THE KENT & EAST SUSSEX RAILWAY
A closer look at this classic country byway that recreates a beloved Colonel Stephens light railway.
One of Britain’s best-loved rural railways, receiving about 100,000 visitors every year, the charming Kent & East Sussex Railway meanders its way across part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for a distance of just under 11 miles. It offers outstanding views of the English countryside at its most gentle and pastoral.
Originally named the Rother Valley Railway at the time of its opening in 1900, the line was one of a number of so-called ‘light railways’ designed and built by Colonel Holman F. Stephens; a far-sighted, if somewhat maverick, civil engineer, who conceived the format as a solution for rural lines with notable gradients. The line remained independent, operating outside the 1923 Grouping arrangement, until it was subsumed into the British Railways network following nationalisation in 1948.
While the railway is accessible from Northiam and, allowing for a short walk from the nearby castle, from its western terminus at Bodiam, the obvious place to make the base for your journey is Tenterden Town station at the north-eastern end of the line, on the Kentish side of the county border.
Tenterden itself is a splendid small town, full of character and individuality, with a broad, tree-lined high street, numerous eye-catching examples of Tudor, Regency and Victorian architecture, a stimulating variety of smaller, independent shops and several excellent pubs. It’s the ideal place to set yourself up for the day ahead with a coffee and breakfast.
The brick-built station itself has a definite ‘working’ feel; just ever-so-slightly work stained and with the odd thing out of place. This feels like a conscious effort to avoid an over-curated aspect, and serves to enhance the feeling of departing on a line ‘as was’, even if the station has grown somewhat since the once quiet backwater succumbed to closure in 1954.
The highlight of any visit here is the Colonel Stephens Railway Museum, full of fascinating relics – and even a replica of his typically unconventional Ford railbus.
The journey from Tenterden to Bodiam takes around 50 minutes, and the relatively sedate pace of travel allows plenty of time to appreciate the charming scenery.
If you’re lucky, your train will be hauled by one of a number of small engines, many from the Victorian era, such as the emblematic LBSCR ‘Terriers’ and Manning Wardle 0-6-0ST Charwelton. Many of the line’s coaches are wooden-bodied survivors of similar vintage, and have been beautifully restored. Try to reserve a compartment in one of these if travelling in a group.
The most common locomotives in use tend to be the more powerful tank engines, such as the ‘Austerities’ and ‘USAs’, which are much better suited to the four and five corridor coach trains. These train sets may not be quite as charming, but they do allow a certain level of convenience – such as toilets and a buffet – that the antique four-wheelers are lacking.
Leaving the busy town terminus, you head south, down Tenterden bank (which falls as sharply as 1-in-35) crossing both the Cranbrook Road and then the A28 by means of gated level crossings (all the six road crossings along the length of the line are of
this type), before arriving at the first stop, Rolvenden. A feature of the stations along the line is that they tend not to be particularly close to the settlement named; here the station is actually situated closer to Tenterden than to Rolvenden village.
Rolvenden is the location for the railway’s locomotive depot, as it was in Col. Stephens’ day, and all maintenance and restoration work is carried out here. There is an excellent viewing gallery, so a break in your journey will be rewarded by the sights, sounds and smells of a working locomotive yard. Do note that the viewing area is not wheelchair-friendly.
On leaving Rolvenden, you will pass through farmland, some arable, some sheep-grazed pasture. The eagle-eyed will also be able to pinpoint abandoned ditches, once used for crayfish farming until feral mink decimated supplies.
You will also begin to see examples of that curious, unusually shaped building that for many people defines this part of the country – the oast house. These were formerly used for kiln-drying the hops for brewing, and many have been sympathetically renovated and converted into dwellings.
These days, the spidery lattice web of hops have been replaced, at least to an extent, by blossoming vineyards.
The next stop is Wittersham Road – continuing the theme, a whole three miles from the eponymous village; with its fine signal box once sited at Deal Junction and a characteristically quaint booking office. Here you are close to the midway point of the line. You will notice an increase in engine noise,
as the train begins to climb a fairly steep bank.
It is thought that the original plans for the railway allowed for a cutting to be excavated through the ridge here, but budgetary constraints meant that this was not achievable.
You will cross the county border into East Sussex just as you reach the bridge over the River Rother. On the left-hand side you will see the Rother Valley Brewery, producer of an excellent range of traditional ales. Shortly after re-crossing the A28, you will arrive at the beautifully restored Northiam station.
Prior to the opening of the extension to Bodiam at the turn of the last century, Northiam was the south-western terminus of the line. In 1944, four Allied leaders, including Winston Churchill, visited troops stationed in nearby fields, prior to their involvement in the D-Day landings in Normandy.
The station itself famously featured in the television series Challenge Anneka as the KESR extended its track using volunteer labour.
As well as the quaint, cricket-pavilion style corrugated steel station building to explore, you’ll also notice some delightfully quirky vans, including a GWR ‘Toad’ brake, which have been converted into holiday accommodation.
On leaving Northiam for the final leg of the journey to Bodiam, you will pass a windmill to your right, while on the left-hand side you will see the celebrated house and gardens of Great Dixter, whose grounds contain three 18th-century oast houses, a timber barn dating back as far as the 15th Century and outstanding examples of topiary.
The line follows the Rother closely for the remainder of the run into Bodiam. Nearing the station, you catch the memorable first glimpse of the truly magnificent Bodiam Castle. Built near to the end of the 14th Century, the castle is surrounded by a vast moat and is in remarkably good order, having been extensively renovated during the Victorian era, after being partially dismantled at the end of the English Civil War, when its then owner found himself on the wrong side of the argument; it was then left to decay for over 200 years.
The KESR then fits effortlessly into our ‘Lines We Love’ series. In common with the Swanage Railway further west, it has the undeniable wow factor bestowed on it by an awe-inspiring, historic edifice, well worth the price of admission on its own. Beyond this, however, there is a huge amount to enjoy: idyllic countryside; impressive buildings; beautifully restored stations; vintage wooden coaches and characterful engines.
Definitely one not to miss.