Four fire engines from Kent Fire and Rescue Services attended a blaze in the early hours of Tuesday morning, which gutted the derelict buildings of the former Lydd Town railway station.
The cause of the fire was not known at the time of going to press, but good progress had been made by the fire teams, and by late Tuesday morning, just two engines were left at the scene while firefighters used main jets to dampen down the surrounding area. No injuries were reported.
The station, just outside the town on Romney Road, opened in December 1881. Built by the Lydd Railway Company and run by South Eastern Railway, the line served passengers until 1967 after which it served freight transport until its complete closure in October 1971.
Hopes of reviving the station have long been discussed by heritage parties and individuals, but no definitive plans have been proposed. A local social media group, the Lydd Station Heritage Group, has called a meeting at the George Inn, Lydd, for all interested parties to attend at 7pm on Thursday, November 10, to discuss ways to save and renovate what is left.
Many locals are convinced the building was torched deliberately, as one commented; “If this was an accident, I’m a monkey’s uncle. Stations don’t just self-combust.”
Gramm Barrier Systems, based in Seaford, who own the buildings at Lydd Station, refused to comment when asked about the fire by Rye News.
Image Credits: Kent Fire & Rescue Services , Bill Rooster Heathfield .
Looking at the sad photo of the remains of Lydd Station I’m immediately struck by the graffiti. What was the Lydd Station Heritage Group doing before the fire to keep the station looking presentable?
The Lydd Station Heritage Group is a very recently formed group of like minded individuals who have come together to see what can be done to preserve the existence of the building and to explore ways of making it a community asset. Efforts currently are focused on trying to open discussions with the building owners, land owners and other stakeholders to establish possibilities. So to answer your question directly, nothing – they have no access to the building, no ownership and no agreements or permissions in place. The fire is a setback to their hopes of course but they have no ability currently to do anything directly to the station building