Impermanent Ways

There are some things in life that seem to automatically prick the conscience of the nation. One of these is the subject of closed railways. An overgrown bridge, weed-strewn cutting, or derelict station, each will invariably bring forth the comment, "It was the fault of Dr. Beeching." What is conveniently forgotten is that while some closures did indeed occur in consequence of the wielding of that famous "axe," rationalization had in fact already been going on in the decades before. In his highly successful first book in this series covering Hampshire, author Jeffrey Grayer considered the closed routes of that county. Now he continues the same theme into East and West Sussex, exploring in color the path of many of the closed lines in the days between the withdrawal of services and subsequent redevelopment.