havant train station

[haylingpete]

Originally Posted by hiker

- before the war it was located about 200 yds. further east. Note the typical late '30s architecture.

Amazing, thanks for that info
(repped)

I have just looked at: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html the 1909-1910 pre WW1 map of Havant Town Centre,
which shows "Havant Joint Hospital", (where the park is) and a cattle market between Prince George St & Fairfield Road.

I would have copied the map here, but there are copyright markers.



Oh! I reckon Haylingwriters is telling porkies, he was allegedly reported being seen shifting his Ass to the Market.

[haylingwriters]

Originally Posted by haylingpete

...and a cattle market between Prince George St & Fairfield Road.

I definitely remember the cattle market being there in 1956.

[hiker]

Originally Posted by haylingpete

I have just looked at: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html the 1909-1910 pre WW1 map of Havant Town Centre,
which shows "Havant Joint Hospital", (where the park is) and a cattle market between Prince George St & Fairfield Road.


Oh! I reckon Haylingwriters is telling porkies, he was allegedly reported being seen shifting his Ass to the Market.

I wonder whether he came on the new-fangled h'electified trains.


Surprising to see how small and compact Havant was - enabling the railway to come right to the heart of the town.

What a revolution in people's lives the coming of the railways must have been. Imagine, for example, what was a two-day horseback ride to somewhere like Brighton, was reduced to one or two hours,

[haylingpete]

Originally Posted by hiker

Surprising to see how small and compact Havant was - enabling the railway to come right to the heart of the town.

What a revolution in people's lives the coming of the railways must have been. Imagine, for example, what was a two-day horseback ride to somewhere like Brighton, was reduced to one or two hours,

Yes, Havant was a smallish market town, with a definite centre, South St to Hayling, North Street to Petersfield then London, East & West ETC.
It looks as though the demise of Havant started when the Railway moved the station, blocked the North St. Route, and carved a great swathe through a lot of West Street to build Park Road, in the process demolishing SwMbO's family's bakery, near to where the Parchment Makers is and the 'Fire Engine Station' behind, (always put a fire station near a bakers , post 1666 ?)

Havant & Waterloo UDC's 'planning' department continued the demise.

The 'railways' in their time have carved up many local communities, lets hope it does not happen on Hayling.



PS. Many people may not have been in too much of a rush to get to the heady gay delights of Brighton and may have preferred a two day journey to prepare themselves

[Owd Rooter]

Its an interesting hypothesis Pete, that the post-war decline of Havant town centre, and presumably the British Empire and Western Civilisation as we know it. Stem entirely from the abolition of North Street Level Crossing, and the Southern Railway's 1937 Electrification of the 'Portsmouth Direct' railway line. The original Havant Station, opened with the line from Brighton, Worthing and Chichester in 1847, was indeed a very cramped affair, sandwiched bewtween two level crossings, and later the junctions for the Waterloo via Guildford and 'Hayling Billy' branch line.

It could not have been used by trains much longer than the equivalent of six modern carriages, and certainly not the 12 car formations regularly calling at the station, required to sustain the growing town's needs through it's post war heyday of the 1950's and 60's, or indeed today. While anyone who has witnessed the daily gridlock that now besieges the town's modern road system, can but wonder how it would cope today if it's major trunk road were still routed via North Street, and a level crossing that would have to close a dozen or so times every hour!

In one of his books Charles Dickens writes of how the small village community of Camden, now a sprawling North London suburb, was "carved up" to make way for the mighty London & Birmingham Railway. A line that now carries thousands of commuters a day into London Euston. While I am not aware of that route coming anywhere near Hayling Island , we are today seeing similar protestations regarding the proposed route of 'HS2' High Speed Link. Desperately needed by the British Economy, to create the extra capacity required on that same route, to meet the increaseing demands of the 21st century passenger railway. While releasing vital extra 'paths' on the existing line for extra freight services, to take more juggernauts off our over burdened road network.

In Dickensian times the plight of a single rural community divided in two, with hundreds of people turned out of their homes, to relocate wherever they could among the slums of Central London. Cut little ice with the Parliamentarians of the day. Whereas in modern politics the mere hint of the presence of a Tory marginal, vaguely within earshot of the projected new railway. Is enough to provoke calls for dramatic Government U-turns, and costly diversions of the route requiring expensive, and from the engineering point of view totally unecessary tunelling!

I think this phenomenon is called 'progress'.

[haylingpete]

Originally Posted by Owd Rooter

I think this phenomenon is called 'progress'.

I don't believe many 12 car formation trains call at Havant these days!
(having viewed, whilst waiting at Bedhampton gates, many trains passing, there only seem to be about 12 - 20 people on most trains).
Most of these trains are virtually empty, which will get emptier, year on year with the planned above inflation ticket price rises.
(Which is good why should I, taxpayer, subsidise their fare cost).

Time to redress these changes, move the station back to its original site!!
And rebuild the Empire.

To Infinity and beyond!

[Rumplestiltskin]

Originally Posted by haylingpete

I don't believe many 12 car formation trains call at Havant these days!..

I believe a significant number of 12-coachers do call at Havant.

.. Most of these trains are virtually empty

But are usually jammed full (often with passengers standing) when they leave Waterloo - it's inevitable they will discharge many passengers on the way. Short of dropping off some coaches on the way (which itself gives problems of logistics) there is no other answer (unless you stop and turn round many of these trains short of Portsmouth)

[haylingpete]

I don't believe many 12 car formation trains call at Havant these days!..

I believe a significant number of 12-coachers do call at Havant.

That's the problem 'many' -V- 'significant'

are the trains 'half-empty' or 'half-full'

[Furbag]

Originally Posted by haylingpete

I don't believe many 12 car formation trains call at Havant these days!
(having viewed, whilst waiting at Bedhampton gates, many trains passing, there only seem to be about 12 - 20 people on most trains).
Most of these trains are virtually empty, which will get emptier, year on year with the planned above inflation ticket price rises.
(Which is good why should I, taxpayer, subsidise their fare cost).

Time to redress these changes, move the station back to its original site!!
And rebuild the Empire.

To Infinity and beyond!

Far better to pull the tracks up and sell off the stations for prime building sites and then turn all the tracks into toll motorways



Fur

[haylingpete]

Originally Posted by Furbag

Far better to pull the tracks up and sell off the stations for prime building sites and then turn all the tracks into toll motorways



Fur

Yes, and stop us motorists/taxpayers, subsidising rail ticket costs by up to 50%!!!
unless the rail users want to subsidise my diesel costs by 50% ??



PS. No:3 daughter off to Turkey this morning, she's just phoned, over 3 1/2 hours to get to Gatwick by train, one train cancelled, 3 were delayed, all connections missed!!
Taxi to Fareham + rail tickets, around about £100.

Were off to Portugal soon:
just over an hour drive to Airwick Gatport, £48.00 to park the car in a secure compound at Copthorne for 10 days + £8.50(ish) diesel. No contest!!