Aylesford Signal Box

Aylesford Signal Box, opened in 1921, is one of the last signal boxes built by the South Eastern & Chatham Railway on the branch line between Maidstone West and Strood, which began operation on 18 June 1856. This signal box is notable as the first and only example of a revised design by the SE&CR, which was later adopted by the Southern Railway as their Type IIa after 1923.

The building is made of brown brick in English bond, with some weatherboarding on the gables and a gabled slate roof. It has two storeys, measuring three bays in length and two in width, with steps and a later toilet added at the west end, which is not of special interest.

Access to the box is via an external flight of stairs from the platform. The operating room features glazed horizontally sliding sash windows on the west, north, and east sides, each consisting of four panes. Above these windows are glazed top lights and shaped timber eaves brackets. The north side includes an iron access balcony. The locking room has a central elliptical-arched fixed window with nine lights on the east side, and an additional metal-framed window with a concrete lintel has been added to the east wall to improve the signal man's view of the level crossing, although this modification is not of special interest.

Inside, the operating room showcases exposed weatherboarding on the roof and walls. While the original lever frame has been replaced by a modern panel, some block instruments, including two commutators and bells, are still present. The locking room retains the iron frame of the original lever frame.