The first public, steam-powered passenger and freight line in Southern England was built between Canterbury and Whitstable in 1830, a single line, just over 6 miles long. It terminated in Canterbury at North Lane. In all its existence, only one locomotive was owned by the railway, the `Invicta', an 0-4-0 with external cylinders at the front, built by Robert Stephenson. It is preserved in the Moat Gardens, Canterbury. It was not at all successful, and was soon replaced by stationary engines until the line was taken over by the South Eastern in 1844. The line was closed to passengers in 1931 and for freight in 1952, although it was temporarily reopened to alleviate the flooding of 1953.

From the National Heritage List for England entry on the Tyler Hill Tunnel:
The Canterbury & Whitstable Railway (or CWR and affectionately known as 'The Crab & Winkle Line') was a pioneering early railway, representing an intermediate stage between early mining tramways or waggonways, and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, which was the prototypical modern main line railway. Proposals for its construction were put forward in 1823 by William James, and a Parliamentary Act obtained in 1825. Construction had begun by 1826. William James was an ambitious early railway engineer and entrepreneur, but his career is marked largely by bold schemes which were rarely seen to fruition. James lost his position here to George Stephenson, who assumed control of the works by 1826. The six mile long line was opened on 3rd May 1830, linking Canterbury to a specially constructed harbour at Whitstable. The line carried both passengers and freight from its inauguration. It became especially popular in the summer months for seaside excursions to Whitstable's Tankerton Beach as noted in W J Cox's 'Guide to Whitstable and its surroundings' published in 1876.

Trains were hauled along the length of the railway by a combination of horses, ropes operated by fixed engines, and a locomotive (George Stephenson's Invicta which lacked sufficient power for the steeper gradients). The line was taken over by the South Eastern Railway in 1844, the track relaid and the method of propulsion changed to locomotive operation throughout. Passenger traffic on the line ceased in 1931, and the line closed entirely in 1953.

Little survives of the original Canterbury & Whitstable Railway. Some sections of the track bed remain but building or engineering remains are sparse. The Tyler Hill tunnel is an important remnant of this early railway line. Trains were hauled through the tunnel by rope haulage from a fixed stationary steam engine. Following an exceptionally wet summer in 1838 cracks and signs of subsidence were noticed at the northern portal. In order to stabilise it the crown of the arch was stripped, a concrete puddling applied, the parapet was lowered to improve drainage and the angled buttresses were added to reinforce the whole. From the onset of South Eastern Railway operation in the 1840s, the tunnel posed a problem due to its restricted dimensions, such that only specially adapted locomotives could be used. However, it was never rebuilt to accommodate larger trains. Collapse of the northern part of the tunnel in the 1970s led to its partial infilling.


In 1990 a desk based assessment was done prior to the construction of Thanet Way. The historical railways line was to be cut by the new Thanet Way, south of South Street, at the point which the railway crosses Swalecliffe Brook. Here the railway is carried over the stream by a single arched culvert of red brick. This features may be regarded as being worthy of preservation as a significant piece of early nineteenth century architecture on a historically important railway.
A photograph of this culvert was taken in 1990 when the assessment was being done. (1)

<1> Canterbury Archaeological Trust, 1990, Thanet Way: Archaeological Evaluation (Unpublished document). SKE17200.