Horringford was a rarely used station from around the end of World War I to its closure in 1956, which in its heyday had been the centre for the distribution of Arreton Valley agricultural produce.
The reason for its descent into obscurity was its isolated position some distance from the population centre of Arreton. However, before the coming of the buses, those living in the vicinity had little option other than to trek to the nearest train station.
Oddly, Horringford was once the terminus for the Sandown to Newport (Newport Junction) Railway, before it extended to Shide, then to Pan and finally to the centre of the County Town itself.
Horringford Station was first used (unofficially) on 28th May 1872. A service ran to Sandown for 3 months, despite the inspection of the line having been unsatisfactory and official permission refused. A coach service then transferred passengers the remainder of the journey to Newport.
The opening of the station was reported by the Hampshire Independent, which wrote:
“The Isle of Wight (Newport Junction) Railway was opened as far as Horringford, and the interesting occasion was marked by great rejoicings at that place.
“Determined to afford facilities to the public for testing the line by actual experience, the directors ran free trains between Sandown and Horringford about every half hour during the day, and the carriages were thronged on every occasion.
“The first train left Sandown about 10 in the morning, and, as the engine, decked with flags and flowers, steamed from the station, a hearty cheer was raised by the spectators on the platform and echoed back by the passengers. Horringford was reached in about 7 minutes.
Article continues below this advertisement “The line runs through some very charming scenery and the throngs of people who passed along it must have been delighted with the beauties of hill and dale and down.”
The first authorised service through Horringford was on 1st February 1875 when the line between Sandown and Newport (Pan Lane) was officially opened.
In 1895, there was a bizarre proposal for a railway line between Ashey and Horringford, costing £48,000. The unlikely proposal reached the stage of a parliamentary bill (The Ashey and Horringford Junction Railway Bill) before being abandoned.
Horringford Railway Station featured in some 19th century court cases. In 1878, Joseph Cox from Ventnor was fined 5 shillings (25p) for using bad language and threatening other passengers with a stick before challenging them to a fight and then being reported to Mr F. Drudge, the Horringford Station master.
Also in 1878, Samuel Moul from Ryde was charged with using foul and abusive language at the station. The defendant – who had been travelling with a horse and cart – demanded to be let through the crossing when the train was due. When refused, he jumped out of the cart, opened the gate and abused the station clerk. Moul was also fined 5 shillings.
There are 2 surviving accounts from railway workers employed at Horringford in the first half of the 20th century.
Jimmy James said:
“In its heyday, this small station was a hive of industry. It coped with the whole farming community trekking to Newport on market days, and villagers travelling either to Newport or Sandown for shopping expeditions. At that time, the station boasted a stationmaster and a series of cattle pens.
“One thing it did not boast was running water. At the rear of the station were 3 cottages and situated in the garden was a well, from which water had to be obtained for all purposes.”
Mrs Ellen Wheeler was a grade 1 porter at Horringford Station. She described the agricultural work required at a country station.
“In those days, the local farmers sent their milk in churns on the little green trains to Newport. There was also a tremendous amount of sugar beet grown in the Horringford area that was sent in trucks as far a Medina Wharf.
“My favourite duty was to receive consignments of day old chicks from a large poultry farm. It was often late in the evening when they arrived at Horringford. “We had orders from the stationmaster in Sandown to get the chicks to the people concerned that night as they required food and water. Some of the farms were half a mile away, and it meant walking instead of using my cycle if I had 2 boxes. The only consolation was if they were very light.”
Mrs Wheeler had problems with the servicemen stationed near Horringford during the war years. She said:
“During the war, there were a lot of servicemen stationed at camps nearby who used the trains in the evening when off duty. They would often travel into Sandown to watch a Betty Davies film at the cinema, rushing on to the train at the last minute without tickets.
“It was dark on the platform when they returned on the last train, due to the blackout and the cars waiting for me to open the crossing gates, I had to collect the passengers’ tickets as soon as possible.
“When the rush had died down, I then had to check the tickets carefully. I would regularly discover lots of pieces of cigarette packets cut to the same size as a ticket. This probably went on all over the place, I guess.
“Many of these soldiers joined the Island railways after the War and married local girls.”
Sadly, Horringford railway station saw its last train on 6th February 1956. The station house was transformed into a private dwelling, which was recently put on the market for over £600,000. The platform still remains in the garden.
Most of the former Newport Junction Railway between Newport and Sandown now forms part of cycle route 23.
It would be great to see the old Island railway lines
re-opened.
Less vehicles on the road and easier and safer
travelling for everyone.
They wouldn’t run, staff shortages……
I reckon there’d be plenty of volunteers if the Havenstreet operation was expanded.The tourist boost would be a great boost,maybe generating enough revenue to keep a winter service viable and even added to; with another loco restored to full glory ?
I wonder which engine it was?
My dad used to take me to school in Newport. As we came down the hill into Blackwater he would ask me if I could see the steam from the train coming from Arreton. If I said yes he would speed up and try to beat it to the level crossing in Blackwater. If we made it before the gates closed we knew we would not get held up by the level crossing gates in Shide. Those were the days.
Thanks once again for some pleasant reading of our Island when people here must have had hard, but far better a future than those being born here now. Lovely photos too.