The Kent and East Sussex Railway is one of the county’s hidden gems. It runs from Tenterden via Northiam to Bodiam. It was the very first ‘light railway’ and originally operated from approximately 1900 to 1954. It then reopened in 1974 as a heritage steam railway between Tenterden and Rolvenden. The line was then extended to Northiam in 1990 and to Bodiam in 2000 and today, it is a popular if sleepy site in this north eastern corner of Sussex. The Rother Valley Railway is a separate heritage railway project based at Robertsbridge which hopes to join up a railway link to Bodiam. You may have seen it featured on TV by Michael Portillo.
The trains
If you’re in the area, you might be lucky enough to hear the toot toot of the trains echo across the countryside as they chug back and forth. It lends a rather special feeling to this rural corner of Sussex. The Kent and East Sussex Railway has both steam and diesel powered trains and journey times take about 50 mins through the stunning Rother Valley and Weald. Throughout the year, they also host different events and activities. For example, from April to November, you can hop aboard their Wealden Pullman and enjoy a first class evening dinner served by the staff or you could opt for afternoon tea. At Christmas, they have Santa specials.
The museums and exhibits
The stations are picturesque and set up authentically. Bunting flutters on the platform at Bodiam and the ticket office has sturdy wooden shelves laden with suitcases and jars. You really do feel like you’ve stepped back in time. At Tenterden, they also have The Colonel Stephens Railway Museum (open from Easter to October and free to visit). Colonel Stephens engineered, built and managed a network of 16 light railways including the Kent and East Sussex Railway.
At the Bodiam station, they have a number of exhibits. The Cavell Van was built in 1919 as a prototype. It was used for the repatriation of the bodies of Edith Cavell and Charles Fryatt. It was also used to transport the remains of The Unknown Warrior in 1920. It has been beautifully restored and houses a replica coffin finished with ironwork made by Meurig Williams the grandson of the original craftsman. There are useful information boards inside and it’s a poignant place to stop and pause as well as being a train carriage that holds national significance.
Across the courtyard at Bodiam, you’ll find the Hopper Hut. This is a replica of the kind of temporary accommodation that would have been widespread across Kent and East Sussex in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Such accommodation would have been home to the large number of people, often from London, who migrated to the area to pick the hops. This particular Hopper Hut looks almost luxurious and you have to remember it would have probably housed a whole family.
The Hopper Hut is also a reminder that this was once hop country and at one time, rather than vineyards, the fields would have been awash with tall wooden frames laden with hops. There is a small hop garden here at the station too and information about how the area made a contribution to the brewing industry and thereby to the fortunes of Guinness, which owned much of the land here abouts.
Finally, before you leave, there is a ticket office with various materials and lots of information from its heyday which is worth a quick visit. They also sell snacks so if you’re in need of a pitstop, grab a bite to eat and enjoy it in their gardens.
Sleep in a carriage
At the far end of the station at Bodiam, you’ll see a carefully restored, 1960s heritage railway coach. It sleeps up to five people, has its own little terrace and has views across to Bodiam Castle. You can book it as a little East Sussex retreat. If you really love railway carriages, Railway Retreats is based at the Northiam station and they have a collection of different (and ever so slightly luxurious) railway carriages you can stay in.
It’s all too easy to whizz past the Kent and East Sussex Railway stations of Bodiam and Northiam as you make your way to Rye or Bodiam Castle, but they are well worth a little of your time, whether you want to take a train ride or just visit their various exhibits and the museum. They are manned almost entirely by volunteers who are full of knowledge and enthusiasm.
There is plenty else to do in the area, from a visit to nearby Bodiam Castle, and Great Dixter House and Gardens, to a visit to Oastbrook Vineyard or some paddleboarding down the river Rother.
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