Southampton Corporation Tramways
Encyclopedia
Southampton Corporation Tramways were in operation from 1879 to 1949. They were initially horse-drawn, but latterly powered by electricity.
was a growing town in the nineteenth century. With the coming of the railway in 1839 and the development of the docks, Southampton grew from a population of 27,000 in 1841 to 42,000 in 1861. The first horse-drawn
omnibus
service in the town started about the time the railway arrived, and by 1843 one Thomas Matcham was running a regular service from the station to Millbrook, Eling
, Bitterne
, Shirley, Portswood
, Totton
and Romsey
.
By 1872, tram
ways were becoming fashionable and the British and Foreign Tramway Company approached Southampton Corporation with a view to setting up a tramway in the town. Various objection were raised to this scheme, and the Corporation refused to allow tram lines to be laid in the High Street and Above Bar. The Company lost interest in the scheme.
By 1876, the Corporation realised that Southampton was falling behind other places in regards to the provision of public transport
. The Southampton Tramways Company was formed to build a new tramway system. Construction began in the summer of 1878.
Services began on 5 May 1879, with takings of £26 on that day. There was opposition to the running of trams on Sundays, and a petition of 3,500 signatures was raised against this practice. The manager of the company replied that patronage of the trams on Sundays showed that there was a demand for the service, and that as long as they showed a profit, the trams would continue to run. The first route opened was Stag Gates – Holy Rood
, with approval to operate Alma Road – Canute Road – Oxford Street – High Street – Floating Dock and Stag Gates – Lodge Road – Portswood being received on 6 May 1879. Tramway Junction – Commercial Road – Shirley opened on 9 June 1879.
The company was soon in trouble, with one manager having absconded to America in 1881, and another dismissed in 1882 over irregularities in the accounts. By 1887, the company was on a sound financial footing, and paying dividends of 8% per annum to its shareholders. From 22 October 1889, the Portswood route operated via Spear Road and Avenue Road. In 1896, fares were reduced from 3d to 2d for the through routes, and frequency doubled to 5 minute intervals from Stag Gates to Holy Rood. Four new trams and forty more horses were required to operate this service.
The Southampton Tramway Company was compulsorily purchased by Southampton Corporation on 30 June 1898, at a price of £51,000.
, Dover
, Glasgow
, Liverpool
and London. It was decided to model the system on that of Liverpool. The first electric tramway route, Junction – Shirley, opened on 22 January 1900, and Stag Gates – Prospect Place – Holy Rood, 29 May 1900. The system was gradually extended. Holy Rood – Bridge Street – Docks, 12 September 1900. Stag Gates – Portswood, 4 October 1900. Ordnance Office – Bellevue Terrance – St. Mary's – Docks, 3 August 1901. Marsh Lane – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, 17 October 1901. Docks – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, on or about 10 January 1902. Portswood Bitterne Park Triangle, 30 August 1902. Stag Gates – Common (Highfield Road),19 May 1903. Onslow Road – Bevois Hill – Lodge Road, 20 April 1903. Portswood – Hampton Park, 25 July 1903. This completed the initial extent of the electrified system.
Further extensions before the war were Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 17 December 1910. Holy Rood – High Street – Royal Pier, in June 1911 and Common
(Highfield Road) – Common (Old Race Course) after July 1911. This latter destination was later known as "Rest Camp". After the war, further extension opened. Common (Rest Camp) – Bassett Crossroads, 25 March 1921. Roberts Road – Millbrook, 5 January 1922. Hampton Park – Swaythling
, 23 February 1922. Bitterne Park Triangle – Bullar Road – Bitterne Station, 26 July 1923. Bassett Crossroads – Burgess Road – Swaythling, 10 July 1930. This latter bringing the system to its fullest extent. The only other new lines opened after this were the lines that bypassed Bargate. The east side opened on 24 April 1932 and the west side on 5 June 1938. Prewar closures were Roberts Road – Millbrook (except workmen's services), 2 October 1935 (reinstated during the war) and Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 4 June 1926.
Built
Prior to 1932, the only road route between Southampton High Street and Above Bar was through the arch in the centre of the Bargate
. In 1923 a new design of enclosed double deck tram was introduced by P.J Baker, General Manager of the tramways, with a rounded top that would fit through the arch. These trams had smaller wheels to help reduce the overall height and were driven by high speed motors producing more torque
. Despite the clever design, the roadway through the arch in the Bargate still had to be lowered and some secretive fine-tuning of the profile of the arch masonry was also required at the last minute. Trams started to pass around the East of the Bargate on 24 April 1932. The last tram to pass through the central archway did so on 4 June 1938, by which time part of Southampton ancient walls had been demolished so that the Bargate was passable on both sides.
. With the introduction of female "conductorettes". Tram No.2, which had been converted to a toastrack in 1916, had a central gangway cut through for the benefit of the ladies. In the early years of the war, a tram went round Southampton for two hours twice a week, with a military band playing on the top deck, in an effort to boost recruitment.
affected Southampton much more than World War One. Again women were employed, but this time they were allowed to drive the trams too. Car no.31 was destroyed by an incendiary bomb on 30 November 1940, the only loss of the war. To save the fleet of trams from the intensive bombing of Southampton during World War II
, they were painted grey, regular services ceased at 7pm and they were parked up overnight in Cemetery Road on Southampton Common
.
In November 1942, a tram was accidentally set in motion whilst parked up overnight, taking two others with it. The unmanned convoy of trams was stopped by a lorry before anybody was hurt. That incident caused some consternation locally, as saboteurs were thought to be responsible. It later emerged that the incident was due to a young boy playing on the trams.
, but the majority were sent to A F Harris's scrapyard at Bevois Valley
for scrapping. A few were sold on from there to be used as sheds or summer houses, which enabled the preservation of three vehicles.
Background
SouthamptonSouthampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
was a growing town in the nineteenth century. With the coming of the railway in 1839 and the development of the docks, Southampton grew from a population of 27,000 in 1841 to 42,000 in 1861. The first horse-drawn
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
omnibus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service in the town started about the time the railway arrived, and by 1843 one Thomas Matcham was running a regular service from the station to Millbrook, Eling
Totton and Eling
Totton and Eling is a town and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, with a population of around 28,000 people. It is situated on the eastern edge of the New Forest and on the River Test, close to the city of Southampton and part of the city's urban area...
, Bitterne
Bitterne
Bitterne is an eastern suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England.Bitterne derives its name not from the similarly named bird, the Bittern but from the bend in the River Itchen; the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend", most likely a reference to Bitterne Manor...
, Shirley, Portswood
Portswood
Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-east of the city centre and is bounded by Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley....
, Totton
Totton and Eling
Totton and Eling is a town and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, with a population of around 28,000 people. It is situated on the eastern edge of the New Forest and on the River Test, close to the city of Southampton and part of the city's urban area...
and Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
.
By 1872, tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
ways were becoming fashionable and the British and Foreign Tramway Company approached Southampton Corporation with a view to setting up a tramway in the town. Various objection were raised to this scheme, and the Corporation refused to allow tram lines to be laid in the High Street and Above Bar. The Company lost interest in the scheme.
By 1876, the Corporation realised that Southampton was falling behind other places in regards to the provision of public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
. The Southampton Tramways Company was formed to build a new tramway system. Construction began in the summer of 1878.
Southampton Tramways Company
Services began on 5 May 1879, with takings of £26 on that day. There was opposition to the running of trams on Sundays, and a petition of 3,500 signatures was raised against this practice. The manager of the company replied that patronage of the trams on Sundays showed that there was a demand for the service, and that as long as they showed a profit, the trams would continue to run. The first route opened was Stag Gates – Holy RoodHolyrood Church, Southampton
Holyrood Church was one of the original five churches serving the old walled town of Southampton, England. Built in 1320, the church was destroyed by enemy bombing during the blitz in November 1940...
, with approval to operate Alma Road – Canute Road – Oxford Street – High Street – Floating Dock and Stag Gates – Lodge Road – Portswood being received on 6 May 1879. Tramway Junction – Commercial Road – Shirley opened on 9 June 1879.
The company was soon in trouble, with one manager having absconded to America in 1881, and another dismissed in 1882 over irregularities in the accounts. By 1887, the company was on a sound financial footing, and paying dividends of 8% per annum to its shareholders. From 22 October 1889, the Portswood route operated via Spear Road and Avenue Road. In 1896, fares were reduced from 3d to 2d for the through routes, and frequency doubled to 5 minute intervals from Stag Gates to Holy Rood. Four new trams and forty more horses were required to operate this service.
The Southampton Tramway Company was compulsorily purchased by Southampton Corporation on 30 June 1898, at a price of £51,000.
Trams
- Fifteen double deck cars, built 1879. Upper decks later removed to reduce weight.
- Four cars built in 1881 by Starbuck Car and Wagon Company, BirkenheadBirkenheadBirkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. Paid for in instalments. - Four new cars by BrushBrush TractionThis article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
, LoughboroughLoughboroughLoughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, supplied in 1896. After electrificationElectrificationElectrification originally referred to the build out of the electrical generating and distribution systems which occurred in the United States, England and other countries from the mid 1880's until around 1940 and is in progress in developing countries. This also included the change over from line...
they were used as trailers, and two of them were later converted into single deck trams, numbered 50 and 51.
Southampton Corporation Tramways
In 1896, Southampton Corporation had bought out the Southampton Electric Light and Power Company. The compulsory purchase of the Southampton Tramway Company in 1898 paved the way for the provision of electric trams in the town. In 1899, a committee viewed tram systems in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and London. It was decided to model the system on that of Liverpool. The first electric tramway route, Junction – Shirley, opened on 22 January 1900, and Stag Gates – Prospect Place – Holy Rood, 29 May 1900. The system was gradually extended. Holy Rood – Bridge Street – Docks, 12 September 1900. Stag Gates – Portswood, 4 October 1900. Ordnance Office – Bellevue Terrance – St. Mary's – Docks, 3 August 1901. Marsh Lane – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, 17 October 1901. Docks – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, on or about 10 January 1902. Portswood Bitterne Park Triangle, 30 August 1902. Stag Gates – Common (Highfield Road),19 May 1903. Onslow Road – Bevois Hill – Lodge Road, 20 April 1903. Portswood – Hampton Park, 25 July 1903. This completed the initial extent of the electrified system.
Further extensions before the war were Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 17 December 1910. Holy Rood – High Street – Royal Pier, in June 1911 and Common
Southampton Common
Southampton Common is a large open space to the north of the city centre of Southampton, England. It is bounded by the districts of Shirley, Bassett, Highfield and Portswood. The area supports a large variety of wildlife, including the largest recorded population of the internationally rare great...
(Highfield Road) – Common (Old Race Course) after July 1911. This latter destination was later known as "Rest Camp". After the war, further extension opened. Common (Rest Camp) – Bassett Crossroads, 25 March 1921. Roberts Road – Millbrook, 5 January 1922. Hampton Park – Swaythling
Swaythling
Swaythling was once a village but over the years it has gradually become a suburb and electoral ward of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,394....
, 23 February 1922. Bitterne Park Triangle – Bullar Road – Bitterne Station, 26 July 1923. Bassett Crossroads – Burgess Road – Swaythling, 10 July 1930. This latter bringing the system to its fullest extent. The only other new lines opened after this were the lines that bypassed Bargate. The east side opened on 24 April 1932 and the west side on 5 June 1938. Prewar closures were Roberts Road – Millbrook (except workmen's services), 2 October 1935 (reinstated during the war) and Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 4 June 1926.
Trams
Bought- The first trams were built by G F Milnes & Co., Birkenhead. The open upper deck had back-to-back "knifeboard" seats, necessary to fit under Bargate arch. No.2 converted into toast-rack in 1916, sold to PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
in 1919, becoming their No.104. - Twelve trams built in 1903 by Hurst, Nelson & Co. Originally built with three windows each side on the lower deck, all rebuilt within four years to have four windows each side as the original design did not offer enough support for the upper deck.
- Two bogie trams ordered in 1910, later cancelled.
- Six ex-LCCLondon County CouncilLondon County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
cars with enclosed upper decks, numbered 75-80. - Sixteen trams bought in 1918.
Built
- 52 built at Portswood in 1908, open upper deck.
- 81 built at Portswood in 1919, first with closed upper deck and longest tram in service.
- Sixty three other trams built at Portswood 1908-31
- Twelve trams built at Portswood in 1931, known as the "Pullmans".
Round topped "Bargate" trams
Bargate
The Bargate is a building in the city centre of Southampton, England. Constructed in Norman times as part of the fortified walled city, the Bargate was the main point of entry and exit to and from the north. Since Southampton is on the south coast, this made the Bargate the main gateway to the city...
. In 1923 a new design of enclosed double deck tram was introduced by P.J Baker, General Manager of the tramways, with a rounded top that would fit through the arch. These trams had smaller wheels to help reduce the overall height and were driven by high speed motors producing more torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
. Despite the clever design, the roadway through the arch in the Bargate still had to be lowered and some secretive fine-tuning of the profile of the arch masonry was also required at the last minute. Trams started to pass around the East of the Bargate on 24 April 1932. The last tram to pass through the central archway did so on 4 June 1938, by which time part of Southampton ancient walls had been demolished so that the Bargate was passable on both sides.
World War One
Southampton Tramways were mainly affected by staffing issues during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. With the introduction of female "conductorettes". Tram No.2, which had been converted to a toastrack in 1916, had a central gangway cut through for the benefit of the ladies. In the early years of the war, a tram went round Southampton for two hours twice a week, with a military band playing on the top deck, in an effort to boost recruitment.
World War two
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
affected Southampton much more than World War One. Again women were employed, but this time they were allowed to drive the trams too. Car no.31 was destroyed by an incendiary bomb on 30 November 1940, the only loss of the war. To save the fleet of trams from the intensive bombing of Southampton during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, they were painted grey, regular services ceased at 7pm and they were parked up overnight in Cemetery Road on Southampton Common
Southampton Common
Southampton Common is a large open space to the north of the city centre of Southampton, England. It is bounded by the districts of Shirley, Bassett, Highfield and Portswood. The area supports a large variety of wildlife, including the largest recorded population of the internationally rare great...
.
In November 1942, a tram was accidentally set in motion whilst parked up overnight, taking two others with it. The unmanned convoy of trams was stopped by a lorry before anybody was hurt. That incident caused some consternation locally, as saboteurs were thought to be responsible. It later emerged that the incident was due to a young boy playing on the trams.
Closure
The trams in Southampton had consistently made good profits for Southampton Corporation, but the profits went into the rate relief fund instead of being re-invested into the Tram system. Consequently, by the end of the Second World War, the whole system needed modernisation - the trams, the power supply and the track. It was decided that buses were a better alternative. The first line to close was Bitterne Park - St. Mary's - Docks, which closed on 15 May 1948. Swaythling - Portswood - Lodge Road - Stag Gates closed on 30 October 1948. Swaythling - Burgess Road - Bassett Crossroads - Avenue Junction closed on 5 March 1949. Floating Bridge - Shirley, Holy Rood - High Street - Royal Pier and Roberts Road - Millbrook all closed on 31 December 1949. The last movement of a tram in Southampton was on 4 February 1950 when cars No.21 and No.101 were moved from Shirley depot to Portswood depot under their own power. After closure, some dome-topped trams were sold to LeedsLeeds Tramway
Leeds Corporation Tramways formerly served the city of Leeds, England. The original trams were horse-drawn, however by 1901 electrification had been completed. The tramway opened on 29 October 1891-Routes:...
, but the majority were sent to A F Harris's scrapyard at Bevois Valley
Bevois Valley
Bevois Valley is an inner city area of Southampton, England within Bevois Electoral Ward, and includes areas called Bevois Town & Bevois Mount. The area lies south of and adjoins Portswood and is within easy walking distance of the city centre...
for scrapping. A few were sold on from there to be used as sheds or summer houses, which enabled the preservation of three vehicles.
Preservation
Three Southampton trams have survived.- 11 was discovered in 1977, having been used as a summer house near Winchester. This tram is under restoration by the Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society (HIAS).
- 45 was sold for £10 to the Light Railway Transport LeagueLight Rail Transit AssociationThe Light Rail Transit Association is a non-profit organisation whose purpose is to advocate and encourage research into the retention and development of light rail and tramway/streetcar systems...
for preservation in 1949. It was the very first tram to be preserved by a body other than an operator. Now preserved at the National Tramway MuseumNational Tramway MuseumThe National Tramway Museum, at Crich, in Derbyshire, England, is situated within Crich Tramway Village, a period village containing a pub, cafe, old-style sweetshop, including the tram depots. The village is also home to the Eagle Press, a small museum dedicated to Letterpress Printing including...
, CrichCrichCrich is a village in Derbyshire in England. It has the National Tramway Museum inside the Crich Tramway Village, and at the summit of Crich Hill above, a Memorial Tower for those of the Sherwood Foresters regiment who died in battle, particularly in World War I.Built in 1923 on the site of an...
. - 57 was discovered in woods at Romsey in 1972. It was rescued in 1975. This tram is under restoration by HIAS.