Spencer Road Halt railway station

Infobox Closed London station
name= Spencer Road Halt


owner = LB&SCR and SER
locale = South Croydon
borough = London Borough of Croydon
platforms = 2
start = 1 September 1906
end = 15 March 1915
replace= None
coordinates = gbmaprim|TQTQ332643|332 643

Spencer Road Halt was a railway halt on the Woodside and South Croydon Railway, which opened in 1906. It closed on 15 March 1915.

History

The site of the halt is hidden in an alleyway between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise in South Croydon. The railway company had hoped that this halt would enable passengers to change to the Brighton Line by making the ten-minute walk to South Croydon station, however very few did. [cite book | last = Knight | first = Andrew | title = The Railways of South East England | publisher = Ian Allan Ltd | date = 1986 | location = | pages = | isbn = ISBN 0-7110-1556-2 ] Spencer Road was among several new stations and halts introduced during this period (others included Smitham and Bandon) in the suburban area to compete with the convenience of electric trams and to a lesser extent the early omnibuses, whose effect was being felt on railway income particularly with regard to shorter journeys. [cite book | last = Skinner | first = M.W.G. | title = Croydon's Railways | publisher = Kingfisher Railway Productions | date = 1985 | location = Southampton | pages = 23 | isbn = ISBN 0-9461-8414-3 ] Apart from a metal footbridge which carried the right-of-way between Spencer Road and Birdhurst Rise over the railway line, Spencer Road Halt consisted of nothing beyond a set of wooden platforms and nameboards. Oil lamps were also likely to have been provided. The platforms were reached from wooden gates on either side of the footbridge; a notice adjoining the gate was headed "Woodside and South Croydon Railway" and warned passengers against taking a short-cut over the railway line and instead to use the footbridge.cite book | last = Course | first = Edwin | title = London's Railways: Then and Now | publisher = B.T. Batsford Ltd | date = 1986 | location = London | pages = 88-89 | isbn = ISBN 0-7134-5257-9 ]

Spencer Road was closed in 1915 as a wartime economy, but remained physically intact until at least 1931. The remains were eventually cleared away by the Southern Railway in 1935 when it electrified and reopened the line. An Up starter signal post for Selsdon Road made of old rails was subsequently installed on the site of the Up platform, and during the Second World War a tank trap was built on the site of the Down platform.

Present day

The footbridge remains in use. A scout hut now occupies the site of the "station yard" - there were no buildings. [ [http://rhaworth.ucoz.net/photo/4-0-23] A view from the footbridge showing the scout hut.] The nearby underbridge crossing the Croham Road is also extant.

References

External links

*
* [http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/s/spencer_road_halt/index.shtml Article at Subterranea Britannica] with several images