Brookland
The village is a small community of some 200 dwellings, with a primary school, church, cemetery, two pubs and a modern, versatile village hall.
St Augustine Church has the unusual, if not unique, feature of an entirely wooden spire being separate from the body of the church.
Popular myth is that the steeple looked down at a wedding service to see such a beautiful bride marrying such an unpleasant groom that it jumped off the church in shock.
A more popular story is that one day a virgin presented herself to be married and the church spire fell off at the unusual occurrence. In fact, it is separate as the weight can not be supported by the marshy ground.
Brookland Railway Station
Brookland Railway Station was located just off the A259 road between Brookland and Brenzett. The building stills exists today as a private residence.
Brookland was the first station on the Lydd Railway Company's New Romney branch line. It opened to traffic on 7 December 1881. The station was ½ mile from Brookland village. It was located on the north side of the A259 Straight Lane which links the villages of Brenzett and Brookland; a small ground frame shed controlled the level crossing manned by a resident signal-porter who also sold tickets. Brookland was once an impressive station boasting two platforms, with the main station building on the downside and a small wooden waiting shelter on the upside.
As passenger traffic dwindled and freight became insignificant in the post-war period, the New Romney branch fell into decline and subsequently figured in the Beeching Report along with the Ashford to Hastings line.
Brookland Railway Station c1925
