Things to do and see at the Lavender Line
Lavenders
Lavenders open from 10:00 – 16:30.
At present Lavenders is open for sandwiches, teas, coffees and a selection of cakes.
Well behaved dogs are welcome in Lavenders.
The Gift Shop
Our gift shop situated on Platform 2 is home to a small collection of railway gifts, ranging from children’s colouring books to railway DVD’s.
The shop itself is a replica of the railway’s original waiting room of which was removed in the early 1970’s and relocated at the nearby Bluebell Railway as their model railway centre. In the early 80’s the then owner of the line Mr Millham erected a new replica building to house the railways gift shop.
Signal Box
This grade 2 listed building was one of the first buildings restored on the site when it was privately purchased back in the early 1980’s. To this day it still provides the insight into what it would have been like when the railway was in its heyday, from watching the first goods trains making their way to London to tracing the footsteps of secret trains making there way to Newhaven during the preparation of D-day during the Second World War.
Beautifully restored inside and out this building provides the perfect background to a typical country station, The starter signal can still be moved just outside the box by pulling one of the red levers!
Riley’s Railway
Riley’s railway is one of the latest additions to our station site attractions. Over the past 6 months our very own Chairman has been hard at work building this new 5 inch gauge railway on behalf of one of our newest members as a fundraising attraction on selected Sundays and bank holidays.
All money raised on Riley’s railway goes towards St Thomas children hospital in London to help development of equipment for children born with heart difficulties. The miniature railway runs for approximately 45 metres from the shop on platform 2 to the new picnic area by the water tower. The track runs along the grass area on platform 2 meandering past the trees, across the field entrance footpath and halts by the picnic and viewing area.
Riley’s railway will be open on selected Sundays throughout the year.
Please contact us if you wish to know more information about Riley’s railway and what days the new attraction will be in operation.
Children’s Playground
At the Lavender Line you will find a small but adventurous playground in the gardens of the station master’s house for children of all ages. With swings, climbing frames and slides there is enough here to keep any small child entertained whilst waiting for the train to arrive.
We also provide a small number of picnic tables as well as chairs to accommodate families at lunchtimes if they wish.
The Picnic Area
Situated at the far end of platform 2 our newly built picnic area has several picnic tables within a fenced off area for families to enjoy their lunch whilst watching the trains departing from the station.
When the steam engines are running and you may be lucky enough to watch the crew taking water from our newly restored water tower, don’t get too close though!
The Viewing Area
If you feel adventurous you can explore the lesser known areas of the railway such as the viewing area which is situated at the top of the embankment past the engine shed.
Take a stroll to the end of the car park, turn left and you’ll find a secret path which runs alongside the engine shed, walk for about 3 minutes along side the shed and you will eventually arrive at the railway viewing area where you can enjoy unique views and photo opportunities from the top of the embankment. In spring you will find at times this area is awash with bluebells.
The Cattle Dock Crane
As at most stations in the countryside, the cattle dock was one of the key parts of the station. The dock provided the only real means of loading and off loading goods such as cattle, parcels and coal arriving to or departing from the station.
Our original LBSCR dock crane can be seen next to our model railway office and shows how the dock would have looked during the railway’s heyday.