Dover Western Docks / Dover Marine The last Summer Saturday only 'Holiday Special' from Wolverhampton. August 1994. Shortly before the closure of the terminus in September 1994. Filmed by Sarah Harvey (c) 2017
Happy go lucky 15 year old (at the time) who was very lucky to have been on board throughout in both directions! Thanks for posting this and bringing back the hazy memories of a forgotten era and the end of Dover WD.
I arrived at Dover Western Docks station in 1980 to catch a hovercraft to Boulogne, I remember it well because it was like stepping back in time to the 1920's/1930's. Wonderful old station.
Although the tracks leading into the old station have long since been lifted and subsequently filled in, the actual station building is still there - it's been converted into a Cruise Liner terminal. So not everything was bulldozed.....they managed to find a new use for the main building and repurpose it. That's got to be a good thing! 😀
The big white building briefly seen from the train is / was the offices of Network Rail or whatever it's called now. ORIGINALLY it was built and opened as the Lord Warden Hotel, right on the Quay for the "packet" boats, as they used to be called. It was very elegant and expensive aimed at the top tier travellers. Kings, diplomats, businessmen, writers etc were the clientele. Charles Dickens was a regular. It is mentioned in the M R James ghost story "Casting the Runes".
it's ashame i didn't see what it was like before they closed it pity they did i have been been down there but sadly couldn't get on the platforms because a ship was in and they couldn't let me in because of security it should have never closed they could have made it a container port like tilbury felixstowe Southampton 😟
If they had KEPT Dover WD operational and simply modernised the trains and tracks, I am certain it would be thriving as a service now. I don't know the full story, but I suspect a shady deal was done, behind the scenes between Eurotunnel / Eurostar and the British government. If you want the tunnel built, (private capital), you will eliminate the competition for foot passengers, ie Victoria to Dover WD. It was an excellent and POPULAR service. If it was allowed to exist the tunnel wouldn't be viable financially.