Surrey Iron Railway
Encyclopedia
The Surrey Iron Railway was a horse drawn plateway whose width approximated to a standard gauge railway that linked the former Surrey
towns of Wandsworth
and Croydon
via Mitcham
(all now suburbs of south London
). It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century having been established by Act of Parliament in 1801, opening on 26 July 1803.
, had already been built. However, they were all part of canal projects. The original plan, first mooted in 1799, had been for a canal, but to take the necessary water from the streams in the area would have deprived the many water-powered mills and factories. This was the world's first railway to be public
ly subscribed by Act of Parliament as a railway throughout.
-drawn, dedicated to goods. It was essentially a form of turnpike as users had to provide their own wagons and horses, paying a fee for use of the plateway (tramroad). This is similar to the modern arrangement under which a Train operating company
pays track access charges to Network Rail
. The plates or rails on which the wagons rolled were laid 4ft 2" apart, and were themselves 4" wide, fitting the standard 5ft rutway widths. The gauge of each wagon was designed to be 4ft6" apart, which, the wheels themselves being no less than 2"in width, was the direct predecessor to the standard gauge railway of 4ft8.5"
, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, from the River Thames
at Wandsworth southwards to Croydon, at what is now Reeves Corner. A short branch also ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge
. The line was subsequently extended as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway through Purley
and Coulsdon
to serve quarries near Merstham
, opened 1805, closed 1838.
was chief engineer of the latter venture only and the flat alignment of his route proved more long-lasting than the railway. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotive
s spelled the end for horse-drawn railways. In 1823, William James, a powerful shareholder in the SIR, tried to persuade George Stephenson
to supply a locomotive for the line. However Stephenson realised that the cast-iron plateway could not support the weight of a steam locomotive and declined the offer. The SIR closed in 1846. Part of the route was reopened in 1855 as the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line, part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
from 1856. Much of the route remains in use by Tramlink
.
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
towns of Wandsworth
Wandsworth
Wandsworth is a district of south London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-Toponymy:...
and Croydon
Croydon
Croydon is a town in South London, England, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. It is situated south of Charing Cross...
via Mitcham
Mitcham
Mitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
(all now suburbs of south London
South London
South London is the southern part of London, England, United Kingdom.According to the 2011 official Boundary Commission for England definition, South London includes the London boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Southwark, Sutton and...
). It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century having been established by Act of Parliament in 1801, opening on 26 July 1803.
Origins
Short, publicly-subscribed plateways, like that to the Caldon Low quarries and the Little Eaton GangwayLittle Eaton Gangway
The Little Eaton Gangway, or, to give it its official title, the Derby Canal Railway, was a narrow gauge industrial wagonway serving the Derby Canal, in England, at Little Eaton in Derbyshire.- The Derby Canal :...
, had already been built. However, they were all part of canal projects. The original plan, first mooted in 1799, had been for a canal, but to take the necessary water from the streams in the area would have deprived the many water-powered mills and factories. This was the world's first railway to be public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
ly subscribed by Act of Parliament as a railway throughout.
Operation
It was horseHorse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
-drawn, dedicated to goods. It was essentially a form of turnpike as users had to provide their own wagons and horses, paying a fee for use of the plateway (tramroad). This is similar to the modern arrangement under which a Train operating company
Train operating company
The term train operating company is used in the United Kingdom to describe the various businesses operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand...
pays track access charges to Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
. The plates or rails on which the wagons rolled were laid 4ft 2" apart, and were themselves 4" wide, fitting the standard 5ft rutway widths. The gauge of each wagon was designed to be 4ft6" apart, which, the wheels themselves being no less than 2"in width, was the direct predecessor to the standard gauge railway of 4ft8.5"
Route
The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River WandleRiver Wandle
The River Wandle is a river in south-east England. The names of the river and of Wandsworth are thought to have derived from the Old English "Wendlesworth" meaning "Wendle's Settlement". The river runs through southwest London and is about long...
, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, from the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Wandsworth southwards to Croydon, at what is now Reeves Corner. A short branch also ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge
Hackbridge
Hackbridge is a suburb in London Borough of Sutton, Greater London. It is situated 9.07 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Hackbridge was home to the first Country dogs home opened by the Duke and Duchess of Portland...
. The line was subsequently extended as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway through Purley
Purley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
and Coulsdon
Coulsdon
Coulsdon is a town on the southernmost boundary of the London Borough of Croydon. It is surrounded by the Metropolitan Green Belt of the Farthing Down, Coulsdon Common and Kenley Common...
to serve quarries near Merstham
Merstham
Merstham is a village in the Reigate and Banstead borough of Surrey, England, in the London commuter belt. It is just north of Redhill, near the intersection of the M25 and M23 motorways, on the edge of the North Downs and on the North Downs Way.-History:...
, opened 1805, closed 1838.
History
William JessopWilliam Jessop
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.-Early life:...
was chief engineer of the latter venture only and the flat alignment of his route proved more long-lasting than the railway. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s spelled the end for horse-drawn railways. In 1823, William James, a powerful shareholder in the SIR, tried to persuade George Stephenson
George Stephenson
George Stephenson was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives...
to supply a locomotive for the line. However Stephenson realised that the cast-iron plateway could not support the weight of a steam locomotive and declined the offer. The SIR closed in 1846. Part of the route was reopened in 1855 as the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line, part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
from 1856. Much of the route remains in use by Tramlink
Tramlink
Tramlink is a tramway system in south London in the United Kingdom which began operation in May 2000...
.
Further reading
- Eric Shaw and Kevin Leyden The Iron Railways of the Wandle Valley: a Bi-Centennial Anniversary Guide Wandle Industrial Museum, 2003, ISBN 978-0953956029
- Peter Burgess, The Use of Plate Rails in the Godstone Firestone Quarries, in Proceedings of the Croydon Natural History and Scientific Society Ltd., Vol.18, Part 4, March,1994.
- E.N.Montague, Wheels of the Surrey Iron Railway found at Mitcham, in Surrey Archaeological Collections, Vol.68, 1971.
- 'Retracing the First Public Railway' by Derek A. Bayliss, 1981
- 'Surrey Iron Railway and Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway, Notes On The Surrey Iron Railway'by Peter Mcgow, November 2001,unpublished, but see external links below
External links
- 200th anniversary commemoration
- Surrey Iron Railway
- Route of the Surrey Iron Railway and Croydon, Merstham & Godstone Railway
- The Croydon, Merstham & Godstone Railway crossing the bridge over Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, 1823
- Surrey Iron Railway
- The Surrey Iron Railway
- Plaque 9 - Surrey Iron Railway Purley Library
- 'Surrey Iron Railway and Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway, Notes On The Surrey Iron Railway'by Peter Mcgow, November 2001