IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
The Sidings, POLEGATE, BN26 6GA

The Sidings is a housing development in Polegate, in East Sussex. As its name suggests, it was built on the site of former railway sidings. The railway line passes to the right, a signal stands near the centre of the image.

This bridge carried the direct south coast line on the north side of a triangular junction with the Eastbourne branch. This route is now abandoned and all traffic proceeding beyond Eastbourne has to reverse there. The bridge is not plated by any authority, yet has suffered a little damage from overheight vehicles. The road is a dead-end serving a few premises including a sewage works.

This carries the only remaining operational railway of several lines and alignments used over the years at Polegate. Behind the viewpoint was the original curve towards Eastbourne, but there is no bridge and nothing worth photographing remains.

This rather dilapidated station closed within a few years of the photo being taken when a new station was built west to be beside the level crossing in the High Street. Ironically, the first station was in fact in the same position as the present, before the station in the photo was built, so to call the above 'old' is slightly misleading, if that makes sense! The platform to the far left served trains for the Cuckoo Line to Tunbridge Wells.

Hastings Close in the village of Polegate, near Eastbourne.

The Junction pub is opposite the old railway station in Polegate. The station, however, closed in 1986, being replaced by a new station about 300 metres further west. Polegate was once at the junction of four railway lines, from Lewes, Eridge, Eastbourne and Hastings. The line to Eridge and the direct line towards Hastings have been closed for many years, so Polegate is no longer a railway junction. Trains still run from here to Hastings, but they now go via Eastbourne.