Teynham Station

On the 25 January 1858 a train service started between Strood and Faversham.  This was known as the South Eastern Railway.  A small station was built at Teynham and served only 900 people.  During the following three years large goods sheds were built which were used to store fruit from the farmers’ orchards whilst they waited transporation.  In later years it was used by the brickfields to store the bricks. My father used to bring bricks up from Conyer to this goods shed by horse and cart.

A footbridge was built and a level crossing to serve the row of cottages (Station Row).  A small signal box was built at the end of the platform on the down side.  This signal box was used for the station and goods sheds.  

In 1893 an Oast House was built on the same side as the cottages to be used for hop drying.  There was a siding next to the Oast which was used for loading the hops into wagons. When the crossing was used the Porter had to go down to the signal box and pull a lever to open the gates at the crossing.

The old station had a station master who lived in the station house.  There was also a porter who served tickets and opened the level crossing gates.  On the day he was due to retire one of the porters who lived for the railway went down to the signal box and waited for the last train.  He put himself under that last train and his head was found in the nearby damson orchard.

When the railway house was pulled down the station master went; the porter stayed.  The goods yard closed on 1 October 1962 and the signal box followed on the 25 June 1967. A new station was built and a new signal box was built adjacent to the station.

Charlie Luckhurst