Sheffield Park Railway Station

Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse (which the line crosses just beyond the platforms) and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian. HistoryThe station opened in 1882 at the request of the Earl of Sheffield, a local landowner and promoter of The Lewes and East Grinstead Railway Act 1877 which authorised the construction of a line from East Grinstead to Lewes, now popularly known as the Bluebell Railway. Originally named "Fletching and Sheffield Park", the name of the nearby village was dropped in 1883 following objections by the Earl. It was originally closed in May 1955 but was reopened in August 1956 after it was found the closure was illegal. Following the line's closure in 1958, a group of students formed a society with the intention of preserving part of the East Grinstead to Lewes line. On 7 August 1960 the group began working a short stretch of line between Sheffield Park and Bluebell Halt, just south of Horsted Keynes which was leased to it by British Railways. By 1968, the group had raised enough funds to purchase both the Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations, with the former now the Bluebell Railway's headquarters. Modern day useThe station now plays host to a shop, model railway, museum and the Bessemer Arms pub . The new combined shop and office block was opened in the late 1990s as the original shop was too cramped for the purpose. This was subsequently entirely demolished, creating an open area on the platform for picnic tables.

Sheffield Park is the southern terminus of the Bluebell Railway and also the headquarters of the line. It is located on the southern bank of the River Ouse (which the line crosses just beyond the platforms) and is also situated on the Greenwich Meridian. HistoryThe station opened in 1882 at the request of the Earl of Sheffield, a local landowner and promoter of The Lewes and East Grinstead Railway Act 1877 which authorised the construction of a line from East Grinstead to Lewes, now popularly known as the Bluebell Railway. Originally named "Fletching and Sheffield Park", the name of the nearby village was dropped in 1883 following objections by the Earl. It was originally closed in May 1955 but was reopened in August 1956 after it was found the closure was illegal. Following the line's closure in 1958, a group of students formed a society with the intention of preserving part of the East Grinstead to Lewes line. On 7 August 1960 the group began working a short stretch of line between Sheffield Park and Bluebell Halt, just south of Horsted Keynes which was leased to it by British Railways. By 1968, the group had raised enough funds to purchase both the Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes stations, with the former now the Bluebell Railway's headquarters. Modern day useThe station now plays host to a shop, model railway, museum and the Bessemer Arms pub . The new combined shop and office block was opened in the late 1990s as the original shop was too cramped for the purpose. This was subsequently entirely demolished, creating an open area on the platform for picnic tables.