IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Purcell Close, KENLEY, CR8 5AZ

The village hall in the snow, no one had walked on the fresh layer of snow

The first proposals for a railway along the Caterham Valley came in 1836 with the object of building a new London to Dover line through a mile long tunnel under the North Downs. It proved too costly and the existing line via Redhill was used. Instead Caterham received a branch line, built by Caterham Railway, a private company, and opened in 1856. The original purpose was to provide a convenient method of transporting the valuable building stone from the quarries at Godstone to London. Soon though the original purpose was overtaken by wealthy Victorian commuters using the line as the Caterham Valley developed. There were early frustrations for these commuters, for example, in the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway arranging for the connecting train at Godstone Road (now Purley) station to leave one minute before the Caterham train arrived. Kenley station opened at the same time as the line but called Coulsdon for four months until December 1856 when it was renamed Kenley. This is the down platform looking towards Whyteleafe.

Taken in the snow on the Platform 2, heading towards Caterham

Looking up the valley, in the direction of Whyteleafe and Caterham.

The first proposals for a railway along the Caterham Valley came in 1836 with the object of building a new London to Dover line through a mile long tunnel under the North Downs. It proved too costly and the existing line via Redhill was used. Instead Caterham received a branch line, built by Caterham Railway, a private company, and opened in 1856. The original purpose was to provide a convenient method of transporting the valuable building stone from the quarries at Godstone to London. Soon though the original purpose was overtaken by wealthy Victorian commuters using the line as the Caterham Valley developed. There were early frustrations for these commuters, for example, in the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway arranging for the connecting train at Godstone Road (now Purley) station to leave one minute before the Caterham train arrived. Kenley station opened at the same time as the line but called Coulsdon for four months until December 1856 when it was renamed Kenley. This is the down platform looking towards Whyteleafe. A train waits in the up platform on its way to Purley.

The first proposals for a railway along the Caterham Valley came in 1836 with the object of building a new London to Dover line through a mile long tunnel under the North Downs. It proved too costly and the existing line via Redhill was used. Instead Caterham received a branch line, built by Caterham Railway, a private company, and opened in 1856. The original purpose was to provide a convenient method of transporting the valuable building stone from the quarries at Godstone to London. Soon though the original purpose was overtaken by wealthy Victorian commuters using the line as the Caterham Valley developed. There were early frustrations for these commuters, for example, in the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway arranging for the connecting train at Godstone Road (now Purley) station to leave one minute before the Caterham train arrived. Kenley station opened at the same time as the line but was called Coulsdon for four months until December 1856 when it was renamed Kenley. This is the down platform looking towards Whyteleafe.

Kenley is on the line from Purley, to Caterham, further up the valley.

Opened in 1856 by the South Eastern Railway on the branch line from Purley to Caterham. View north west towards Purley and London