Singleton railway station (West Sussex) explained

Singleton
Status:Disused
Borough:Singleton, Chichester, West Sussex
Country:England
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:4
Pregroup:London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
Postgroup:Southern Railway
Southern Region of British Railways
Years:11 July 1881
Events:Station opened
Years1:7 July 1935
Events1:Station closed (passengers)
Years2:28 August 1953
Events2:Station closed (freight)

Singleton railway station served the village of Singleton in West Sussex, England. The station was on the former line between Chichester and Midhurst, a branch of the Midhurst Railways. It opened on 11 July 1881, and closed to passengers with the line on 7 July 1935.

History

The station opened on 11 July 1881. It was designed by T. H. Myres, was built in a grand way by its owners the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, which included four platforms, with a subway linking them and the 'Country House' style station building, buffets, long sidings for awaiting trains, a large goods shed for dealing with freight, and two signal boxes to control the station. The main reason for this large building was to deal with visitors to the Goodwood Racecourse, but passengers preferred to use Chichester Station mostly due to the walk uphill to the course from Singleton. It was one of the most visited stations by the LBSCR royal train as the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) used to 'weekend' with the James family at West Dean House. [1]

It closed to passengers with the line on 7 July 1935.[2] Freight services remained until these were withdrawn on 28 August 1953 by British Railways.[1] The station was later in use by a vineyard owner, but is now a private residence.

Historic England listed the former goods shed at Grade II in April 2013.[3] This was followed by the former station building in March 2019.[4]

References

50.9103°N -0.7683°W

Notes and References

  1. Caiger . Denis . 2011 . Forgotten Singleton . The Southern Way . 16 . 6-21 . 9781906419639.
  2. News: The Last Chichester Train. West Sussex Gazette. 11 July 1935. 10 March 2024. British Newspaper Archive. subscription.
  3. Web site: Former Goods Shed at Singleton Station, West Dean - 1412379 . 10 March 2024 . Historic England . en.
  4. Web site: Former Singleton Railway Station, West Dean - 1460651 . 10 March 2024 . Historic England . en.