The Cranbrook & Paddock Wood Railway (C&PWR) was a branch
line, constructed in sections, starting from the main line
intersection at Paddock Wood and going through Horsmonden,
Goudhurst and Cranbrook. An additional section was then later added
to a southern terminus at Hawkhurst.
A further proposed extension on to Rye was never built.
It was locally known as the ‘Primrose Line’ as the
speed on the uphill stretch between Cranbrook & Goudhurst was
such, that you could hop off the front coach, pop into the woods to
pick a bunch of primroses and still catch the second coach!
Holman Stephens, later known as Colonel Stephens, was the resident
engineer during construction. The line was single throughout, with
passing loops provided at all three intermediate stations, though
only Goudhurst had two platforms. A short bay platform was provided
at Hawkhurst. Goods traffic was mainly fruit and hops outwards and
coal inwards. One mainstay was the transport of a million potted
plants a year on behalf of F. W. Woolworth to branches all over the
country.
From the outset traffic on the line was light, due in part to the
inconvenient locations of stations, although extra traffic was
generated during the summer hop picking season.
Also from the off, all train services were operated by the South
Eastern Railway, though the Cranbrook and Paddock Wood Railway was
not officially absorbed until 1900.
Cranbrook Station
Cranbrook Station in September 1967 (Photo by Nick
Catford)
Cranbrook Station was badly sited, although it was close to the
tiny hamlet of Hartley, it was two miles from Cranbrook town. It
was located at the end of an approach road running west off the
main A229.
The station had a single platform on the down side of the line,
with a single storey corrugated iron clad building and the three
storey brick station master's house alongside. There was a goods
yard serving a short bay platform on the down side of the line,
with a brick goods shed and on the opposite side of the line a
goods only passing loop.
On 6th July 1950 Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, arrived at
Cranbrook Station in the Royal Train, en-route to the nearby
Benenden Sanatorium to open a new wing.
The main station building survives as a pottery and the adjacent
station master's house (Station House) is in private occupation.
Unfortunately these are located down a private road and therefore
inaccessible.
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So to the cache itself!
The cache is sited where the track-bed emerges from the old
station to the north-west and crosses a bridleway.
Other caches in this series:-
Long Lost Railway Stations #1
Hawkhurst
Long Lost Railway Stations #3
Goudhurst
Long Lost Railway Stations #4
Horsmonden