Stokes Bay Line
Encyclopedia
The Stokes Bay Line was a one and a half mile long Stokes Bay Railway and Pier Company built branch railway line that ran between a junction on the Fareham to Gosport Line
just west of Gosport
to Stokes Bay and a pier for a steamer service to the Isle of Wight
via one intermediate station, Gosport Road and Alverstoke.
in 1875 who opened a direct service.
The steamer service was suspended at the start of the First World War although the line remained open until 1 November 1915. The line was not reopened and was sold to the Admiralty in 1922.
Fareham to Gosport Line
The Fareham-Gosport Line was built as the southern half of the Bishopstoke to Gosport Branch Railway, opened by the London and South Western Railway on 29 November 1841...
just west of Gosport
Gosport railway station
Gosport railway station was a terminus station designed by William Tite and opened to passenger and freight trains in 1841 by the London and South Western Railway . It was closed in 1953 to passenger trains, and in 1969 to the remaining freight services...
to Stokes Bay and a pier for a steamer service to the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
via one intermediate station, Gosport Road and Alverstoke.
History
After two abortive attempts to build the line in 1846 and 1854 it was finally authorised on 14 August 1855. Opened on 6 April 1863 the line saw limited traffic until an east curve was constructed in 1865 allowing direct access from rather than reversing from . Another difficulty for the line and its steamer service was the lack of a direct service from London until the line was sold to the London and South Western RailwayLondon and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
in 1875 who opened a direct service.