Spencer Road Halt railway station was a halt on the

Woodside and South Croydon Railway The Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway (W&SC) was a short, relatively short-lived and unsuccessful railway in the London Borough of Croydon in London, England. Its site is now largely occupied by Tramlink. Route ; Woodside station Ju ...

opened in 1906 and closed on 15 March 1915.

History

The site is hidden in an alleyway between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise in

South Croydon South Croydon in south London is the area surrounding the valley south of central Croydon and running as far south as the former Red Deer public house on the Brighton Road. It is bounded by Waddon to the West and Selsdon and Sanderstead to the ...

. The railway had hoped that passengers would change to the Brighton Line by making the ten-minute walk to South Croydon station but very few did. Spencer Road was among several new stations and halts opened in the suburbs, including Reedham and Bandon, to compete with the convenience of

electric tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

s and to a lesser extent omnibuses, whose effect was being felt on railway income particularly with regard to shorter journeys. LB and SCRly map 204 (cropped)

Apart from a metal footbridge which carried the

path A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desire p ...

between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise over the line, the halt consisted of just a pair of wooden platforms and nameboards. Oil lamps were also likely to have been provided. The platforms were reached from wooden gates on either side of the footbridge; a notice adjoining the gate was headed "Woodside and South Croydon Railway" and warned passengers against taking a short-cut over the railway line and use the footbridge. The halt closed in 1915 as a wartime economy, but remained intact until at least 1931. The remains were cleared by the Southern Railway in preparation for reopening and electrification of the line in 1935. An up starter signal for

Selsdon Selsdon is an area in South-East London, England, located in the London Borough of Croydon, in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Prior to 1965 it was in the historic county of Surrey. It is located south of Coombe and Addiscombe, west of ...

on a post made of old rails was subsequently installed on the site of the Up platform, and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

tank trap Anti-tank obstacles include, but are not limited to: *The Czech hedgehog and Dragon's teeth are the most famous types of World War II anti-tank obstacles. * Anti-tank trenches were used on the western front during World War I, and in the Pacific ...

was built on the site of the Down platform.

Present day

The halt has been demolished but the footbridge remains in use. the double track was still in place but heavily overgrown. The nearby overbridge crossing Croham Road is also extant.

References

External links

*
Article at Subterranea Britannica
with several images
Photo of the adjacent scout hut, on the Up side, from the footbridge

{{coord, 51.3620, -0.0877, type:railwaystation_region:GB, display=title Disused railway stations in the London Borough of Croydon Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1906 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1915 Former buildings and structures in the London Borough of Croydon Former Woodside and South Croydon Joint Railway stations