Cranleigh railway station
Encyclopedia
Cranleigh was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line
which served the village of Cranleigh
. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General
as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley
" and vice versa. Cranleigh was the busiest station on the line with regular commuter traffic to and from London via Guildford; it also saw regular patronage from the nearby Cranleigh School
, so much so that a Southern Railway
4-4-0
express passenger locomotive (no. 936) was named after the School in 1935. It was one of the 40 so-called "Schools Class"
locomotives. A passing loop
and second platform were installed at the station in 1880.
Cranleigh also had a substantial goods yard equipped with a large loading gantry
. Inward freight consisted mainly of coal
which was required, in particular, by the local gasworks
, whilst goods outward were mainly timber.
A victim of the Beeching Axe
, the station closed in 1965 and was demolished shortly afterwards, replaced by the "Stocklund Square" housing and shopping development. In 2004 part of this development was itself demolished and a Sainsbury's supermarket was constructed on the site. The station's old platform levels are still visible at the rear of the shops.
There is a possibility that Cranleigh 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 have protected the line from development in its Local Plan.
The Association of Train Operating Companies
have applied for funding for a new line to Cranleigh.
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...
which served the village of Cranleigh
Cranleigh
Cranleigh is a large village, self-proclaimed the largest in England, and is situated 8 miles south east of Godalming in Surrey. It lies to the east of the A281 which links Guildford with Horsham; neighbouring villages include: Ewhurst, Alfold and Hascombe....
. Opening in 1865 as "Cranley", its name was changed in 1867 to "Cranleigh" at the request of the Postmaster General
United Kingdom Postmaster General
The Postmaster General of the United Kingdom is a defunct Cabinet-level ministerial position in HM Government. Aside from maintaining the postal system, the Telegraph Act of 1868 established the Postmaster General's right to exclusively maintain electric telegraphs...
as badly addressed letters to "Cranley" were often mistaken for "Crawley
Crawley
Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...
" and vice versa. Cranleigh was the busiest station on the line with regular commuter traffic to and from London via Guildford; it also saw regular patronage from the nearby Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School
Cranleigh School is an independent English boarding school in the village of Cranleigh, Surrey. It was founded in 1865 as a boys' school and started to admit girls in the early 1970s. It is now co-educational. The current headmaster is Guy de W...
, so much so that a Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
4-4-0
4-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
express passenger locomotive (no. 936) was named after the School in 1935. It was one of the 40 so-called "Schools Class"
SR Class V
The SR V class, more commonly known as the Schools class, is a class of steam locomotive designed by Richard Maunsell for the Southern Railway. The class was a cut down version of his Lord Nelson class but also incorporated components from Urie and Maunsell's LSWR/SR King Arthur class...
locomotives. 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 second platform were installed at the station in 1880.
Cranleigh also had a substantial goods yard equipped with a large loading gantry
Gantry crane
Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam...
. Inward freight consisted mainly of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
which was required, in particular, by the local gasworks
Gasworks
A gasworks or gas house is a factory for the manufacture of gas. The use of natural gas has made many redundant in the developed world, however they are often still used for storage.- Early gasworks :...
, whilst goods outward were mainly timber.
A victim of the Beeching Axe
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...
, the station closed in 1965 and was demolished shortly afterwards, replaced by the "Stocklund Square" housing and shopping development. In 2004 part of this development was itself demolished and a Sainsbury's supermarket was constructed on the site. The station's old platform levels are still visible at the rear of the shops.
There is a possibility that Cranleigh 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 have protected the line from development in its Local Plan.
The Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
have applied for funding for a new line to Cranleigh.
Other stations
- GuildfordGuildford (Surrey) railway stationGuildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
- Bramley & WonershBramley & Wonersh railway stationBramley & 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...
- BaynardsBaynards railway stationBaynards was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line. The line was single-tracked and opened on 2 October 1865.The station comprises the stationmaster's house, two waiting rooms, covered platforms, storesheds, a booking hall, a porch and a large goods shed. The station covers in all...
- RudgwickRudgwick railway stationRudgwick railway station was on the Cranleigh Line. It opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade's Colonel Yolland following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.The Colonel objected to the...
- SlinfoldSlinfold railway stationSlinfold was a railway station on the Cranleigh Line which served the small village of Slinfold. The line was single-tracked and opened in 2 October 1865. The station was equipped with a single platform and a small goods yard facility. At one time it had three private sidings serving a brickworks ...
- Christ's HospitalChrists Hospital railway stationChrist's Hospital railway station is near Horsham, West Sussex. It was opened in 1902 by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and was intended primarily to serve Christ's Hospital, a large independent school which had moved to the area in that year. It now also serves the rural area to the...
- HorshamHorsham railway stationHorsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. It is on the Arun Valley Line 61 km south of London Victoria and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines, and train services are provided by Southern...