Knockholt railway station explained

Knockholt
Fare Zone:6
Symbol:rail
Manager:Southeastern
Locale:Chelsfield
Borough:London Borough of Bromley
Platforms:2
Railexits0405: 0.143
Railexits0506: 0.158
Railexits0607: 0.221
Railexits0708: 0.269
Railexits0809: 0.276
Railexits0910: 0.270
Railexits1011: 0.289
Railexits1112: 0.323
Railexits1213: 0.367
Railexits1314: 0.321
Railexits1415: 0.343
Railexits1516: 0.287
Railexits1617: 0.273
Railexits1718: 0.239 -->
Railexits1819: 0.255
Railexits1920: 0.251
Raillowexits2021: 41,220
Railexits2122: 0.111
Railexits2223: 0.137
Railcode:KCK
Events1:Opened as Halstead for Knockholt
Years1:1 May 1876
Events2:renamed Knockholt
Years2:1 October 1900
Coordinates:51.3459°N 0.1307°W
Dft Category:E
Original:South Eastern Railway
Pregroup:South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Postgroup:Southern Railway

Knockholt railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line, located in the London Borough of Bromley, Greater London. It is 16chain44chain down the line from London Charing Cross and is situated between and stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 6 and is located next to the Greater London boundary with the Kent district of Sevenoaks. The boundary is the farm bridge at the southern end of the platforms.

Location

The station is 4.8km (03miles) north-northeast of the village of Knockholt but closer to several other settlements. The station serves several small communities in the Sevenoaks district in addition to Knockholt; Badgers Mount 1.3km (00.8miles) to the southeast, Well Hill 1.3km (00.8miles) northeast, and Halstead 2.2km (01.4miles) south. Within the Bromley borough Pratt's Bottom is only 2km (01miles) west-southwest; and also Chelsfield (although having its own railway station, is in parts closer to Knockholt station) at about 2.7km (01.7miles) to the north and west. To avoid confusion with Halstead in Essex it was named after the next closest village.

Services

All services at Knockholt are operated by Southeastern using,, and EMUs.

The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:

Connections onto fast services to London, and can be made by changing at or .

History

When the South Eastern Railway (SER) opened their "cut off" line through Orpington, Sevenoaks to Tonbridge in 1868, there was no station between Chelsfield and Dunton Green. A Knockholt Vestry meeting in March 1871 resolved to request the SER to build a station for Knockholt but this request was initially refused. Eventually, the SER agreed to provide a station if a £3,000 contribution was provided by "local parties," . This was raised and "Halstead for Knockholt" (the station being much closer to Halstead than Knockholt) was opened in 1876.[1]

Between 1887 and 1915 a twice daily bus service operated from Knockholt village to the station.

In 1899 the SER joined with its arch rival to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR). Alfred Smithers, who had moved to Knockholt in 1881, became deputy chairman of the SECR. At the strong suggestion of Smithers, the station name was changed to "Knockholt" in 1900 to avoid the confusion which had arisen with Halstead Station in Essex (and coincidentally giving Smithers a local station named after his village).

Notes and References

  1. A History of Knockholt, pp. 128–130, by David Waldron Smithers, .