Byfleet & New Haw

Today, this site exists as a good example of a new-build Southern Railway station, in spite of obvious alterations over the years that have detracted from its original appearance. Located 20⅓-miles from Waterloo, the advent of a station at this location was in response to residential development in the area.

A new station on the Southern Railway has been opened [on Sunday, 5th June] at Riddlesdown, on the Surrey Hills. The station is situated on the Croydon and Oxted line between Sanderstead and Upper Warlingham. Two other new stations will be opened on the Southern Railway on [Sunday] July 10, one at West Weybridge, between Weybridge and Byfleet, and the other at Sunnymeads, between Wraysbury and Datchet stations. [Norwood News, Saturday, 11th June 1927]

In the July 1927 edition of The Railway Magazine, it was remarked that the opening of West Weybridge — the original name given to Byfleet & New Haw station — coincided with the start of the summer train service. As was later the case with the opening of platforms at Berrylands in 1933, the station at West Weybridge did not take its name from the adjacent signal box that was of older origin. The signal box, situated east of the platforms, controlled the junction between the main line and the spur with the Weybridge to Virginia Water line, and was named "Byfleet Junction".

The main line had been four-tracked through the area since 1904. Two platforms came into use at West Weybridge, these of which served the outer lines used by local stopping services. The platforms, perched upon the embankment that carried the line, were faced with prefabricated concrete, using components made at the SR’s Exmouth Junction works. Both platforms were backed by fencing of the same material and were illuminated by Swan Neck lamps upon Barley-Twist posts.

The London-bound ("up") platform was host to a two-storey-high building of red brick construction, approximately 80-feet-long. This rose from the foot of the embankment to above platform level and was of Mock Tudor design, comprising a tiled pitched roof with attractive end gables, the latter of which featured timber cladding and render — the same styling had previously been used by the SR at Penshurst, between Redhill and Tonbridge, when the company rebuilt the station there in 1925. The "down" platform was graced by a structure that shared the styling of its "up" counterpart, albeit of smaller dimensions. Both structures were equipped with canopies of riveted metal construction with vaulted roofs, which were a variation of a design that the SR had commissioned at the likes of Herne Bay, Dover Priory, and Dumpton Park stations in Kent, and a subway linked both sides.

In the June 1961 edition of The Railway Magazine it was reported that, on 12th of that month, West Weybridge station would be renamed "Byfleet and New Haw". The next station in the westward direction, West Byfleet, had been renamed from plain "Byfleet" in 1950, to coincide with the start of the summer timetable (ref: The Herald and News, Friday, 9th June 1950). In combination with the Bournemouth electrification works that were completed in July 1967, the platforms were extended to 800-foot using prefabricated concrete components, to accommodate trains of ten carriage length (ref: Southern Electric 1909 - 1979, G.T. Moody).

Over the weekend of 28th February/1st March 1970, a then new power box was commissioned at Surbiton, which controlled colour aspect lights. This took control of the main line from Berrylands to West Byfleet, the line between Chertsey and Weybridge, the Hampton Court branch, and from Surbiton to Effingham Junction (ref: The Railway Magazine, May 1970).

In 1990, the steel canopies at Byfleet and New Haw station, which dated from 1927, were still evident. However, by May of the following year they had both been taken down and replaced by curved glazed waiting shelters. The "up" side shelter was still in place in February 2007, but had gone by November of the following year. The "down" side waiting shelter of "Network SouthEast" origin was evident in May 2009, but had been removed by February of the following year; by that time, the buildings on either platform had gained small downward-sloping canopies.

16th April 1987

2-HAP No. 6096 is seen departing Byfleet & New Haw with a 4-VEP on a Waterloo to Guildford via Woking stopping service. The station can be seen in the background and at this time still possessed its original platform canopies. © David Glasspool Collection

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