In the 4th edition of our series on Isle of Wight railways, we look at Newport, which has a rich railway history, boasting of 5 railway stations – 3 in the very centre of the county town.
For a little over a century – from 1862 to 1966 – Newport lay at the epicentre of the Isle of Wight rail network. Most lines led here – you could travel to Cowes, Freshwater, Sandown and Ryde, with a further branch line leading to Ventnor.
But why so many stations? Each rail line was built by its own railway company, and sometimes these companies fell out and built their own terminuses. Eventually, the separate companies merged to form the amalgamed Isle of Wight Central Railway (with just one station).
As well as 3 stations in the middle of town, there were 2 stations serving Carisbrooke and Shide, 2 viaducts over Coppins Bridge and Hunnyhill, and 2 railway tunnels: one under Snooks Hill (which remains in situ) and another leading to Shide Chalk Pit.
Railways first came to Newport in 1862 with the opening of the 4½-mile Cowes to Newport railway along the left bank of the Medina (which is now a cycle track). Its terminus in Newport was in Little London, reached by a wooden bridge over Lugley Brook.
The 1st Newport station was hardly luxurious – little more than a shed with a short platform. Its first-ever train left Newport Station on Monday 16th June, the journey from Cowes taking just 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, the station opening had only been advertised with a few handbills on that Saturday evening, so a considerable number of inhabitants were unaware of the opening. Nevertheless, 600 travelled on the 1st day.
The Cowes to Newport Railway (CNR) was an immediate success. Within 2 weeks, owners of horse-drawn carriages ceased operating between the 2 towns. Residents of East Cowes chose to cross the river by floating bridge (then, an efficient and reliable service) and take the train, rather than attempting the journey by river.
On Coronation Day (30th June 1862) 3,200 passengers were conveyed between Newport and Cowes with 5 extra trains run.
The fares were regarded as ‘high’. The cheapest ticket to Cowes cost 4d (2p).
The next line to be built to Newport was the Newport Junction Railway (NJR) to Sandown (now also a cycle track) The 1st train left Shide station for Sandown on 1st February 1875. The journey to the seaside town took 18 minutes (the equivalent journey by Southern Vectis today takes 38 minutes).
A horse-drawn bus owned by the proprietors of the Bugle Public House took passengers from Shide to the centre of Newport. The cost of a journey to Sandown was 8d (4p).
On 11th August 1875, the railway was extended to Newport (Pan Mill) station. Unfortunately, there are no pictures of this station, but the nearby mill still stands.
The Cowes line was also extended to Ryde in 1875, the 1st train leaving Newport on 17th December, taking 25 minutes to reach its destination (2 minutes slower than Southern Vectis today).
A new brick station was built in Newport town centre, including a booking office and accommodation for the station master; a viaduct (including a drawbridge) spanned the river; a short tunnel took the railway under Snooks Hill.
In 1879 a further viaduct was built over Coppins Bridge to connect the Sandown Line to Newport station. The various separate companies operating the lines from Newport amalgamated in 1887 to form the Isle of Wight Central Railway.
The final line to Newport – the Freshwater, Yarmouth, and Newport Railway (FYNR) – took trains over yet another viaduct at the bottom of Hunnyhill to West Wight. This line opened to passengers on 11th July 1889.
Unfortunately, in 1913, the owners of the FYNR fell out with those of the Isle of Wight Central Railway. This meant that trains from Freshwater were no longer able to use the main station, and a new station a few hundred yards to the west was built. The Newport (FYNR) station remained in operation until 1923 when the Southern Railways company was formed.
Sadly, passenger numbers on Island lines declined during the 20th century due to competition from road. The branch line to Freshwater closed in 1953 and the branch to Sandown in 1956. Newport station still operated services to Ryde and Cowes but, in the 1960s, it had become a shadow of its former bustling self.
By 1964, the line from Ryde to Cowes had an income of £33,000 compared with an expenditure of £121,700. On 28th July 1965, Minister of Transport Tom Fraser announced the closure of Cowes-Ryde, resulting in no more trains to Newport after over a century of rail connectivity.
The last train for Newport left Ryde at 21:38 on Sunday 20th February 1966. Hundreds of Islanders and railway enthusiasts paid their respects from platforms, bridges, and other vantage points. Fireworks, handbells, and frequent train whistles set the mood for the final sentimental journey.
In 1967, Sadler-Vectrail Ltd was formed, with the intention of running trains on the Cowes-Ryde line, thus bringing life back to Newport station. Unfortunately, the newly formed company received no cooperation from British Rail to repair and maintain the track, and the scheme to return the railways to the County Town was abandoned in 1970.
In our next edition of Isle of Wight railways, we shall look at the railway in Cowes, where the site of the former station is now occupied by Marks & Spencers.
Please kindly note that they are RAILWAY stations (UK terminology) not ‘train’ stations.
should we call “bus stations” road stations then?
Only trains use railways, All manner of vehicles use roads. There is no ambiguity in the term ‘railway station’ per established tradition. It is a station on a railway. ‘Train station’ is an Americanism, as is ‘railroad’.
So does that mean a Bus Station is actually a Road Station
Interestingly, the first use of ‘train station’ in a British newspaper was in 1845.
Thank you, I enjoy reading these.
Well done and thank you IE, very Intresting and confusing.
Why could the IW Council not sort it out and think of the Public instead of the money grabing rich fat controllers, (how do you spell day shar vou) ?
And why did the good people of East Cowes have to commute to Newport via sailing up the river
instead of using hoarse drawn carriages like the rest of the island ?
I think the answer is in your typo the poor old horses got hoarse because of the steep hill out of East Cowes and the poor state of highways then. Also most housing in East Cowes at that time was situated around the river . Expansion of the town came into the hillier part came later. What is now upper Yarborough Rd St Davids Rd was a big private estate.
i do like reading these pieces of history keep em coming
I think the echo should put all these articles into a book – reckon it would be a best seller !
Thanks, very interesting read. It is a shame that the island railway line has shrunk so much. I am sure if it was present, modernised and efficient we would have many less road traffic accidents on the Island!
Great to read these articles, as a kid, i remember going to some sort of wood, and it had the remains of old railway wagons in it, where on the island I cant remember, but it was in 1977, so I guess near one of the closed lines.
VERY interesting and informative, keep them coming.
Excellent presentation, very interesting thank you, I am looking forward to the next issue:)
Something else the tories wrecked in their short sightedness. As a living museum it could have been a fantastic tourist attraction.
I don’t know what 4d is in todays money? Like £1?