Otford
The present station is a fairly late addition to the original Bat & Ball route,
this of which had opened on 2nd June 1862 as a single-track branch. Doubled in
1863, an eastward extension to Maidstone was conceived in 1874, the first trains
running to the county town on 1st June of that month. The line spurred off at
what became ‘’Otford Junction’’, about ½ mile to the south of its namesake, and
from the outset a station was provided right at the point of divergence. The
intermediate stop took its name from the locality and comprised of three
platform faces, two of which formed an island on the eastern side if the running
lines. Both platform surfaces were protected by copious canopies, somewhat
generous for a station which was merely an interchange point; the only way the
platforms could be accessed was by train. Services could begin from here and
those trains from Swanley could diverge off the original course to Sevenoaks.
However, it was a more common practice for branch services to carry on to
Sevenoaks, and then reverse back to Otford Junction, subsequently continuing on
to Maidstone thereafter. Doubling of the Maidstone branch began in 1881, and for
this it was decided to provide a completely new station ½ mile to the north of
the junction, nearer the main populous – these platforms would also be available
for use by residents, not just restricted to those disembarking for service
interchange.
Full double-track working had commenced on the Maidstone line on 1st July 1882,
but the new Otford Junction station (the suffix was kept, despite the relocation
of the platforms) was not ready until exactly a month later. Previously, in
1879, the ‘’Sevenoaks, Maidstone & Tunbridge Railway’’ (which had been renamed
from the ‘’Sevenoaks Railway’’ in 1862) had been vested in the LC&DR, which
allowed the latter’s design traits to seep through in the second Otford station.
The main building, located on the ‘’up’’ side, was basically an enlarged version
of the typical structures found at LC&DR intermediate stations. In fact, if the
façade of Otford is compared with the first picture in the Shepherds Well
section, the similarities between the two structures become obvious. The company
did, however, abstain from employing its usual crème brickwork with
‘’whitewash’’ surface finish, and instead red brick was used throughout its
construction, conforming and harmonious with many of the existing stations along
the Sevenoaks and Maidstone routes. Although LC&DR intermediate station
architecture was fairly basic, the red brick used at Otford, combined with the
stylish canopies which later appeared, gave the building an air of elegance.
Eventually, three platform faces were in use here: two served the through lines,
whilst the ‘’up’’ side was also host to a southward-facing bay. This was used by
the shuttle service to Sevenoaks; by this time the latter stretch of the
original branch to Bat & Ball had become an unimportant appendix of the
Maidstone line. Since 1868, the SER had adequately served Sevenoaks by the much
more conveniently located Tubs Hill station. Returning to the topic of Otford,
it seems likely that the ‘’down’’ side would have been host to a timber waiting
shelter and the main building provided with a platform canopy very similar in
size and style to those decidedly small examples found at the likes of Sole
Street and Farningham Road. Finally, Saxby & Farmer built the station’s signal
box on the ‘’up’’ side, some distance south of the platforms, immediately beyond
the goods yard (of which has yet to be detailed). This company’s architecture
seemed to prevail in most cabins west of Maidstone.
Goods facilities here featured to the south of the main building and were indeed
modest, consisting of two sidings, one of which penetrated a single-track goods
shed. The latter was of the same basic design which had appeared at Eynsford
some twenty years earlier, and like its earlier counterpart, boasted a
quintessential canopy with intricate valance on its eastern elevation (a
simplified version is still in existence at Shoreham). Interestingly, the spur
for the goods shed also directly fed the Sevenoaks shuttle bay line.
Throughout the 1890s the Board of Trade began tightening standards, which
resulted in many stations acquiring footbridges in place of the hitherto
standard track foot crossings. Finance was also available to provide such
features and indeed, it was in about 1894 that Otford received such a structure.
Luxurious it was, for it was of the now classic lattice design, but more
importantly, featured an arched roof (virtually identical to that still in
existence at Gravesend Central). It was also decided at this time to generally
modernise the station, which included the erection of copious and intricately
designed flat-roofed canopies. Again, virtually identical examples still grace
the platforms of Faversham, the station of which was rebuilt in 1897, indicating
that this design of canopy was a company standard at the time. The footbridge
was supported across the centre of the canopies, and underneath the coverage on
the ‘’down’’ side, a small brick-built waiting room was provided. Canopy
improvements were undertaken in conjunction with the lengthening of both
platforms at their southern ends using brick. The platform extensions created
the Sevenoaks bay platform face which has already been mentioned in the first
paragraph.
6th January 1935 marked the commencement of electric services along the line,
the third rail having been extended from Bickley through to Sevenoaks Tubs Hill.
It was good news for the ‘’forgotten’’ Bat & Ball appendix; services on the
branch to Sevenoaks saw a renaissance on the advent of electric traction.
Hitherto, this section of line had been served by an infrequent shuttle service
from the bay platform at Otford, but roles were about to be reversed. Since the
Maidstone line was still steam-worked at the time, these services were
downgraded to using the bay platform. Thus at Otford, passengers now had to
change train for a Maidstone service, rather than one to Sevenoaks, the
electrics to the latter being given priority on the through lines. This scenario
lasted a brief four years, after which the Southern Railway completed its
suburban electrification scheme to Gillingham and both Maidstone stations,
electric services commencing on 2nd July 1939. The ‘’Junction’’ suffix had been
dropped from the station name boards some ten years earlier. Electrification
left the bay line redundant and subsequently, it became an extension of the
goods yard.
Although it could possibly be considered that the station’s decline began when
the bay line went out of regular passenger use, the closure of the goods yard is
more convincing as the first major cutback. This occurred in May 1962, the month
before the full electric timetable through to Ashford commenced. The closure of
the signal box followed in February 1970, when the nearby cabin at Otford
Junction assumed its responsibilities, semaphores also disappearing at this
time. More changes were on the cards during the 1970s: these included the
removal of the original footbridge, installation of a soulless replacement to
the north of the main building, and the flattening of the goods yard site to
provide additional car parking space. In about 1986, there was a general
rationalisation of platform structures: the ‘’down’’ canopy was totally removed
and that on the ‘’up’’ side severely truncated, it now just stretching the
width of the station building. A plain section of valance was attached to the
end of the reduced length, and a single bus shelter replaced the former copious
canopy on the ‘’down’’ side. A bus shelter had also appeared on the ''up'' side
to compensate (somewhat poorly) for the loss of canopy coverage. It was claimed
that the canopies had become unsafe due to damage from water freezing inside the
cast iron columns – no doubt this was a convenient excuse for demolition and
reduction in maintenance costs, as there appeared little wrong with them at the
time of removal. The degrading
saw a section of Otford's ''up'' canopy reused at nearby Shoreham. It was
also at this time that much of the main building had been leased out to private
businesses. In connection with this, the structure became roughly symmetrical
when the northern ⅓ of it, which had been single-storey from the outset,
received a second floor. The latter was constructed in sympathy with the rest of the
building.
With thanks to David Morgan for information concerning the platform canopies.
April 1976
View looking north towards the station from the Pilgrims Way foot crossing with a 4 VEP arriving on a down
service for the Maidstone East line. The original platform canopies and footbridge are just visible, and the
car park on the
left was formerly the goods yard.
© David Morgan.
31st March 2006
A northward view reveals the main station building still intact, and the truncated canopy with plain end valance
section. The 1970s footbridge is evident in the back -ground and the 1980s bus shelter can only just be seen behind
the branches on the far right. © David Glasspool
31st March 2006
This picture of the station's façade is worth comparing with that at Kent House, which opened four years after
Otford. Note the second-storey extension on the left-hand side, completed in marginally lighter brickwork.
© David Glasspool
Return to the Kent Rail Homepage or alternatively, check for Updates.
Website & Copyright information - Links - Contact the Webmaster
All content is copyright © David Glasspool