Bat & Ball railway station
Bat & Ball  | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Sevenoaks, District of Sevenoaks England |
| Coordinates | 51°17′24″N 0°11′38″E / 51.290°N 0.194°E |
| Grid reference | TQ530568 |
| Managed by | Southeastern |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BBL |
| Classification | DfT category F2 |
| History | |
| Original company | Sevenoaks, Maidstone and Tonbridge Railway |
| Pre-grouping | SE&CRCJMC |
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 2 June 1862 | Opened as Sevenoaks[1] |
| 1 August 1869 | Renamed Sevenoaks Bat & Ball[1] |
| 1 January 1917 | Closed[1] |
| 1 March 1919 | Reopened[1] |
| 5 June 1950 | Renamed Bat & Ball[2] |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  0.131 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.147 million |
| 2020/21 |  51,838 |
| 2021/22 | 0.134 million |
| 2022/23 | 0.171 million |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
Bat & Ball railway station is on Bat & Ball Road in the suburban town of Sevenoaks in Kent, England. The station is managed by Southeastern although all trains that serve the station are Thameslink. It is 25 miles 51 chains (41.3 km) from London Victoria, although all northbound trains run to London Blackfriars.
History[edit]
The station opened in 1862 with the name "Sevenoaks".[1] It was then, some years later, named "Sevenoaks Bat & Ball" then renamed in 1950 to its current name.[2] The name derives from the Bat & Ball Inn, a pub which no longer exists.
A long lease of the building was granted to Sevenoaks Town Council in 2017 for refurbishment supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.[3] Works began March 2018 – for a building re-opening in January 2019.[4] It is a listed building in the initial, mainstream category, Grade II (two).[3][5]
_Station_1769039_c6ce271e.jpg)
Facilities[edit]
The station is near the hospital, in the ecclesiastical parish of St John's Hill[6] and in the broader town council's civil parish.[7] It is on a south coastbound route from London via Swanley and via Otford. The northbound platform has a bench under a shelter and in 2014 new benches and service tannoy have graced the other platform. The staffed office, after fading, ceased on 30 November 1991. Southeastern has fitted an electronic screen showing departures.
The station has a car park. Once free, in 2010 a fee of £3 per day to park began. This resulted in the displacement of parking by commuters into surrounding residential streets, particularly Chatham Hill Road. Per the local press, parking problems for local residents were common, whilst leaving the station's car park almost deserted.[8]
A PERTIS "permit to travel" machine was at the entrance to the southbound platform, later replaced by a card payment-only ticket machine in 2016. Before de-staffing in 1991, it had converted from the previous NCR21 card ticket system to APTIS on 12 April 1988. A rare misprint on some tickets issued just after conversion to APTIS rendered the station BAT BALL.
As part of the refurbishment project undertaken by Sevenoaks Town Council the station building will house a public cafe, public toilets, and community meeting rooms, due to open January 2019.[9]
Services[edit]
All services at Bat & Ball are operated by Thameslink using Class 700 EMUs.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is:[10]
- 2 tph to London Blackfriars via Catford
- 2 tph to Sevenoaks
During the peak hours, the service to London Blackfriars is extended to and from Welwyn Garden City via Finsbury Park.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thameslink | ||||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Terminus | London, Chatham and Dover Railway |
Otford Junction | ||
| Kemsing | ||||
References[edit]
References
- ^ a b c d e Butt (1995), page 208
- ^ a b Butt (1995), page 29
- ^ a b "Station (Timeline) - Bat & Ball Station". www.batandballstation.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ King, Debbie (27 March 2018). "Work starts on £1.3 million station make-over". kentlive. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Historic England. "Bat & Ball Railway Station (1085975)". National Heritage List for England.
- ^ Church of England Ecclesiastical Parish name and its extent.
- ^ Sevenoaks Town Council Map showing parish (town council) boundary
- ^ "Residents' fury as commuters' cars clog roads". Kent and Sussex Courier. Local World Limited. 12 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
- ^ "HLF Restoration Project - Bat & Ball Station". www.batandballstation.com. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Table 195, 196 National Rail timetable, May 2022
Sources
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Jowett, Alan (March 1989). Jowett's Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland: From Pre-Grouping to the Present Day (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-086-0. OCLC 22311137.
- Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.
External links[edit]
- Train times and station information for Bat & Ball railway station from National Rail
- Buildings and structures in Sevenoaks
- Railway stations in Kent
- DfT Category F2 stations
- Former London, Chatham and Dover Railway stations
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1862
- Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1917
- Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1919
- Railway stations in Great Britain not served by their managing company
- 1862 establishments in England
- Railway stations served by Govia Thameslink Railway