Baynards railway station
Encyclopedia
Baynards 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 0.45 acres (1,821.1 m²). Its construction is owed to Lord Thurlow
, the owner of nearby Baynards Park, whose land was on the route of the proposed railway line. As a condition of sale, Lord Thurlow insisted on having a station built to serve his estate, despite there being no nearby settlement. The station was also used as the local post office in times when up to 30 horses and carts would queue outside on market days.
Near the station was the Baynards Brick and Tile Works which was served by its own private siding. In early years it was a brickworks
, producing fullers earth for the wool
industry, and then foundry clay
in later years. It then became a chemical processing works, receiving annually 400 tons of goods by rail (including sulfur
from Italy
via the Thames docks
, tin
from Swansea
and packaging from Sittingbourne
), whilst also sending out its own goods, from seed dressings to polishing compounds.
In February 1957 the BBC
filmed a version of The Railway Children
here. The Station Porter/signalman during this period, Geoff Birdfield, won a prize for the best display of dahlia
s on the railway line; he had around 1000 dahlias of 240 different varieties which were grown behind the platforms. After closure of the line in 1965, Birdfield erected a 52 x 12 ft (3.7 m) glasshouse
on one platform and cold frame
on the trackbed. He remained at Baynards until 1970 and finally retired as a relief signalman
in 1980, having spent 44 years working for the railway.
The station building was auctioned on 21 June 1973 at Bramley Grange Hotel where it was purchased by its current owners who have carefully restored it to its original condition. Every year the Rudgwick Preservation Society organises a guided walk to the station where the owners give a tour, attracting up to 150 people.
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...
. 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 0.45 acres (1,821.1 m²). Its construction is owed to Lord Thurlow
Thomas Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow
Thomas John Hovell-Thurlow-Cumming-Bruce, 5th Baron Thurlow, PC, DL , was a British Liberal politician who served as Paymaster-General in 1886.-Family:...
, the owner of nearby Baynards Park, whose land was on the route of the proposed railway line. As a condition of sale, Lord Thurlow insisted on having a station built to serve his estate, despite there being no nearby settlement. The station was also used as the local post office in times when up to 30 horses and carts would queue outside on market days.
Near the station was the Baynards Brick and Tile Works which was served by its own private siding. In early years it was a brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
, producing fullers earth for the wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
industry, and then foundry clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
in later years. It then became a chemical processing works, receiving annually 400 tons of goods by rail (including sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
from Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
via the Thames docks
Port of London
The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Once the largest port in the world, it is currently the United Kingdom's second largest port, after Grimsby & Immingham...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
from Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and packaging from Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne
Sittingbourne is an industrial town about eight miles east of Gillingham in England, beside the Roman Watling Street off a creek in the Swale, a channel separating the Isle of Sheppey from mainland Kent...
), whilst also sending out its own goods, from seed dressings to polishing compounds.
In February 1957 the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
filmed a version of The Railway Children
The Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
here. The Station Porter/signalman during this period, Geoff Birdfield, won a prize for the best display of dahlia
Dahlia
Dahlia is a genus of bushy, tuberous, perennial plants native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. There are at least 36 species of dahlia, some like D. imperialis up to 10 metres tall. Dahlia hybrids are commonly grown as garden plants...
s on the railway line; he had around 1000 dahlias of 240 different varieties which were grown behind the platforms. After closure of the line in 1965, Birdfield erected a 52 x 12 ft (3.7 m) glasshouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
on one platform and cold frame
Cold frame
In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from cold weather. The transparent top admits sunlight and prevents heat escape via convection that would otherwise occur, particularly at night...
on the trackbed. He remained at Baynards until 1970 and finally retired as a relief signalman
Signalman
A Signalman is a person who historically gave signals using flags and light. In modern times the role of Signalmen has evolved and now usually uses electronic communication equipment. Signalmen usually work in rail transport networks, armed forces, or construction...
in 1980, having spent 44 years working for the railway.
The station building was auctioned on 21 June 1973 at Bramley Grange Hotel where it was purchased by its current owners who have carefully restored it to its original condition. Every year the Rudgwick Preservation Society organises a guided walk to the station where the owners give a tour, attracting up to 150 people.
Stations on line
- 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...
- CranleighCranleigh railway stationCranleigh 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...
- 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...
External links
- Baynards railway station at Disused-Stations.org.uk
- "Cranleigh Line" website
- Baynards station on navigable 1946 O. S. map