on the station site, there was a small brickworks built to the east on land leased from the railway, giving it direct rail access; Today the still open brickworks is operated by Ibstock Brick Ltd, producing traditional Stock Bricks. A railway-built and owned "Railway Hotel" opened on the west side of the station forecourt, opposite the main station building. After closure of the railway, it was sold off by the British Railways Property Board and renamed the "Bluebell Inn", reopened as a public house. Closed in 1999, it is now a private residence called "Bluebell House". Closure and demolition The station closed to passengers on 30 May 1955, with the goods yard closed on 13 June. After legal objections to the line's closure, the station reopened to passengers on 7 August 1956, closing permanently on 17 March 1958. After the closure of the line to all traffic in 1963, the assigned BR contractors took over the site, using its facilities to control removal of track and infrastructure from the entire railway, and using its excellent road access to redistribute the assets. To enable their works, the contractors removed the down-side buildings and footbridge in 1964, and lifted the tracks in 1964/5. The main station building was demolished in late 1967. Preservation With a truncated line operating between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes, the Bluebell Railway Society purchased the largely levelled and cleared site in 1974. After raising funds to extend the line northwards, the society was faced with much local opposition to the extension, resulting in a public enquiry and resultant planning application. Following approval of the decision by both the Secretary of State for the Environment and Secretary of State for Transport, in 1985, the society was granted the planning permission for the preserved railways extension to East Grinstead, and the right to apply for a light railway order, with the stipulation that West Hoathly would not be redeveloped as a station, due to local residents' concerns about a likely increase in local road traffic. If the society were later to decide to undertake such a station redevelopment, it would need to apply for additional planning permission. In 1992, the society's extension reached New Coombe Bridge, where a simple run-around loop was provided on the alignment of the former up line through West Hoathly, located just north of the former No.2 platform. Since then, the society – much like