The Midhurst Railways were three branch lines which were built to serve the market town of Midhurst in the English county of West Sussex. The three lines were the Petersfield Railway, from Petersfield; the Mid-Sussex Railway extended by the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway, from Hardham Junction (Pulborough); and from Chichester. The Petersfield Railway opened in 1864, the promoting company having been absorbed by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1863. The Mid-Sussex lines reached Midhurst in 1866, after being absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LBSCR) in 1862. The two lines did not connect, and there were two separate stations close by one another. The Chichester line took much longer to complete, and was opened in 1881, and a new LBSCR station was opened, replacing the first station. In 1925 the former LSWR line was connected to that station.
The lines were never busy and the area remained rural; the Chichester line was closed to passenger trains in 1935. A culvert on that line was washed out in 1951 causing a goods train to fall into the cavity. The line was severed and never reopened past that point. Passenger services were withdrawn on the Petersfield – Midhurst – Pulborough axis in 1955, and goods traffic ended in 1966.
The Chichester to Lavant line continued with a very sporadic goods service, and that ended in 1968. Gravel extraction at Lavant revived the southern part of the line in 1971, and that continued until 1991. The lines now have no railway activity.
History
Early proposals
In the 1850s it was felt urgently necessary to connect Portsmouth with London, and a considerable number of schemes were put forward. One would have aligned such a route from Godalming through Midhurst and Chichester, and from there along the coast, but in fact other, more roundabout routes were preferred. Although never built, the line had an enduring significance as it marked the boundary between the agreed territory of the LBSCR and the LSWR: the two companies agreed not to encroach on the other's area of influence.
The tract of land south-west of Horsham was largely agricultural, with no large settlements. The population of Petworth in 1851 was 2,439 and Midhurst had 1,481 inhabitants. Although never on a main line Midhurst attracted the attention of railway builders, and three railway routes approached the town.
They connected into the growing railway network of southern England. The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway had its West Coast line running from Brighton to Chichester, actually opened by the Brighton and Chichester Railway, in 1846. This was extended to Portsmouth in 1847. To the north-west ran the Portsmouth Direct line, operated by the London and South Western Railway. To the north lay Horsham station, terminus of a branch from Three Bridges on the London to Brighton main line of the LBSCR.
The Petersfield Railway
The Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Junction Railway had considered extending from Midhurst to Petersfield, on the Portsmouth line, controlled by the London and South Western Railway, but were deterred from doing so by the territorial exclusivity agreement between the LBSCR and the LSWR, Midhurst being considered to be the boundary. The connection was seen to be desirable, so a company was projected to make the line: it was to be called the Petersfield Railway, and its estimated cost was £90,000. A Bill was presented to Parliament for the Petersfield Railway; it would run from a junction with the Mid-Sussex and Midhurst Railway at Midhurst to a junction with the Portsmouth line immediately north of Petersfield station. During the consideration of the Bill in Parliament, there was a significant difference of views between, the Petersfield Railway and the MS&MR, and the Mid-Sussex company managed to have a clause inserted into the Petersfield Railway Act to specifically preclude a junction with its line. On that basis the Petersfield Railway got its authorising Act on 23 July 1860. It was independent of the LSWR, and the line was to be miles in length.
A shareholders' meeting at the time of authorisation was told that an extension of the line to Southampton, connecting and running over the Bishops Waltham branch, would be possible. This was taken as an attractive idea, although the extension at miles would be more than double the length of the authorised line; it would cost £260,000. The idea went to Parliament in 1861 but was rejected there, on the basis of opposition from the LSWR. An appeal to reconsider was later made to the LSWR board, but they declined to consider supporting the line.