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Baynards was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line. The line was single track and opened on 2 October 1865. The station comprises the stationmaster's house, two waiting rooms, covered platforms, storesheds, a booking hall, a porch and a large goods shed. The station covers in all . ==History== It was built for Lord Thurlow, the owner of nearby Baynards Park, whose land was on the route of the proposed railway line. As a condition of sale, Lord Thurlow insisted on having a station built to serve his estate, despite there being no nearby settlement. The station was also used as the local post office in times when up to 30 horses and carts would queue outside on market days. Near the station was the Baynards Brick and Tile Works which was served by its own private siding. In early years it was a brickworks, producing Fuller's earth for the wool industry, and then foundry clay in later years. It then became a chemical processing works, receiving annually 400 tons of goods by rail (including sulphur from Italy ''via'' the Thames docks, tin from Swansea and packaging from Sittingbourne), whilst also sending out its own goods, from seed dressings to polishing compounds. In February 1957 the BBC filmed an adaptation of ''The Railway Children'' here. The Station Porter/Signalman during this period, Geoff Birdfield, won a prize for the best display of dahlias on the railway line; he had around 1000 dahlias of 240 different varieties that he grew behind the platforms. After closure of the line in 1965, Birdfield erected a x greenhouse on one platform and cold frame on the trackbed. He remained at Baynards until 1970 and finally retired as a relief signalman in 1980, having spent 44 years working for the railway. The station building was auctioned on 21 June 1973 at Bramley Grange Hotel where it was purchased by its current owners who have carefully restored it to its original condition. Every year the Rudgwick Preservation Society organises a guided walk to the station where the owners give a tour, attracting up to 150 people. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Baynards railway station」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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