Knockholt Railway Station
There is a tunnel to the south of the station, not far from the station itself.
The station consists of a ticket office, a bike rack, a small shelter on platform 1 and a shelter on platform 2. There is a footbridge connecting the two platforms.
The station is situated between Chelsfield and Dunton Green.
The station saw 477 entries/exits daily -On time trains-
Location
The station is 4.8 km (3.0 mi) 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 1.3 km (0.81 mi) to the southeast, Well Hill 1.3 km (0.81 mi) northeast, and Halstead 2.2 km (1.4 mi) south. Within the Bromley borough Pratt's Bottom is only 2 km (1.2 mi) west-southwest; and also Chelsfield (although having its own railway station, is in parts closer to Knockholt station) at about 2.7 km (1.7 mi) to the north and west. To avoid confusion with Halstead in Essex it was named after the next closest village. The station is operated by southeastern and only stopping services call here. The platforms, like all stations on the line, has space for 12 coaches. Northbound trains with 8 coaches will have their last carriage further up the platform near the bridge. The class 376 and class 707s (City Beam) have 10 coaches (2 5-carriage trains). They also have no on board toilets.
The station has only got step-free access to one platform and has no toilets. This station is for Badgers Mount, Well Hill, Knockholt and Halstead. The nearest shop is Halstead convenience store. The ticket office is open from 6-9 am. During the Winter, note that the station is not usually gritted.
Services
All services at Knockholt are operated by Southeastern using Class 376, 465, 466 and 707 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:
- 2 tph to London Charing Cross via Grove Park and Lewisham
- 2 tph to Sevenoaks
Connections onto fast services to London, Tunbridge Wells and Hastings can be made by changing at Orpington or Sevenoaks. Change at Orpington for services to Cannon Street or London Victoria.
Preceding station | National Rail | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Southeastern |
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," (equivalent to £360,000 in 2023). This was raised and "Halstead for Knockholt" (the station being much closer to Halstead than Knockholt) was opened in 1876.
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).
References
- ^ "Estimates of station usage". Rail statistics. Office of Rail Regulation. Please note: Some methodology may vary year on year.
- ^ Table 204 National Rail timetable, December 2022
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ A History of Knockholt, pp. 128–130, by David Waldron Smithers, ISBN 0-9513500-4-8.
External links
- Train times and station information for Knockholt railway station from National Rail