Bramley & Wonersh railway station
Encyclopedia
Bramley & Wonersh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line
. It served the villages of Bramley
and Wonersh
. Opened in 1865 as "Bramley", its name was changed in June 1888 to "Bramley & Wonersh" as the station, although situated in Bramley, was only a short distance from Wonersh. A passing loop
and a second platform were installed in 1876. The station was the last before the line joined the main line to Guildford at Peasmarsh Junction.
During the Second World War a train packed with Christmas shoppers was attacked by a Dornier 217 when it was departing Bramley & Wonersh on 16 December 1942. The plane strafed the train and dropped a bomb which exploded on the embankment, narrowly missing the train. There were seven fatalities, including the driver and guard, and the train was badly damaged.
Axed
by Beeching in 1965, the main station building was demolished a few years later. The trackbed remained overgrown for many years before being brought back into use in the 1980s as part of the Downs Link
, a public footpath and bridleway linking the North Downs
and South Downs
national trails. In 2004 major renovation works were carried out at the station by the local council and the Bramley Historical Society.
There is a possibility that the station may yet see another train; a study was carried out in the 1990s to determine whether re-opening part of the Cranleigh Line to passenger traffic from Bramley to Guildford would be economically viable. Although the conclusion was that the investment required would not justify reinstatement, Waverley Borough Council has protected the line from development in its Local Plan.
Cranleigh Line
The Cranleigh Line was a short railway line that connected Guildford, the county town of Surrey, with the West Sussex market town of Horsham, via Cranleigh, a distance of 19¼ miles...
. It served the villages of Bramley
Bramley, Surrey
Bramley is a village and civil parish about three miles south of Guildford in the Borough of Waverley in Surrey, south east England. With a population of c.3,300 most of the parish lies in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is evidence of iron age settlement in the area,...
and Wonersh
Wonersh
Wonersh is a small Surrey village in England. Wonersh is about 3 miles SSE of Guildford on the B2128 road from Guildford, Shalford to Cranleigh...
. Opened in 1865 as "Bramley", its name was changed in June 1888 to "Bramley & Wonersh" as the station, although situated in Bramley, was only a short distance from Wonersh. A passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
and a second platform were installed in 1876. The station was the last before the line joined the main line to Guildford at Peasmarsh Junction.
During the Second World War a train packed with Christmas shoppers was attacked by a Dornier 217 when it was departing Bramley & Wonersh on 16 December 1942. The plane strafed the train and dropped a bomb which exploded on the embankment, narrowly missing the train. There were seven fatalities, including the driver and guard, and the train was badly damaged.
Axed
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
by Beeching in 1965, the main station building was demolished a few years later. The trackbed remained overgrown for many years before being brought back into use in the 1980s as part of the Downs Link
Downs Link
The Downs Link is a 36.7-mile footpath and bridleway linking the North Downs Way at St. Martha's Hill in Surrey with the South Downs Way near Steyning in West Sussex and on via the Coastal Link to Shoreham-by-Sea.- History :...
, a public footpath and bridleway linking the North Downs
North Downs Way
The North Downs Way is a long-distance path in southern England, opened in 1978. It runs from Farnham to Dover, past Godalming, Guildford, Dorking, Merstham, Otford and Rochester, along the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Kent Downs AONB.East of Boughton Lees, the path splits...
and South Downs
South Downs Way
The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England, and is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales...
national trails. In 2004 major renovation works were carried out at the station by the local council and the Bramley Historical Society.
There is a possibility that the station may yet see another train; a study was carried out in the 1990s to determine whether re-opening part of the Cranleigh Line to passenger traffic from Bramley to Guildford would be economically viable. Although the conclusion was that the investment required would not justify reinstatement, Waverley Borough Council has protected the line from development in its Local Plan.
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