Dover Western Docks Station
It wasn't until we wandered down a road we've driven past our whole lives to get to a limited event that we found the remains of Dover Western Docks Train Station. Despite there no longer being any train tracks it is beyond obvious what the grand building was once for, the exterior gives it away immediately, but once you get inside it is still the same as it once was. It is a station without the tracks, a heart-breaking piece of abandoned history with a new use and we've become obsessed with it ever since.
This site is actually under heavy security due to the proximity to the docks and of course the offices down there, but it does host open days for history lovers every now and then. However, the station was actually the connecting point for trains to board ships, as if you watch things like Poirot's Murder on the Orient Express or in fact have read it, you'll recognise the Orient boarding at Dover or being known as the 'boat train', this was where the magic happened. Even in the famous Sherlock Holmes movie (the second one) by Guy Richie, they mention the boat train at Dover.
Now the ability to utilise Dover for its purpose as a crossing to Europe via boat train was realised after a line was built from Folkestone, across the Warren to Dover, which meant three tunnels had to be bored and the white cliffs were blown up a bit with gunpowder to make way for the line. These tunnels were the Shakespeare Tunnel, the Martello Tunnel, and the Abbotscliff Tunnel. This line ran to what ended up being known as 'Dover Town Station' and an extension toward the area of Admiralty Pier was made in 1861 and allowed trains to run directly alongside steamer boats to France.
A year later the LC&DR authorised a line between London Victoria and Dover Priory in addition to the new line bored the year before through the chalk from the Priory to the Chatham line to bring the stations closer. The Dover Harbour Station was then opened, but we've got that lined up for another time as this has also been abandoned, but came into disuse as a proper station when the line was extended down to the new Admiralty Pier extension in 1864.
1881 brought a rare occurrence as rival train operators (the SER and LC&DR) collaborated to open the 'Dover & Deal Joint Line' that allowed the SER direct access to the line from Folkestone. The downside of this was the fact a number of services now bypassed Dover Town Station, so to avoid this further additional platforms were put in for the connecting spur. However this all became fruitless as the SE&CR was formed on New Years Day in 1899 and the whole line was impacted due to much needed expansions and improvements. As a result closures were made and we saw this in Dover through the closing of platforms on the connecting spur between the SER and LC&DR lines in 1903. The idea was that an artificial platform within the water at Admiralty Pier would be made and so works began in 1912.
So a new terminus station was required and it needed to be big as it was needed for boat traffic exclusively. So built including Admiralty Pier for this purpose, the station was constructed by SECR and expanded to be finished in 1914 for use the year later and despite the war starting the majority of the work had been completed. They did this by putting large amounts of chalk into the water east of the pier and then including Admiralty pier into the works to make a bigger area rather than demolishing it. Despite this, the station didn't actually come into use by the pubic until 1919 and during this time was renamed Dover Marine station in preparation for its opening.
Wartime economies oversaw the closure of Dover Town Station in 1914 due to the closure of the engine shed by Hawkesbury Street Curve and the fact locomotive allocation was being moved to the depot at Priory. It never reopened but the old LC&DR Harbour and Priory Stations were retained instead and had services diverted to them. Obviously boat services had ceased due to the war and so it meant that the SE&CR's new terminus, although not quite complete, wasn't fit for passenger traffic and there wasn't any anyway. However, it was brought in to help the war effort even though it was incomplete and the military used it for ambulance trains in 1915 as well as military traffic. The main feature missing at this time and added later was the grand stone façade that we see today.
Red brick offices and the SE&CR's main war memorial (which was seen as a strange choice as usually these memorials were placed in the main London stations) were then built upon the platforms (still here!) and either end of the platforms were linked with a lattice footbridge (also still here!). Lots of tracks were then laid causing a confusing layout of metal due to demand but also leftover from the war effort. But this was all handled by a much bigger version of Folkestone Harbour's signal box (which is still there and now part of Folkestone Harbour Arm).
In terms of locomotive facilities the new station only had a turntable and water tank to service its engines behind the signal box. As the new main loco allocation was controlled by the Priory station not too far away, not much was needed at the time. However the Priory arrangement was soon shown as pants and soon after Southern Railway was formed it devised a modernisation plan for the Dover area. This brought renovation to Priory in the form of a total rebuild alongside a new motive power shed, 280 foot long five road locomotive shed at Dover Marine station by the lines running to Folkestone, and the ultimate closure of Dover Harbour Station in 1927. An expansion at the Dover Marine site had to be made by dumping more chalk at the site and ended up beside what used to be the SER's Dover Town Station, they also removed the turntable and water tank in favour of a repair shed and 65 foot turntable so space was scarce.
In 1928 Southern Railway opened the new locomotive depot here but no evidence of this remains as it was demolished in 1961 after closure as trains were travelling to Dover from elsewhere and steam had started to die out. However at the time the new shed allowed for the Priory station's shed to be closed and repurposed as part of the large goods yard. Meanwhile all local traffic was being directed through Dover Priory and all boat services were being served through Marine Station.
The station had four platforms covered by its large roof and was extended in 1959 to be able to take 12 train carriages as demand needed it. Unfortunately the Channel Tunnel became too popular and put an end to boat trains so the British Rail made the decision t close the station, which was renamed again in 1979 as Dover Western Docks, in 1994. It is now Dover's cruise-liner terminal and is registered as a disused station.
We felt privileged to be able to wander down here to see the Cavell van (which we have visited at the KESR a few times) but as it was part of an event this was special. It had returned here as this was the line where it had carried the Unknown Warrior for final resting at Westminster. The whole experience was wild, we felt like we had stepped back in time as the entire site is complete other than its tracks and locomotive maintenance features. We've always wondered about disused stations and railways and weren't sure if any remained or how easy it was to look into it, but there are forums and all sorts out there educating you on these titbits of history and so here we are fulfilling yet another dream of ours.
There is quite a haunting aspect to this place though. It was quite literally abandoned, barely gutted, and thrown into a use which it was never made for. To be honest we're quite lucky it wasn't flattened and made into something else. But the site truly is grand, but it is like a ghost town down here with added security. It was a bit too eerie but that added to the appeal for us actually. If you like disused railways, don't miss their next open day! Heritage Open Days website lists the open days usually around September/October time, we'll be there, will you?
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