Tattenham Corner station

Image: © Stefan Czapski Taken: 19 Nov 2017

The first railway company to make the climb up to the downs was the London, Brighton & South Coast, which arrived in 1865. Its wish to build a station close to the race-course met with local resistance, so its terminus - known as Epsom Downs - was built at about TQ 226 595, more than half a mile from the nearest point on the course. To handle race-day crowds the station had nine tracks. The station at Tattenham Corner - far more convenient for race-goers - was opened by a rival company (the South Eastern & Chatham) in 1901 - very late for railway development in this part of England. The SE&CR climbed to the downs by a somewhat roundabout route from the south and east, by way of Purley and Tadworth. Inevitably the Brighton line's station then declined. In 1989 it was demolished and replaced by a much smaller station (still called 'Epsom Downs') a quarter of a mile or so short of the original terminus. I gleaned the above history in part from Dendy Marshall's 'History of the Southern Railway', but also have to thank Marathon for citing this very useful link: http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/e/epsom_downs/index.shtml

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