East Farleigh Station

East Farleigh Station is a railway station built in 1844 for the South Eastern Railway. It is a timber-framed building faced with 'Kentish clapboard' (horizontal timber weather-boarding), resting on a brick plinth, and originally had a slate roof, now covered with corrugated asbestos. It is a single-storey, rectangular building parallel to the railway line.

The north elevation, which fronts the platform, features four two-over-two paned sash windows and two doors. Plain wooden valanced canopies, supported on decoratively pierced cast iron brackets, shelter each entrance. One door leads to the waiting room through half-glazed double doors, while the other provides access to the ticket office. The building has a hipped roof and originally had two tall chimneys, now removed.

The waiting room retains original features including a dado rail with panelling below. A panelled partition with a band of glazing below the ceiling separates the waiting area from the ticket office. This partition is pierced by two ticket windows, one large and one small, the larger of which appears to be a later addition. A door from the main waiting room leads to two further rooms, both with dado rails and panelling; one has a fireplace. A small lavatory is located beyond.

The ticket office shares the panelled partition with the waiting room, incorporating cupboards built below the ticket windows. Similar panelling lines the remaining walls, also wrapping around a safe in the southwest corner. Sash windows in the south elevation, similar to those on the north, provide light to all rooms.

East Farleigh Station opened on 25th September 1844, coinciding with the opening of the South Eastern Railway's branch line from Maidstone Road (Paddock Wood) to Maidstone, which runs alongside the River Medway. Initially a single track line, it was doubled in 1846. The staggered platforms of the up and down lines are separated by a level crossing. This section of the South Eastern system was the first to be equipped with an electric telegraph.

East Farleigh Station is characteristic of stations built for the South Eastern Railway, representing a particularly well-preserved example of the company's style. Although it has lost its original slate roof and chimneys, the remaining building is intact both internally and externally, retaining its characterful appearance and architectural interest.