The railway, through Hampstead Norreys, was built by the Didcot,
Newbury and Southampton Junction Company and was opened to traffic on the 13th April
1882.In the early days, it was a single track line managed by the
Great Western Railway who operated 5 passenger trains each way, on weekdays only.
The arrival of the railway had a huge impact on village life.
Previously, the movement of goods and people had been restricted to the pace of the horse and cart. Now, for
the first time, people were able to visit nearby towns and villages in a fraction of the time, and a large array of
goods could be delivered by the freight trains using the line as they travelled between Southampton and
Didcot. Goods traffic was primarily agricultural and included hay, straw, fertilisers, sheep, cattle and the
occasional piece of farm machinery. There was also racehorse traffic which originated from the nearby
Wyldcourt Stables, owned by Sir William Cook. The local coal merchant, Weedon Brothers, leased a wharf and had
a coal office in the yard. In later years the business was taken over by ‘Neddy’ Spencer, who had his own railway
wagon but upon his retirement in the 1950’s, he sold the business to William Wheeler from Yattendon.
A rare
video of the Newbury to Didcot railway
The station
was situated on high ground overlooking the pretty road known as Water Street.The railway
crossedover the road by means of a red brick, skew, arched bridge. The surrounding area was
most attractive with the village school at the foot of the embankment and pretty cottages
intimately grouped alongside the River Pang. On the other side of the bridge a new road,
built by the railway, climbed to join the Ilsley road and provided access to the station. The
Railway Hotel (now Darrynain) was
opened to accommodate weary travellers.
Single Track (1882 -
1942)
At the outbreak of World War 1 the GWR – along with most other major
railways in Britain – was taken into government control. Many of its staff joined the armed forces
and it was not possible to build and maintain equipment as easily as in peacetime. Due to its
strategic position, the railway had a significant and important role during the War, in supporting
the movement of troops and munitions. After the War the government considered permanent nationalisation but
instead decided on a compulsory amalgamation of the railways into four large groups; The Great
Western Railway, London and North Eastern Railway, London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the
Southern Railway.
Typical inter-wars steam
train
From the end of the First World
War up to the mid 1920’s parcel traffic, from the local neighbourhood, continued to increase. Much of this was
generated by the two local poultry farms situated in the village. Unfortunately, by the late 1920’s the rail
business began a steady decline, as the competition from increased road traffic intensified.
Proposed line extension to double
track
The outbreak of the Second World War bought many changes
to both village and railway life. Once again, the railway was an important and intrinsic part
of the War effort, resulting in a huge demand for rail transportation. This increase led to
the track, from Southampton to Didcot, being extended in size and other improvements were also
carried out so as to increase the capacity of the line and the length of trains it could
handle.
There was the provision of a twin ‘down’ line and platform at
Hampstead Norreys, as well as a new signal box which was placed on the site of the old box. The work took
eight months to complete, during which time all passenger and daytime goods trains were suspended. The new
infrastructure was re-opened, in stages, between October 1942 and April 1943.
New extended up and down line (1942
to 1964)
The Hampstead Norreys station became an important dropping off point
for troops and equipment, with the opening of the airfield on the plateau above the
village. For several years after the war the station was busy handling supplies for the Navy,
which had established a store on the old aerodrome site.
World War II Airfield
In January 1948 the railway was nationalised and administrative changes inevitably
followed. As passenger and freight traffic began to decline the number of services was
drastically reduced.
The railways became uncompetitive and falling numbers
ensured the closer of many lines and stations. Hampstead Norreys station closed to passenger
traffic on the 10th September1964, to goods traffic on the 10th August, 1964 and the track was
sadly lifted in 1967.
