Winchelsea railway station

Winchelsea railway station is a railway station in East Sussex. It is about 1km from Winchelsea and is actually in the neighbouring parish of Udimore. It is on the Marshlink Line 15km north east of Hastings, and train services are provided by Southern. The station originally had two platforms, but in 1979, the line was singled and only the up platform is now in use. The former down platform and station building are now converted to a private house.LocationThe station is in an isolated location. It is not a convenient way of getting to or from Winchelsea, especially outside daylight hours. One has to walk down an unlit and winding county lane and then climb a steep hill, walking along the A259 trunk road, which does not have a pavement. Being so isolated and given the limited stopping service, it is little used other than by walkers visiting the Brede Valley. Local people may book a free lift to and from the station through a voluntary scheme run through the village post office.FacilitiesThe station buildings have been sold into private ownership and so this station is unstaffed. There are no ticket issuing facilities available at the station although these can generally be purchased from the train conductor.Limited parking facilities are available at the station.HistoryThe station opened on 13 February 1851, just six weeks before the 1851 census; this tells us that the very first station master was Malcolm McGregor, a former member of the Royal Artillery. The station masters in each subsequent census were: Samuel Saxby (1861); Edward Willis (1871); Edward Adams (1881); Matthew Reynolds (1891) and 62-year-old Edward Hayter (1911).