An artist's inpression of the opening of Dover Town station
in 1844.
The station was designed to resemble the London terminus
of the South Eastern Railway.
The station was opened by the South
Eastern Railway on 7 February 1844, as the terminus of
their new line from London via Redhill. The station was originally
designed with an impressive tower, as can be seen in the artist’s
impression of the opening ceremony above, but this was never
built. The railway company did build the Lord
Warden Hotel on land adjoining the station, which was
connected to the station at first floor level by a glazed
footbridge over the road.
In 1859 work started extending the line from the station onto
the Admiralty Pier, to allow
the trains to connect with the cross-Channel steamers, and
was completed in 1861. In 1863 the station, which had originally
just been called Dover, changed its name to Dover Town after
the London Chatham & Dover
Railway’s ‘Dover Town’ had changed its name to Dover
Priory.
In June 1881 a double track line was opened to the London
Chatham & Dover Railway’s Harbour Station. This branched off
the main line just before it entered the Town Station. This
new line allowed through working of South Eastern Railway
trains onto the newly opened joint line to Deal.
In October 1914 the station closed to passengers when the
South Eastern Railway decided to concentrate local passenger
services at the Priory Station. The station continued in military
use during the First
World War. In 1928 new engine sheds were opened close
to the site of the old town station, replacing the original
small sheds at Dover Town and Dover Priory. The remaining
station buildings were demolished in December 1963.
The old Town Station, on the right, c.1930 being passed
by a boat train on its way to the Marine
Station.
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