Why did the line close twice?
The full story is on the history pages, but in summary the initial (28 May 1955) closure was found to be illegal, and so British Railways was grudgingly forced to restore a service. It was only after a public inquiry and a clause to repeal part of the the original Lewes & East Grinstead Railway Act was passed by Parliament that the line could be properly closed (on 17 March 1958). It was the publicity around the fight to keep the line open that led to the founding of our Preservation Society.
