Winchfield Station
 

I wondered if anyone could explain the reason for the location of Winchfield station in Hampshire. I live in Hartley Wintney 2 miles away and I think that would have been a larger village when the railways were built . Winchfield has about 10 old houses nearby. Certainly now Hartley Wintney is a much bigger place.

Hello Amberhaze and welcome to the forum.
When the early railways were being built the routes they took were often determined by geological features such as the type of soil and whether or not tunnels were required. This meant that they didn't always pass directly through some of the larger towns and villages. I don't know your part of the country very well so I am only guessing that this could have been the case with Winchfield and Hartley Wintney.
I suppose there is also the possibility that a wealthy landowner in Hartley Wintney didn't want the railway built on his land so it went through Winchfield instead.

Also, at that time railway planning was only about connecting big cities. London to Bristol, Liverpool to Manchester etc. Or here:- London to Portmouth. [ edit:- London Southampton of couse] The idea of intermediate stations just didnt figure in their planning.

The Stockton and Darlington was built to connect a lot of independent colleries together for freight. Passengers werent important.
(No change there, then ! )

Thank you for the replies. I think you may have hit the nail on the head with the possibility of a wealthy landowner stopping the route near HW because there is a large estate called Elvetham once owned by Lady Jane Greys brother which could have been in the way. Equally if intermediate stations were not important then that is a good answer ! Thanks for taking the time once again.

From “Dendy-Marshall”

The London and Southampton trunk railway was proposed in 1834, and included a propsal for branch to Bath and Bristol (up the Kennet Valley) as an alternative to a proposal by the GWR that had been rejected by Parliament, although the GWR scheme was later approved.

This explains why the London Southampton route is not direct, but has a dog leg to the north by going west towards Basingstoke, before swinging south. The L&SR had half an eye on a competitive with the GWR from London to Bristol.

The idea of connecting London and Southampton was considered commercially very odd in 1832 as there was no “manufacturing or commerce” at Southampton. (no mention of passengers) There were, of course, no Southampton docks yet.

The first section Nine Elms to Woking Common was opened in March 1863, and to Shapley (Winchfield) in September 1838. (Fame !) The whole route to Southampton was completed by 1840.

I wouldn’t argue that the local track alignment around Winchfield could have been dictated by a powerful landowner. But it is quite clear from the books that all the Victorian railway planners were thinking in very grand terms, and wouldn’t have been too worried about the effect of small towns on the way. Although as true capitalists, they did get very excited about running railways to racecourses such as Epsom, and opening in time for Derby Day special trains.

The mention of race course stations reminded me of when I helped turn something of GW origins on the turntable at Newbury race course. It must have been between 1953 and 1957 since I was still at secondry school and had gone down one Saturday with my dad when he was fitting new turnstiles on the gates which must have been near the station. What the loco was I cannot remember but it was turned by hand with us pushing on a handle and not by turning one. How I got to help is another mystery but I assume the crew asked if I wanted to help as I stood there watching.
No fun like that these days.
John

Hartley Wintney !
i know that place. i lived at odiham. the whole area was like gods waiting room !

lmao