Bishopsbourne was a station on the Elham Valley Railway. It opened in 1889 and closed to passengers in 1940 and freight in 1947.
The station opened on 1 July 1889. It was situated on the extension of the Elham Valley Railway from Barham to Harbledown Junction, on the Ashford to Ramsgate line.[1] A 16-lever signal box was provided.[2] Initially, there were six passenger trains per day. By 1906 there were nine trains a day, with five on Sunday. This had reduced to six trains a day by 1922.[3] The double track between Lyminge and Harbledown Junction was reduced to single track from 25 October 1931 and the signal boxes between those points were abolished.[4] Services had been reduced to five trains a day by 1937.[3]
The Boche Buster firing near Bishopsbourne on 7 May 1941.
Passenger services between Canterbury West and Lyminge were withdrawn on 1 December 1940 and the line was placed under military control.[1] The military established block posts at Canterbury South and Bishopbourne, under the control of the Royal Corps of Signals.[5] The station remained open to freight during the war.[6] A passing loop was installed in Bourne Tunnel, 3⁄4 mile (1.21km) south of Bishopsbourne on which was kept a BL 18-inch railway howitzer, nicknamed the "Boche Buster". It had a range of 50 miles (80km).[7] A curved siding was constructed at Charlton Park, south of Bishopsbourne from which the gun was fired.[8] Military control was relinquished on 19 February 1945.[6] The War Department ground frames and points were decommissioned on 2 May 1946.[9] The Elham Valley Railway closed on 1 October 1947.[6] After closure the station has been converted to a private house.
