Wimbledon and Sutton Railway
Encyclopedia
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1910 to build a railway line in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
(now south-west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) from Wimbledon
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
to Sutton
Sutton, London
Sutton is a large suburban town in southwest London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Sutton. It is located south-southwest of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. The town was connected to central London by...
via Merton
Merton (historic parish)
Merton was an ancient parish in the Brixton hundred of Surrey, England. It was bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden to the south and Kingston upon Thames to the west. The 1871 Ordnance Survey map records its area as . The parish was centred around the 12th century parish...
and Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The railway was promoted by local landowners hoping to increase the value of their land through its development for housing. It was initially planned that services on the railway would be operated by the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
's Metropolitan District Railway
Metropolitan District Railway
The Metropolitan District Railway was the predecessor of the District line of the London Underground. Set up on 29 July 1864, at first to complete the "Inner Circle" railway around central London, it was gradually extended into the suburbs...
(MDR) by an extension of its existing service from Wimbledon.
Delays in finding the funding, opposition from the two mainline companies that the line was intended to connect, and World War I, led to the start of construction work being delayed until 1927. The line was completed and opened in January 1930, although the planned extension of the MDR was not implemented and the service was provided by the 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...
. The opening of the line stimulated residential development as planned, but competition from the London Underground's City and South London Railway, which had its terminus at Morden, meant that the line did not achieve the hoped for passenger numbers.
Background
During the second half of the 19th century, the Surrey villages of Wimbledon and Sutton experienced rapid residential growth stimulated by the railways running through their areas, with landowners in both areas profiting from the development of new suburban housing on their previously rural estates. Less accessible to the railways, the parishes of Merton and Morden which lay between Wimbledon and Sutton remained largely rural, and, starting in the 1880s, a series of railway schemes were proposed to bring a new line through the area and increase the value of the land.Unsuccessful private bills
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
Local and Personal Acts of Parliament are laws in the United Kingdom which apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. This contrasts with a Public General Act of Parliament which applies to the entire community...
were presented to Parliament in 1884, 1888, 1890 and 1891 seeking permission to construct a new railway between the London and South Western Railway
London 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...
's (L&SWR's) line through Wimbledon station
Wimbledon station
Wimbledon station is a National Rail, London Underground, and Tramlink station located in Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, and is the only London station that provides an interchange between rail, Underground, and Tramlink services...
to the north and the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
's (LB&SCR's) Sutton station in the south.
Establishment
On 7 October 1908, engineer H. D. Searles-Wood and Sir George Smallman organised a meeting to consider a new plan for a Wimbledon to Sutton railway, and a committee was formed to promote the plan. A further meeting, held in 1909, included landowner William Innes, nephew of John Innes, the developer of Merton ParkMerton Park
Merton Park is a place in the London Borough of Merton. It is a quiet and leafy suburb situated between Wimbledon, Morden, South Wimbledon and Wimbledon Chase. It is 7.3 miles south-west of Charing Cross...
. It was estimated that £350,000 (approximately £ today) of capital was required, only part of which was to be provided by the promoters. Some of the remainder was sought from the MDR (now the London Underground's District line
District Line
The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. It is a "sub-surface" line, running through the central area in shallow cut-and-cover tunnels. It is the busiest of the sub-surface lines. Out of the 60 stations served, 25 are underground...
) which the promoters hoped would operate the service over the line by extending its service from Wimbledon. On 16 November 1909, notice of the intention to bring a private bill before Parliament was published.
The bill proposed a 5.5 miles (8.9 km) line with ten stations to be operated by electric trains which would provide a service taking 32 minutes to reach Waterloo from Sutton. The LB&SCR opposed the line on the grounds that it would compete with its own services from Sutton to central London, and claimed that its own planned electrification
Electrification
Electrification 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...
of its lines to Victoria and London Bridge
London Bridge station
London Bridge railway station is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the London Borough of Southwark, occupying a large area on two levels immediately south-east of London Bridge and 1.6 miles east of Charing Cross. It is one of the oldest railway stations in the...
would offer quicker journeys than the W&SR route.The LB&SCR also believed that a connection for the W&SR would give the MDR service the chance to extend its service to Epsom and beyond. The L&SWR had concerns that its tracks from Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
to Wimbledon, over which the MDR provided the service, were already at capacity and could not cope with the extended MDR service to Sutton.
Nonetheless, the Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1910 received Royal Assent
Royal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 26 July 1910. The act approved the railway and allowed for the L&SWR connection at Wimbledon but did not allow for a connection to the LB&SCR at Sutton; instead the W&SR was to build a separate station with a pedestrian connection to the LB&SCR's station. Intermediate stations were approved for Elm Grove in Wimbledon, adjacent to the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
's original grounds, Cannon Hill, Merton Park, Morden, Elm Farm, Sutton Common, Collingwood Road and Cheam . Power for the line was to be supplied by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London
Underground Electric Railways Company of London
The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited , known operationally as The Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level "tube"A "tube" railway is an underground railway constructed in a circular tunnel by the use...
(UERL), owner of the MDR, from its Lots Road Power Station
Lots Road Power Station
Lots Road Power Station is a disused coal and later oil-fired power station on the River Thames at Lots Road in Chelsea, London in the south-west of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which supplied electricity to the London Underground system...
.
Delays
From the beginning, the company encountered delays in implementing its plans. Neither of the two main line railway companies were interested in investing in the line, so the W&SR's promoters approached the MDR for assistance. In 1911, Albert StanleyAlbert Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield
Albert Henry Stanley, 1st Baron Ashfield, PC, TD , born Albert Henry Knattriess, was a British-American who was managing director, then chairman of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London from 1910 to 1933 and chairman of the London Passenger Transport Board from 1933 to 1947.Although...
, managing director of the MDR, agreed that it would finance the construction if the promoters would guarantee a return of £6,000 per year for ten years. The MDR was to cover any shortfall below 4.5 per cent return on capital. To provide additional capacity for Sutton trains on the MDR's Wimbledon branch, the MDR published a bill on 21 November 1911 seeking permission to construct additional tracks on the L&SWR owned section from Wimbledon to East Putney
East Putney tube station
East Putney is a London Underground station on the branch of the District line. It is between to the north, and to the south. The station is on Upper Richmond Road...
. The works were approved by the Metropolitan District Railway Act, 1912, which received assent on 7 August 1912. The L&SWR was to build the additional tracks with the MDR covering the cost.
On 22 November 1912, both the W&SR and the MDR published notices that further bills would be submitted to extend the time limit imposed by the 1910 Act for the compulsory purchase
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
of the land needed for the railway, to enable the W&SR to raise additional capital, and to give the MDR powers to take over the W&SR. The MDR bill contained provisions to increase the capacity on the MDR owned section of the Wimbledon branch by constructing further additional tracks from south of Parsons Green
Parsons Green tube station
Parsons Green is a London Underground station on the branch of the District Line. It is between and stations and is in Zone 2. The station is located on Parsons Green a short distance north of the green itself. The station is about half way between Fulham Road and New Kings Road...
to south of Walham Green station (now Fulham Broadway
Fulham Broadway tube station
Fulham Broadway is a London Underground station on the branch of the District Line. It is between and stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is located on Fulham Broadway . It is notable as the nearest station to Stamford Bridge stadium, the home of Chelsea Football Club...
).
The requested extension of time and other powers were granted by the Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1913, given Royal Assent on 15 August 1913. In December 1912, the original promoters were replaced on the W&SR board by UERL nominees and the shares in the company were transferred to the UERL or its shareholders. In late 1913, changes were made to the track layout at Wimbledon station, including a new platform for use by the W&SR line trains, and land for the junctions with the L&SWR mainline was purchased.
On 16 November 1914, after the outbreak of war
World 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...
, the MDR gave notice of another bill which sought a further extension of time for land purchases. The MDR was also to stand guarantor for the W&SR and to lease the W&SR's undertakings, in effect taking over the W&SR. This was granted under the Metropolitan District Railway Act, 1915 on 24 June 1915. War-time restrictions prevented any construction and so extensions to the earlier acts were granted each year from 1918 to 1922 to give a final date of 26 July 1924 for completion of the compulsory purchase.
Revised plans
In November 1922, notices of new bills to be placed before Parliament were published by the W&SR, by the LER, and by one of its subsidiary companies, the City and South London Railway (C&SLR), which is now part of the London Underground's Northern lineNorthern Line
The Northern line is a London Underground line. It is coloured black on the Tube map.For most of its length it is a deep-level tube line. The line carries 206,734,000 passengers per year. This is the highest number of any line on the London Underground system, but the Northern line is unique in...
. Taken together, the bills brought significant changes to the plans for the Wimbledon to Sutton line.
Euston tube station
Euston tube station is a London Underground station served by the Victoria Line and both branches of the Northern Line. It directly connects with the Euston mainline station above it. The station is in Travelcard Zone 1....
to Clapham Common
Clapham Common tube station
Clapham Common tube station is a station on London Underground's Northern Line. It lies between Clapham North and Clapham South stations and is in Travelcard Zone 2.-History:...
. The C&SLR proposed to extend it for "6 miles, 1 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
and 7.2 chains
Chain (unit)
A chain is a unit of length; it measures 66 feet or 22 yards or 100 links . There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. An acre is the area of 10 square chains...
" (6.215 miles (10.002 km)) from Clapham Common through Balham
Balham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
, Tooting
Tooting
Tooting is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
, Merton and Morden to connect to the route of the W&SR and then continue to Sutton. The LER, C&SLR, and MDR would invest in the construction of the W&SR, for which the estimated cost had risen to £1.7 million (approximately £ today). The MDR would operate trains over the W&SR from Sutton to Wimbledon and thence to central London; the C&SLR would operate trains over the southern end of the W&SR from Sutton to Morden then via the new C&SLR extension to Clapham Common and northwards. The plans also included the construction of a depot at Morden for use by MDR and C&SLR trains.
The 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...
(SR), successor to both the L&SWR and the LB&SCR under the 1923 grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of railways, objected to the plan to extend the C&SLR line to Sutton – Sir Herbert Walker
Herbert Ashcombe Walker
Sir Herbert Ashcombe Walker, KCB was a British railway manager.-Early life:Walker was born in London 15 May 1868. He was educated at the North London Collegiate School and at Bruges.-Career:...
, General Manager of the SR, described the proposals as an "invasion" of the SR's territory allocated by the grouping agreement. Walker proposed a limited extension of the CS&LR as far as Tooting and offered to allow the C&SLR's tube trains to run to Wimbledon via a connection to the SR's Tooting to Wimbledon line. He also proposed that the SR should build the W&SR instead. The UERL rejected Walker's plan, claiming that the entire extension to Morden was needed as that was the only place to build the necessary depot. Without the compromise arrangement, the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
rejected the whole scheme but the House of Commons, which wanted the tube service to be extended from Clapham, encouraged further negotiations between the UERL and SR.
In July 1923, an agreement was made that the SR would withdraw its objection in exchange for a transfer of the UERL's interests in the W&SR. The District railway would be allowed to operate to Sutton via the W&SR route, although this was not pursued further. The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway Act, 1923, the London Electric Railway Act, 1923 and the City and South London Railway Act, 1923 all received Royal Assent on 2 August 1923. The SR arranged for the take-over and winding-up of the W&SR.
The C&SLR soon started construction of its southern extension which opened to a terminus at Morden
Morden tube station
Morden is a London Underground station in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is the southern terminus for the Northern line and is the most southerly station on the Underground network. The next station north is...
on 13 September 1926, with a depot south of the station and within 200 yards (183 m) of the W&SR route, although no connection was made between the two lines. Without the extension of the District line to Sutton, the additional tracks between Wimbledon and Putney were not required and the work was not carried out. The additional tracks between Parsons Green and Fulham Broadway were constructed but have only been used as sidings. Once the tube line was opened, the Underground company established a network of bus routes to the south, using Morden station as their hub. These routes had a significant impact on the SR's operations in the area, with the SR estimating in 1928 that it had lost approximately four million passengers per year.
Construction
Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. is a private British company headquartered in London. It carries out engineering and construction for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, nuclear, pharmaceutical, defence, chemical, water and mining industries.-History:...
, did not begin work at Sutton until July 1928. The landscape traversed by the line is undulating and rises from about 50 feet (15.2 m) above sea-level at Wimbledon to about 200 feet (61 m) at Sutton. Designed for operation by electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
, extensive embankments and cuttings were constructed and steep gradients up to 1 in 44 (2.27%) and tight-radius curves were employed. Only 35 chains (0.438 mile (0.70489092 km)) of the route was built as level track and 24 bridges were required, the largest of which spans 120 feet (36.6 m) over the A24
A24 road (Great Britain)
The A24 is a major road in England. It runs south from Clapham in southwest London through Morden before entering Surrey and heading through Ewell, Epsom, Ashtead, Leatherhead and Dorking...
close to Morden Park
Morden Park
Morden Park is an area within the district of Morden in the London Borough of Merton, and includes the Park itself, an area of green space in an otherwise dense cluster of 1930s suburban housing....
.
The station buildings at the two end stations, Wimbledon and Sutton, were rebuilt between 1927 and 1930 and six stations were constructed at Wimbledon Chase
Wimbledon Chase railway station
Wimbledon Chase railway station is in the London Borough of Merton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop...
, South Merton
South Merton railway station
South Merton railway station is in the London Borough of Merton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop. It is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
, Morden South
Morden South railway station
Morden South railway station is in Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop...
, St. Helier
St. Helier railway station
St. Helier railway station is in the London Borough of Merton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop. It is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
, Sutton Common
Sutton Common railway station
Sutton Common railway station is in the London Borough of Sutton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop. It is in Travelcard Zone 4.-History:...
and West Sutton
West Sutton railway station
West Sutton railway station is in the London Borough of Sutton in South London. The station is served by First Capital Connect trains, and is on the Thameslink loop. It is in Travelcard Zone 5.-History:...
. Fewer stations were built than planned in 1910, but all were on sites proposed then, except St Helier station which was built to serve the London County Council
London County Council
London 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...
's new St. Helier
St. Helier, London
St. Helier is a residential estate in the London boroughs of Merton and Sutton. The portion of the estate north of Green Lane and Bishopsford Road is in Merton, the rest is in Sutton.-History:...
housing estate, then under construction. With the exception of South Merton, which was built without, all stations had white stone or concrete faced buildings with access to the platforms by stairs up or down from street level. Provided with 520 feet (158.5 m) long island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
s, the stations could accommodate trains eight coaches long.
Opening and operation
Work from Wimbledon to South Merton was completed quickly so that services could begin running as a single-track operation on 7 July 1929. The remainder of the line opened on 5 January 1930, more than forty-five years after the first Wimbledon to Sutton link was proposed.As hoped by the original promoters, the opening of the line stimulated the construction of new areas of private and public residential development throughout the 1930s, although large areas remain as parks and playing fields. The St. Helier estate was completed in 1936. The opening of the Wimbledon to Sutton line and the C&SLR led the population of the parish of Morden, previously the most rural of the areas through which the lines passed, to increase from 1,355 in 1921 to 12,618 in 1931 and 35,417 in 1951.
 |
Ordinary ticket sales from Morden South station increased from 9,840 in 1930 to 50,817 in 1938 but, from the SR's perspective, the line was not a great success. The service, originally operating from West Croydon to Holborn Viaduct
Holborn Viaduct railway station
Holborn Viaduct was a railway terminus in central London.-History:During the 1860s and 1870s, had begun to struggle with increasing numbers of trains. At the time, the LCDR was suffering financial problems, and so was unable to raise capital to expand the station...
station in central London, was slow and indirect and many of the potential passengers from the line's catchment area
Catchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
continued to use the buses and tube route via Morden.
Goods services operated on the line to a goods yard at St. Helier station until it was closed in 1963, and to an Express Dairies
Express Dairies
Express Dairies is a subsidiary of Dairy Crest, specialising almost entirely in home deliveries of milk and other dairy products.-History:The company was founded by George Barham in 1864 as the Express County Milk Supply Company, named after the fact that they only used express trains to get their...
bottling plant
Bottling company
A bottling company is a commercial enterprise whose output is the bottling of beverages for distribution.Many bottling companies are franchisees of corporations such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo who distribute the beverage in a specific geographic region...
adjacent to Morden South station which opened in 1954 and closed in 1992. The line now is part of the Sutton Loop of the Thameslink
Thameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
service and is served by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
.