Stokes Bay line
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The Stokes Bay line was a short railway branch line in
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, England, near Gosport. Associated with a new pier, it was intended to give direct and easy access from trains to steamers to the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
in comparison to the conventional route through
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, which required a road transport connection though the town. Railway operation to the Stokes Bay pier started in 1863. Through coaches were operated from London and elsewhere, but the railway route was indirect. The pier at
Stokes Bay Stokes Bay ( grid ref.:)) (50.782982, -1.163868) is an area of the Solent that lies just south of Gosport, between Portsmouth and Lee-on-the-Solent, Hampshire. There is a shingle beach with views of Ryde and East Cowes on the Isle of Wight to the ...
was in an exposed position, and berthing of the steamers was difficult in bad weather. As an independent company, the line’s operators were reliant on the goodwill of the
London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...
, as well as the efficiency of an associated ferry company. The LSWR had concluded a co-operation agreement with a competitor and did not wish to disturb the new-found harmony; the ferry company failed financially. Despite the adversities, the company continued operating, but the call on workers and war materiel brought about closure of the line in 1915. Some work in connection with the
Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...
continued for a few years after closure as a public railway.


History


The Isle of Wight

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
and
Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Albert, Prince Consort (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Albert I of Belgium ...
acquired
Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house himself, in t ...
, near
East Cowes East Cowes is a town and civil parish in the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina, next to its west bank neighbour Cowes. The two towns are connected by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry operated by the Isle ...
, in 1845, and expressed great pleasure in staying there. This encouraged appreciation of the Isle of Wight in the public imagination, and there was a great increase in holidays there. A difficulty was the journey to reach the island. The route from
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
to
Cowes Cowes () is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked by the Cowes Floa ...
by steamer was feasible, but a shorter journey via Portsmouth was somewhat quicker. Even so the LSWR journey was via
Bishopstoke Bishopstoke, a village recorded in the Domesday Book, is a civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Bishopstoke was also mentioned when King Alfred the Great's grandson King Eadred, granted land at "Stohes" to Thegn Aelfric ...
(later named
Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
) and the
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR; known also as the Brighton line, the Brighton Railway or the Brighton) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its ...
went via
Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
. The greatest difficulty for a Victorian family going on holiday was getting from Portsmouth station to a steamer berth for the crossing. The Portsmouth station was the present day
Portsmouth & Southsea railway station Portsmouth & Southsea railway station is a Listed building#Grade II*, Grade II listed building and the main railway station in the Landport area of the city of Portsmouth in Hampshire, England. It is close to the Commercial Road shopping area. B ...
, the Harbour extension not being built until 1879.Kevin Robertson, ''The Railways of Gosport'', Noodle Books, Southampton, 2009, , pages 15 to 18White, pages 122 and 123Kevin Robertson and Leslie Oppitz, ''Hampshire Railways Remembered'', Countryside Books, Newbury, 1988, , page 40 Two businessmen, William Pearson and Charles Ridout, formed a partnership with a plan to make a better ferry crossing, and on 21 November 1854 registered the intention to make an independent railway line to a new pier at Stokes Bay on the coast, from the
Gosport railway station Gosport railway station was a terminus station designed by William Tite and opened to passenger and freight trains in 1841 by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). It was closed in 1953 to passenger trains, and in 1969 to the remainin ...
of the LSWR. Stokes Bay was the nearest point on the mainland to
Ryde Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
, Isle of Wight, miles away, so a short crossing of
the Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...
would be possible. They formed a company, "The Stokes Bay and Isle of Wight Railway and Pier Company." The plan was to build miles of new railway; trains would run onto the pier, and the transfer to the steamer would be direct and easy. A ferry operation was essential to make the scheme viable, and a separate Isle of Wight Ferry Company was floated on 21 July 1856. With capital of £20,000 it was to make and operate a floating bridge between Stokes Bay and Ryde. This was to be a chain ferry, in which the vessel was permanently attached to a fixed chain between Stokes Bay and Ryde.R A Williams, ''The London and South Western Railway: volume 2: Growth and Consolidation'', David and Charles, Newton Abbot, 1973, , pages 98 and 99


Design of a route, and authorisation

By January 1855 the route had been surveyed and estimated to cost about £30,000. Landowners affected had been approached and it was claimed that they were supportive. The co-operation of the LSWR was key to the success of the scheme, but for the time being the LSWR was non-committal, and certainly unwilling to offer financial support. The company had appointed an engineer, Hamilton Henry Fulton, and he had arranged for contractors, Smith and Knight, to build the line. The contractor agreed to be paid partly in the Company’s shares, to the extent of £14,000. Established ferry operators were hostile at this new competition, but the Company agreed that the pier would be available to other operators, and the chain ferry idea was not proceeded with. The Stokes Bay Railway and Pier Act received the Royal Assent on 14 August 1855.Donald J Grant, ''Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain'', Matador, Kibworth Beauchamp, 2017, , page 539Ernest F Carter, ''An Historical Geography of the Railways of the British Isles'', Cassell, London, 1959, page 266 The cost of construction was estimated at £20,000 of which £7,000 was for the Pier itself. The authorised share capital was £24,000, and the work was to be completed within three years.Colin G Maggs, ''The Branch Lines of Hampshire'', Amberley Books, Stroud, 2010, , pages 143 to 146 The first General Meeting of the new company was held on 3 October 1855. The Chairman, Thomas Fleming, told the meeting that there was every probability of the railway being used by Her Majesty in preference to the existing route; moreover he said that Prince Albert had visited the site of the pier in company with General Sir Frederick Smith, Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways for the
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
, although little is known of this visit. In fact the Queen never used Stokes Bay, always using the
Royal Clarence Yard Royal Clarence Yard in Gosport, Hampshire, England was established in 1828 as one of the Royal Navy's two principal, purpose built, provincial victualling establishments (the other being Royal William Yard in Plymouth, Devon). It was designed ...
at Gosport.


Construction delayed

Much time passed without any construction being undertaken, while the cost estimate for the construction climbed; now it was £40,000 due to measures required by the LSWR for safe operation; moreover land acquisition was now estimated to cost £10,735. It was necessary to apply to Parliament for an extension of time for construction. The Company negotiated with the LSWR for the latter to operate the line; agreement was reached on 9 March 1858 for an annual rental of £1,600, the figure later increased to £1,800.Williams quotes £16,000 and £18,000 respectively on page 99; those figures equate to about £1.6 million and £1.8 million in 2022; for an annual rental they appear to be too high and Robertson’s figures seem more likely. Carter also says £1,800. Agreement was reached, and ratified by the Stokes Bay Railway and Pier Act of 28 June 1858, that the SBRP would make the line, and construct the pier with a covered station; the LSWR would work the line, provided that Isle of Wight Ferry Company passengers used Stokes Bay pier exclusively. The LSWR guaranteed equal fares from London to Portsmouth or Gosport, with IWFC steamer charges not to exceed one-twelfth of those fares. The LSWR would retain SBRP fares and pier tolls, but tolls from non-railway passengers and goods would go to the SBRP. The agreement provided for suspension of the LSWR payment for working the railway if the ferry were prevented from working by bad weather, or other cause. A tender for the construction, at £28,600 from a contractor called Lucas was accepted, but in post-tender negotiation there was a failure to come to terms and Lucas did not continue. The established contractors Thomas Brassey and Alex Ogilvie now appeared on the scene, and agreed to construct the line, taking shares in full payment. At this stage the LSWR insisted on the Stokes Bay station being long enough to accommodate seven-coach trains, and the SBRP Company had to arrange for its contractor to construct the necessary lengthening, which included piling in the sea. The value of the work was £1,350 but there was some mismanagement about the formality of the variation order. This led to a dispute and ill feeling between the contractor and the SBRP Company.Williams, pages 100 to 102 This resulted in an awkward misunderstanding: Captain Tyler of the
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
was visiting for an inspection on 5 January 1859, in order to approve the line for passenger operation. Realising that matters were still unfinished at Stokes Bay, the SBRP tried to intercept him and cancel the visit, but could not reach him. Meanwhile to press their point of view, the contractor had removed a rail, preventing railway access to the line. Tyler completed part of the inspection on foot, and commented that
There are several viaducts constructed with cast iron girders upon timber supports - I was unable to test these or the pier in Stokes Bay, because the agent for the contractors declined to allow an engine to come upon the line. I observe that a raised stage is required at the junction with the South Western line near Gosport; that there are certain level crossings of what appear to me to be public roads which have not been authorised by Parliament; and that the terminal station at the pier is not quite completed… I have therefore to report my opinion that the line cannot be opened by reason of the incompleteness of the works, without danger to the public using it.
It was not only Government officials who observed the mismanagement of the situation. On 28 February 1856, the Isle of Wight Ferry Company had attempted to make an inaugural trip, calling at the pier. The SBRP directors were present at Stokes Bay intending to participate in a ceremony. Brassey’s men prevented the directors from approaching the pier, and also prevented the ferryboat from berthing there. The contemporary newspaper report stated that
This unexpected contretemps is attributable to the disagreement which still exists between the directors of the company and the contractors, who refuse to permit the line or pier to be used, until certain claims have been satisfied.Report in Hampshire Telegraph & Sussex Chronicle, Saturday, 7 March 1863, quoted in Williams, page 101
In fact the SBRP had long since run out of cash, and still owed money in connection with land acquisition. The dispute was resolved by Brassey and Ogilvie providing the money themselves, and taking a charge in the line as security. A re-inspection by Tyler took place on 30 March 1863; this time he was satisfied subject to strengthening to the girders on the pier.


Opening of the line

Some accord was finally reached, and on Monday 6 April, the line opened to traffic without, it is reported, any kind of ceremony. The first train conveying through carriages to Stokes Bay left Waterloo at 08:00, and arrived at Stokes Bay at 10:55; a reversal at Gosport was necessary as it was not yet possible to run direct to the Stokes Bay line.That is to say, the junction with the Gosport line faced Gosport itself. The crossing to Ryde with the steamer Garloch took 15 minutes.David Fereday Glenn, ''Rail Routes in Hampshire and East Dorset'', Ian Allan Limited, Shepperton, 1983, , page 16 Public services began with five trains each way on weekdays and two on Sundays, the trains being operated by the LSWR. Five daily ferry sailings made connections, with three on Sundays. For a few weeks a ferry crossing to Cowes also operated. However for some time London passengers had to change trains at Bishopstoke, and the journey showed little advantage compared with the existing route through Portsmouth. From August 1863 the Sunday service was suspended. The board of the Stokes Bay Company approached the LSWR, requesting improvements, in particular avoiding protracted delays at Bishopstoke waiting for connecting trains. A pooling arrangement for Isle of Wight traffic had just been concluded with the London Brighton and South Coast Railway after a prolonged period of mutual hostility and obstruction, and satisfying the demands of the Stokes Bay company, which might disturb the hard-won peace with the Brighton company, was low in the LSWR priorities.


The need for improvements

The Stokes Bay company seem to have been demanding improved pier accommodation, faster trains between Stokes Bay and London as well as direct trains from Stokes Bay to Havant and early completion of a new pier at Ryde. The LSWR made courteous acknowledgements and undertook to examine the matter. In fact in 1865 a new spur connection was made, enabling trains to run direct to Stokes Bay from the Bishopstoke direction. It was brought into use on 1 June 1865, and was double track. Two trains each way daily used it, saving fifteen minutes compared with going via Gosport and reversing.Robertson, page 20 Also on 1 June 1865 a station was opened on the branch, named Stoke Road or later Gosport Road; its purpose was to provide a service to Gosport on the Stokes Bay direct trains.Williams, pages 107 and 108 The supposed advantage of the Stokes Bay route to the Isle of Wight, was that direct transfer from train to ship was possible, in comparison to getting through the streets of Portsmouth. The advantage was diminished by the unreliability of the IWFC operation; the Stokes Bay pier was still unfinished and could not handle horses and carriages, nor properly take goods. The pier at Stokes Bay was rather exposed, and the steamers had difficulty in berthing there during times of high winds. On 27 February 1865 the Isle of Wight Ferry Company ceased operation, and the Stokes Bay company had to ask the Portsmouth and Ryde Steam Packet Company to provide a ferry service, without which the Stokes Bay branch was useless. In later years it became practice to attach the coach from Stokes Bay to a train from Portsmouth at
Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...
. The best overall time from Ryde to Waterloo was three minutes under three hours.


Absorption by the LSWR

In 1871 the LSWR offered to purchase the Stokes Bay Company in exchange for £35,000 of ordinary South Western stock. The little company managed to negotiate £40,000 which was agreed. The transfer was effective on 1 January 1872. Completion of the transfer took place on 17 June 1875, delayed because of the complication of finalising ownership of some War Department land. The ordinary Stokes Bay shareholders got 20% of their subscription back. Total expenditure on the line since 1855 had been something over £76,000 against total receipts of just £21,724 accrued from the time of opening. The opening of
Portsmouth Harbour railway station Portsmouth Harbour railway station is a railway station in Portsmouth, England. It is situated beside Gunwharf Quays in the city's harbour, and is an important transport terminal, with a bus interchange and ferry services to Gosport and the Is ...
in 1876 started a long decline in the usage of the Stokes Bay route, as it was now possible to transfer directly from train to steamer at Portsmouth; the railway route had been much shorter since the Portsmouth Direct line was opened in 1859.Robertson, page 23Williams, pages 114 and 116 Stokes Bay pier was rebuilt in 1896 at a cost of more than £6,000 and in 1898 the two viaducts were replaced by single span bridges and embankments. As the railway staff at Stokes Bay were unable to find suitable housing locally, in May 1899 the LSWR built a row of five cottages for £1,235.


The twentieth century

During the winter half of the year, from 1902 the steamer service was suspended from 1 October. One of the greatest events on the branch was on 16 August 1902 the day of a naval review to mark the coronation of
King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
. Stokes Bay was one of the best vantage points on land to see the vessels. The LSWR charged 5s. for admission to the pier,Five shillings was worth about £25 in today’s money (2022). but reduced it to 1s for the evening illuminations and fireworks. An augmented service of thirty-two trains ran between Fareham and Stokes Bay; Gosport station was closed for much of the day and used for stabling empty stock awaiting return. Between 22:00 and midnight Stokes Bay despatched trains every few minutes, including two return specials to Waterloo and through trains to Salisbury and Woking. In the winter of 1902 – 1903, and probably in subsequent winters, the Isle of Wight ferry service from Stokes Bay was suspended due to lack of patronage.Robertson, page 101 From 1911 a through GWR coach ran from
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
to Stokes Bay. Steamers were not provided in the 1914 summer timetable and from 1 November 1915 Stokes Bay and Gosport Road stations closed.


Closure, and afterwards

The line continued to decline and was eventually closed to passengers on 1 November 1915, when, with the First World War in progress, the Admiralty requisitioned the pier and station. During the war the line was used to convey military goods, sometimes at the rate of one train daily and primarily of munitions or fuel for the bowsers established on the former promenade. In 1922 the Admiralty purchased the pier for £25,000; the acquisition included the railway up to a point a little south of Gosport Road station. For a time the line was used for stock storage, but by the late 1930s the railway track had been lifted.Michael G Harvey and Eddie Rooke, ''Railway Heritage Portsmouth'', Silver Link Publishing, Peterborough, 1997, , page 65 At the time both lines of rails leading to the pier were intact. Its new use was to be as a torpedo station and
degaussing Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating a remnant magnetic field. It is named after the gauss, a unit of magnetism, which in turn was named after Carl Friedrich Gauss. Due to magnetic hysteresis, it is generally not possible to redu ...
range; rail access was no longer required. The former triangle at Gosport was retained for engine turning; the points at the south end were hand-operated, Stokes Bay Junction signal-box having closed from 30 November 1924. The stub to Gosport Road was now used for stock storage. At one time there was reputedly some forty
Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
Open-A vehicles stabled there. The reason for this was due to the GWR Impounding Southern RailwayThe Southern Railway had been formed in 1923 by the process known as the "Grouping" of the railways, following the
Railways Act 1921 The Railways Act 1921 (c. 55), also known as the Grouping Act, was an Act of Parliament enacted by the British government and intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, by "grouping" them into four la ...
.
cattle wagons for their own use whereupon the Southern refused to return various GWR vehicles until their own stock was returned. Robertson, page 103 The track, except on the pier, had been removed by 1936.


Locations


Gosport to Stoke Bay

* ''Gosport Junction''; on Gosport main line nearest Gosport; * ''Stokes Bay Junction''; at south apex of triangle; * Stoke Road; opened 1 June 1865; renamed Gosport Road 8 November 1866; renamed Gosport Roiad and Alverstoke 8 November 1866; closed 1 November 1915; * Stokes Bay; opened 6 April 1863; closed 1 November 1915.


West curve

* ''Forton Junction''; * ''Stokes Bay Junction''.M E Quick, ''Railway Passenger Stations in England, Wales and Scotland: A Chronology'', version 5.04, September 2022, Railway and Canal Historical Society, electronic download


Notes


References

{{reflist


External links


Line route map
(Archived fro

on 2012-10-10) Closed railway lines in South East England Railway lines opened in 1863 Rail transport in Hampshire