East Kent Railway (heritage)

Waldershare is a village near Dover in Kent, England. In 1086, the village was in the hundred of Eastry in the ancient Lathe of Eastry. By 1295 the ancient lathe had been merged into the Lathe of St. Augustine. In the 18th century, the noble family of Waldershare were lords of a manor in the parish of Shebbertswell. The population of the village is included in the civil parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred.

Eythorne railway station is a station on the East Kent Railway. Originally a station on the East Kent Light Railway, It opened on 16 October 1916 but closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. It served as the junction for the branch to Guilford Colliery, which was abandoned in 1921. The track on this branch was lifted in 1931 but relaid during World War II to accommodate a 9.2 inches (230 mm) rail mounted gun. The station served the village of Eythorne, it reopened as part of the East Kent Railway in 1993.

Elvington is a small pit village on a ridge in between Canterbury and Dover in the county of Kent in Southeast England. Located near Eythorne , Elvington was mostly built in the early 20th century to serve the nearby coal mine at Tilmanstone, as were other Kent Coalfield villages including Snowdown, Aylesham and Betteshanger.

Eythorne is a civil parish and small village located 7.3 miles north-northwest of Dover in Kent, with a combined population of approximately 2,500 residents including nearby villages Barfrestone and Elvington. Although not classed as one of the former pit villages of Kent, it was only about a mile from Tilmanstone – which closed in 1986. Today many of its residents commute to work in Dover, Deal and Canterbury. Eythorne Baptist Church is more than 450 years old and one of the first Baptist churches in the United Kingdom. Esther Copley, wife of William Copley, who was a minister in Eythorne from about 1839 to 1843, was a prolific and successful writer of children's books and books on the domestic economy. She died in the village in 1851. Eythorne once had three pubs; The Crown is still trading, but the White Horse and the Palm Tree are long closed, both now being residential properties. Eythorne is historically divided into two halves: Lower Eythorne, where the Church of England and Roman Catholic churches are situated, and Upper Eythorne, where the village shop and the Crown public house are located, and where most of today's villagers live. Many reside in the small housing developments that sprang up in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Eythorne Baptist Church originated in the meetings of early 16th century Baptists who had crossed the English Channel from the low countries to Kent to escape persecution. Nineteenth-century Baptist writer J. J. Goadby named Eythorne as one of the three "most ancient Baptist churches in England".For many years the Church had associated village chapels in east Kent. Two of these remain—at Adisham and Nonington. Others were at Eastry, Ashley, Woolage Green, Wootton and Barnsole.

Coldred is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred, in the Dover district of Kent, England. The main part of the village is Coldred Street which lies 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) to the south-west. In 1961 the parish had a population of 153.

Barfrestone is a village and (as Barfreston) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Eythorne, in the Dover district, in east Kent, England. It is between Shepherdswell, Eythorne and Nonington, close to the former pit villages of Elvington and Snowdown. In 1931 the parish had a population of 91. On 1 April 1935 the parish was abolished and merged with Eythorne.Alternative spellings are Barfreston and Barfreystone. The old pronunciation was "Barson" (before 1800) and the ancient name, "Barfriston".At the time of the Domesday Book, when the name was written 'Berfrestone', the manor was owned by Odo, Earl of Kent (as the Bishop of Bayeux). But after his trial (for fraud) in 1076, his assets were re-apportioned, including Barfrestone. The lands were then granted to Hugh de Port (an English feudal barony) for the defence of Dover Castle. The lands passed through the hands of many other owners including Sir Thomas Browne (during the reign of Henry VI of England).Landmarks include the Grade I listed Norman church, which contains significant carvings of human and animal figures on both the exterior and interior of the church, as well as a very early post-Roman example of the Greek key motif carved on the inside coving. Also of note is the church bell set in a yew tree adjacent to the church and "Little Ewell", a converted rectory which, until 2013, was the location of the centre (house, offices and workshops) of the L'Arche Kent Community which has since moved to Canterbury, though a L'Arche house remains in the nearby village of Eythorne. Another listed building in the village is Grade II listed Barfrestone Court,The village is on the Miner's Way Trail which links the coalfield parishes of East Kent.

Tilmanstone Colliery Halt was a station on the East Kent Light Railway. It opened on 16 October 1916 and was renamed Elvington in 1925. It closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. The station served the pit village of Elvington. Part of the platform is still in situ hidden in undergrowth.

Shepherdswell with Coldred is a civil parish in the Dover District of Kent, England. The parish contains the villages of Shepherdswell and Coldred, 1 mile (1.6 km) apart, and the hamlet of Coxhill just south-west of Shepherdswell. Shepherdswell with Coldred is approximately 30 miles (48 km) east from the county town of Maidstone. The south of the parish is approximately 5 miles (8 km) north-west from the channel port of Dover, and the north, 8 miles (13 km) south-east from Canterbury. A section of the major A2 London to Dover road runs 2 miles (3 km) through the parish at the south-west. Apart from this road, all others within the parish are minor and unnumbered. The National Rail mainline from London to Dover runs through the parish, partly by tunnel. Parishes surrounding Shepherdswell with Coldred are Womenswold at the north-west; Eythorne at the north; Tilmanstone at the north-east; Whitfield at the south-east; Lydden at the south; and Denton with Wootton at the south-west. There are two parish churches: St Andrew's in Shepherdswell, and St Pancras' in Coldred. Historically Shepherdswell with Coldred contained the manors of Popeshall, Coldred and Shebbertswell.The Grade I listed country house mansion of Waldershare Park, dating to 1705-12, is within Shepherdswell with Coldred at its eastern boundary.

Shepherdswell railway station is a station on the East Kent Railway. The southern terminus of the East Kent Light Railway, It opened on 16 October 1916 and closed to passenger traffic after the last train on 30 October 1948. Shepherdswell was the location of the engine shed and works, and many sidings. It served the village of Shepherdswell or Sibertswold. The station reopened as part of the East Kent Railway in 1993. It is about 300 metres (980 ft) from the mainline station Shepherds Well.

Shepherdswell (also Sibertswold) is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Shepherdswell with Coldred, in the Dover district of Kent, England. In 2011 it had a population of 1630.

Shepherds Well railway station is on the Dover branch of the Chatham Main Line in England, and serves the village of Shepherdswell, Kent. It is 71 miles 60 chains (115.5 km) down the line from London Victoria and is situated between Snowdown and Kearsney. The station and all trains that serve the station are operated by Southeastern. It appears in the timetable and online enquiry systems as "Shepherds Well" but the platform signs read "Shepherdswell". It is adjacent to the terminus of the East Kent heritage line, which is spelt as one word: Shepherdswell. The booking office in the station building on the country-bound platform is open only for very limited hours on Mondays to Fridays mornings but a Permit To Travel ticket machine (also on the country-bound platform) caters for out-of-hours ticketing. The station and the line it serves were built by the London, Chatham & Dover Railway.