Railway Goods shed (1850?)

Post date: Apr 26, 2017 11:18:51 AM

Extract from English Heritage listing (grade II) of Goods Shed near railway station:

Railway goods shed. Mid C19 for the South-eastern railway. Red brick with slate roof. Single space rectangular plan. Long walls with four-bay arcade, blind apart from lunette windows with iron glazing and stone cills. Gable walls have a large elliptically-headed doorway. Small gabled extension on west end. Coped verges to the gables. A little-altered mid C19 goods shed associated with a fine contemporary station.

The dating shown of 1850 in the title is an educated guess. SER is known to have not initially invested much in buildings infrastructure when the line was opened in 1844. The goods shed is present on maps/plans dating from 1867.

SER was thought to place more emphasis than other railway companies on passenger traffic, particularly continental travellers and first class, than on freight.

Freight from Wateringbury would have included hops and fruit largely going to London (and hence likely to go by train to Paddock Wood) and beer going to the Medway towns (where Leney owned many pubs).

Follow this link to read about the beer theft from the goods shed in 1868.

The April 19, 1900 the Parish Council minuted as follows:

“Mr. Baker proposed and Mr. Tapply seconded that the manager of S.E. Railway be written to complaining of the great inconvenience to the Parish through the insufficient goods accommodation and asking if anything is likely to be done in the immediate future to remedy this serious state of things.” Carried nem con.

Note: Mr. Tapply was managing director of Leney's brewery.