IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Eastgate, BANSTEAD, SM7 1RW

The station building are at the right, on a bridge where the work is going on. The building straight ahead has an air of being an old pub, but is not identified as such on any map. Although always a little separated from the rest of the station buildings it might just have been the station master's house.

Located north-west of the town centre.

Opened in 1865 by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway on the line from Sutton to Epsom Downs. Between 1898 and 1928 the station was called Banstead & Burgh Heath. View east towards Belmont and Sutton. Until 1982 there were two tracks and two platforms, with a mirror-image footbridge from the left-hand side of the building.

This station is on the Epsom Downs line. It does not have a good service because the line along here has been singled, without passing loops, so train frequency is very limited. This line would benefit by conversion to trams.

Looking towards the railway station, on the bend in the road.

When the branch line from Sutton to Epsom Downs was singled in 1982 Banstead (in common with Belmont, the other intermediate station) retained its 'down' platform only. However the disused 'up' platform along with the corresponding track bed can still be made out on the left. By the time the race day traffic carried by rail to Epsom Downs had ceased to exist, the branch was already in a state of rapid decline on most counts. But in recent years station facilities have been improved and the line no longer has the woebegone look it once had.

The builders merchant on the right is set down in a cutting at the same level as the railway, so I'm guessing that it's on a former goods yard or engine shed or something. On the left of the picture it looks a bit of a mess where a second platform has been partly demolished. For how it looked when there were two platforms see this old view from 1961 Image The lamp post prominent in that picture by the station name board is still visible here.