Coghurst Gates

Coghurst Estate And Woods

 The Railway
 
 
 

 The Railway In Coghurst

The line from Hastings to Ashford enters Coghurst from Ore Tunnel and passes under the Iron Bridge heading off towards Rye.
 
The line from Ashford to Hastings opened on 13th February 1851 by the South Eastern Railway, almost a year before the more direct route to London through Tunbridge Wells opened.  Ore tunnel is 1042yds long and passes under "The Ridge"  to the right of a pathway around an electricity station. On the opposite side of the Ridge behind houses is a vent at the deepest part of the tunnel.
The tunnel connects Ore valley to the valley in Coghurst.  The only crossing point in Coghurst is the Iron Bridge, this used to have grey painted iron sides with a wooden top.  In 1953 major work needed to be undertaken to Ore tunnel which lasted over a year, one of the first casualties was the Iron Bridge, its sides were removed and the wooden sleeper type base to the bridge strengthened by turning the wood narrow edge up rather than flat, the reason for this being the need to position a crane on the bridge.  Eventually, the crane was brought down from Coghurst Drive across a field, this took almost a day and a steep part between the field and the bridge caused some headaches with ropes being placed around an oak tree in the field to prevent it running away.  There was one track working through the tunnel during that time, a temporary signal box was constructed close to the Iron bridge and the train driver had to collect a token before being allowed to proceed onto the single line.  The line was operated by steam trains in those days.
In the 1970's there were plans to close the line but after many protests savings were made by singling the track between Ore and Appledore in 1979 and automating the level crossings.
 
The crane in position on the Iron Bridge during the work in 1953/4

The green rail cars seen in the picture were used for transportation by the workers, the other line being used by the trains.

 The oak tree standing in the field that the crane was brought down - it was cut down some years ago.
The field was sometimes used to grow crops and on other occasions for cattle with an electric fence running the length of the field alongside the footpath.
This view in 1964.
This is the same view across the field on 13th February 2004, the previous picture was in 1964, 40 years earlier. The fields are no longer used for crops and cattle and are reverting to scrubland.
The oak tree that stood in the field cut down several years earlier. Bushes now line the path on the field side and a stream the other.		 From the Iron Bridge looking towards Ore tunnel three years after the engineering work,  taken on Sunday 27th April 1958.   The line now restored to normal two track working.
The Iron Bridge seen from the track, again on 27th April 1958.
The iron sides, destroyed during the work on Ore tunnel replaced with a fence.
The path across the bridge is full width still at this time.		 View across the top of the bridge taken on 15th June 1959, a year later, looking in the direction of Rock lane
 
This view across the bridge was taken in 1964, as you approach the bridge from Coghurst Drive, there is a footpath to the left that runs through the woods. A closer view of the bridge taken on the same day, the stile on the left by-passed, there was a fence once but it has now been removed.
This is looking in the direction of Rock Lane.
  Looking towards Ore tunnel from the Iron Bridge, the old telegraph poles and lines that ran along the sides of many lines can be seen in this picture, two un-insulated wires for each telephone.

The ditch on the left side of the track carries the water from the streams that converge at a point close to this side of the tunnel.  Strangely, a stream from Rock Lane is piped under the bridge to discharge on the other side, it then runs under the path from the drive, and next through a brick culvert under the path that leads through Coghurst Woods.

   Again 1964, looking along the tracks in the direction of Rye and Ashford.

The ditch from ore tunnel, seen on the right here, goes underground, then a brick culvert takes it under the track and it discharges in the woods, joined by the stream from Rock lane to form the source of another stream that runs through the woods and then on for many miles joining Sallor stream at Three Oakes, this runs into Doleham Ditch and eventually the River Brede.
To complete this circle, water is pumped from the River Brede to holding tanks at North Seat, these are sometimes discharged into the stream that runs under the Iron Bridge!
This picture of the Iron Bridge in 1964 is taken from another well used path that ran from Coghurst Drive to the bridge, it was taken through the mesh fence that ran along the trackside. On a snowy Sunday morning (18th February 1979), I took a walk through the woods, only to find the camera wasn't working, so after changing the camera body for another I repeated the walk taking the pictures again!
This is the view across the bridge once more.
Looking towards Ore Tunnel once again, the tunnel runs under The Ridge close to Ore Village, there is an air vent between Frederick Road and Malvern Way.   The line emerges into Ore valley and Ore Station, then through Mount Pleasant tunnel, over Queens Road and on to Hastings Station. In this direction the line continues on to Three Oakes station, Doleham Halt, it passes the site of Snailham Halt, long since closed and demolished, and then on to Rye and Ashford.
Crossing the Iron Bridge, before you reach the three fields that lead to Rock Lane you first need to negotiate a usually muddy stretch of path, this 1979 picture shows the stile that separates the railway property from the fields. The stile is seen again here, looking across the stream from Rock Lane.
The path used to follow an unofficial route through three fields, reaching Rock Lane opposite "Brackendale". It now follows its correct route as the unofficial path has been closed and built over.
Ore Tunnel once again, some 46 years later than the first view above, this was on 6th June 2004.  The line is now single track and the telegraph poles and wires have gone, some years earlier one of the telephone pole tops was lying under the side arch of the bridge. One of the trains from Ashford approaches Ore Tunnel in this picture on its way to Hastings at 2.57pm on Sunday 6th June 2004
Replacement class 171 trains are on order, but at this time the line was still being operated by ancient slam-door stock. In this picture you can see class 205/0 (3H) No 205001 as it approaches the Iron Bridge on its way back to Ashford, both this and the next picture taken at 3.25pm. on the same June day. 205001 heads off to Three Oakes, Rye and Ashford again.  Trains are timetabled to arrive in Rye at the same time from both directions as it is the only passing place on the single track section of the line.
The view across the bridge once again looking towards Rock Lane, these days the bridge has been reduced to half its original width, exposing the pipes that carry the stream across the bridge.

 

 Looking across the bridge in the opposite direction towards Coghurst Drive, the stream crosses on the left but is hidden by vegetation in this picture.
These are the pipes that take the stream across the bridge, the old wide bridge would have covered them. The path from the bridge looking towards the fields leading to Rock Lane in June 2004.  Wooden decking constructed over one of the muddiest areas.
This is the path across the field from the bridge to the Drive, quite a change from the 1964 picture above looking down the same path. Another view of the same path, both pictures on 6th June 2004, the fields are disused scrubland, and behind on the right a "new" hedge divides the field and path; there is a stream to the left.

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