructed to serve a proposed airport and expected residential development at Lullingstone near Eynsford in Kent. The station was never brought into use as the Second World War and subsequent post-war planning legislation put an end to the plans for the area. Largely demolished in 1955, the remains of the station are visible to the south of the Eynsford Tunnel.
During the 1920s and 1930s, London's suburbs expanded rapidly, leading to a period of unprecedented housebuilding. As new sites for development were sought out, so the Kemp Town Brewery Co. purchased a 5000-acre estate near the rural community of Lullingstone in Kent. At the same time, the British government had been studying the future of air transport and airports in the London area and had decided that London would be served by four airports: the existing sites at Croydon and Heston, together with new airports at Fairlop and Lullingstone.
In August 1936, it was reported in the Kentish Times that the Southern Railway were proposing to establish an aerodrome at Lullingstone which would be used by Imperial Airways. The airport would be served by a new station on the Maidstone East Line, electrified between Swanley and Sevenoaks in 1935, which would be situated 19 miles 39 chains (31.4 km) from London Victoria. Although the proposal was abandoned by the Southern Railway, it was taken up by the Air Ministry which saw Lullingstone as the most suitable site for a fourth airport to serve the London metropolis. In March 1938, the Southern Railway announced its intention not to proceed with the airport.
...
Wikipedia