Welcome to the Gomshall (and Shere) Railway Station pageGomshall station was officially opened on the 20th August 1849 and originally named 'Gomshall & Shere Heath'.* In March 1850 the station was renamed 'Gomshall & Sheire'.* This is a mystery as to why the spellelling of 'Shere' was 'Sheire'. Two and a half years later, the Station was re-named again. In September 1852 the station was renamed 'Gomshall & Shere' as South Eastern Railwal took over the line 12th May 1980 the railway station was renamed for the fourth time in its 132 year history to 'Gomshall', dropping the name 'Shere'.* *(Source: Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 106. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508) 20th August 1849 - Gomshall and Shere Heath Railway Station'Gomshall & Shere Heath' railway station was officially opened on the 20th August 1849 and has been renamed a further three times (see above dates)
Bradshaws Railway Guide, lists the Station as Gomshall and Sheire
The ttanscript from Bradshaws Guide The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Company line opened in 1849 in stages. Charles Henfrey built the Dorking to Shalford Section of the line. The non-electrified North Downs Line was built with 18 stations. Waterloo Station in London opened the previous year on 11th July 1848 and London Victoria opened the following year on 1st October 1850. The following companies have run the line: 1849
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HISTORY
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Saturday May 12th, 1866
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1892 - Chilworth to Gomshall Line
On the south side of the line between Chilworth and Gomshall a box hedge topiary known as Jessie's Seat has been cut in the shape of a pheasant perched on the back of a seat. It is a memorial to South Eastern Railway guard Henry Wicks who was killed in an accident here in 1892. |
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1900
Gomshall and Shere Railway Station Gomshall was a busy Goods Yard up to its closure in 1964. Sadly the Station Master's house and the Waiting rooms were demolised in 1968.
Dale's photo postcard of the same photo above but has a greater field of vision on both edges of the photo - Detailed VIEW
Gomshall and Shere Railway Station Note the early Motor Car on the left hand side of the photo. At the Gomshall end of the down platform (platform 2) was a corrugated iron shed which was used as a lamp room, the oil for the Signal and Crossing gate lamps were also stored.
Railway Station - Gomshall & Shere Postcard |
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Saturday 20th Feb 1904
The Crash Scene
Official wearing a bowler hat chats to the men
The clear up exercise is being planned The following local newspaper page gives a detailed description of the events: Newspaper ReportSurrey Mirror - Friday 26 February 1904
Click on the above newspaper page to read or on this link. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
A serious railway accident occurred as a troop train was passing through Gomshall Station. Although the engine and two coaches were overturned and smashed after the engine had left the rails, no one was killed but several soldiers and the driver and fireman of the train were severely injured. The troops were a draft of the Northumberland Fusiliers bound from Gravesend to Plymouth for embarkation to Mauritius. When the crash occurred the train was travelling at nearly forty miles an hour.
"A special troop train, conveying a draft of the Northumberland Fusiliers, left Gravesend at 8.25 a.m. for Southampton. The train was running through Gomshall Station on the down line, when the engine became derailed, and eventually collided with the coaches, which appear to have kept the rails. Accident SummaryLocationGomshall Train OperatorSouth Eastern & Chatham Railway Primary CausesTrack defect, excessive speed Secondary CauseNone ResultDerailment 0 fatalities, 6 injured SUMMARY: Troop Train from Woolwich Arsenal to Portsmouth
The wreckage is moved off the tracks
You can see the scale of the photograph by zooming into the area where a young man is standing. |
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Level Crossing + Gate Keeper Cottage
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1910A fatal accident between Chilworth and Gomshall around 1910 |
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1915 - Southern Electric Poster
Designed by Edward McKnight Kauffer |
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1925 - Gomshall and Shere Railway Station
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Gomshall and Shere Train Station
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Railway Crossing and Gate House
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1937 - Gomshall and Shere Railway Station
This photo was taken on 24th July 1937
Closer shot on the Station 1 Platform Gomshall station was previously known as Gomshall & Shere Opened on the 20th August 1849 - It has been unmanned since 1967. |
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1941 - Signal Box
© photograph by Keith Harwood, 1964 The signal box dates back to WW2 when the Guildford to Redhill line had various line capacity improvements in the run up to D-Day
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Train crash - 1934
The final two uncovered photographs belonging to Miss E Frost of Crossing Gate Lodge, Gomshall, dated 1934. I have tried to enhance the photo's:
You can clearly see a man standing next to the loco.
This may be a clue to the story posted bck in 2009, regarding a train crash thought to be during World War II - Full story below - Was this just a confusion with dates or totally unrelated? 1940-45
Crash at Gomshall, Surrey - 2nd World War?
"My Uncle was a fireman on the Southern Railway. I have a photograph of a smashed up locomotive. The story that has been past down to me over the years is roughly as follows: It would be wonderful if we could see the photo that Alan has in his possession - This was posted almost 10 years ago however (2009). If anyone could help out on this, please contact. |
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1950 - Station Master1950's Jack Fordham the Station Master at Gomshall & Shere, he was known of as (Applejack) by the local railwaymen because he used to sell the Apples that grew alongside the railway line.
Southern Railway Tickets |
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HISTORY Steam train entering the station |
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1950s
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1952 - British Film, Crow Hollow
Crow Hollow is a 1952 British Mystery and Suspense film directed by Michael McCarthy Natasha Parry at Gomshall and Shere railway station STORY: Newly-wed wife (Natasha Parry) to a young doctor played by Donald Houston, goes to live with him in an oppressive old house, named Crow Hollow, where various mysterious attempts are made on her life.
Interesting glimpse, albeit short of the wonderful station which has sadly been demolished in the sixtees |
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1959 - Maunsell 'N' Class
Maunsell 'N' Class 2-6-0 No 31864 passing Gomshall & Shere Station, Surrey with a rake of coaches, circa 1959 - VIEW |
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April 1962
April 1962 - A goods train at Gomshall and Shere station in April 1962 |
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May 1962
View from Platform 2 |
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31662 Loco
Looking towards Guildford (Platform 2 on the left) |
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1963
1963 - British Railways Scene - Steam Loco No 31863 Taken in 1963 entering Gomshall & Shere |
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1964 - Snow at Gomshall and Shere - Last week of Steam Operation
Nº7829 Ramsbury Manor approaching the staggered platforms at Gomshall and Shere on 28th December 1964.
Closer zoom - © photograph by Keith Harwood
Visit the Gomshall and Shere Southern E-Group web page
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1964
0-6-0 NO 30543 - 31ST JULY 1964 |
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1965 - Gomshall & Shere Rail Ticket
Mid 1960s - View of Platform 2 - Staggered Platform |
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1966 - 20th March
One of the last photos of the Station before it was demolished |
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1967 - The Station becomes 'unmanned'
The train station became unmanned in 1967. The Station Master was transferred to Reigate. The above photo is circa 1970 - Unsure as to when the Station buildings were demolished but looking at the Morris minor cars to the left of the photo, I would say late sixtees, early seventees
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1973 - Gomshall and Shere
Platform 1
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1977
Platform 2 - Ten years on from above photo
Platform 1 MORE PHOTOS - Above two photos ©
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12th May 1980 - Renaming of the station to Gomshall StationGomshall and Shere railway station was renamed for the fourth time in its 132 year history to 'Gomshall', dropping the name 'Shere'. |
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1993
Gomshall Station - photo ©1993 Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence |
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2007
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2011 - Stunning photo of a train coming through Gomshall
photo © All rights reserved - view other great photos on the flickr site |
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2012 - January -
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March 2012 - VSOE PullmanVSOE Pullman, 35028 Clan Line, Gomshall - 3rd March 2012
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2014 - AugustGuildford to Dorking railway line over the years
A new documentary presents the history of the railway line which connects Guildford and Dorking
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28th November 2014
Planning » Application Summary 14/P/02197 | Closure of the Gomshall Station level crossing and erection of a permanent bridge with ramped and stepped access. | Gomshall Station Footbridge, Station Approach, Gomshall, GU5 9NX
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2015 - Pedestrian Crossing
Pre-2016 Footbridge - Pedestrian crossing from Platform 2 to Platform 1 - View looking towards Platform 1 |
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25th November 2016Official Opening for the Gomshall Station Footbridge.
The structure is believed to have cost well over £2 million
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28th November 2016 - Rosa's Bridge
Local war survivor honoured in naming of new Surrey footbridge by Network Rail. The new footbridge was officially opened on Friday (25th November) by Stuart Kistruck, director of route asset management at Network Rail alongside the Gould family,
Above: Stuart Kistruck, director of route asset management at Network Rail cuts the ribbon to officially open Rosa's bridge in Gomshall. Also attending the opening were: David Gould, Rosa Sigal's great-nephew; Beatrice Gould, Rosa Sigal's niece; Tom Pierpoint, Great Western Railway; Sir Paul Beresford, MP for Mole Valley; Cllr Keith Taylor, Surrey County Council; Cllr David Wright, Guildford Borough Council; Cllr Candace Brooke, Shere Parish Council; representatives from Network Rail and Osborne's, the appointed contractor. A new footbridge opened by Network Rail at Gomshall station in Surrey has been officially named ‘Rosa’s Bridge’ in honour of Rosa Sigal, a local landowner who left Germany in the 1930s after she lost her job because she was Jewish, and eventually settled in England. Rosa first moved to Italy after leaving Germany, where she found work as a hotel receptionist, and then moved to Britain in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. Once in Britain, Rosa spent time working as a domestic servant in a Scottish castle before moving to London for hotel work, where she ended up as head bookkeeper at the Great Western Hotel in Paddington, London. With money she received from the German government after the war, as well as her pension from Germany, she first bought a flat and rented it out, and eventually bought the entire apartment block with a friend. As well as enjoying travelling with her sister, Rosa also enjoyed going to auctions and decided to buy the land in Gomshall at auction for her four great-nephews, who all adored her and still miss her now. The new, fully-accessible footbridge was installed by Network Rail as part of its ongoing programme to improve safety at level crossings in Britain, and David Gould, Rosa’s great-nephew, worked closely with Network Rail to provide the land necessary to install the bridge. Continued on the Network Rail website - READ MORE
Rosa's bridge in Gomshall features a rose motif on the side of the walkway.
Sir Paul Beresford MP and representatives from Great Western Railway (GWR), Surrey County Council, Guildford Borough Council and Shere Parish Council (Candace Brooke). All images ©2016 Network Rail, all rights reserved |
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North Downs Line
The nearest train stations to Shere are: Gomshall station was previously known as Gomshall & Shere, as it also serves the adjacent village of Shere. It has been an unmanned station since 1967. There are buses from the village that run every half that stops at Londonby train - National RAIL WEBSITE times: Gomshall to London Waterloo - Total time = 58 minutes with 1 change at Guildford Gomshall to Guildford = 15min ALTERNATIVELY - Gomshall to London Bridge with 1 change (Redhill) Gomshall to Redhill = 21min
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Latest StatisticsSTATISTICS * Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Gomshall from |
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Films
Circle Eight have produced a documentary, celebrating 150 years of guildfords railway history. Based in Guildford, Surrey and for over 40 years have scripted and produced numerous films and videos covering many subjects, but mainly local interest and history, comedy, fiction and documentary movies. We show these movies around the community, at public shows and for local clubs and groups. |
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CreditsThe majority of photo's posted on this page are personal scans, copyright credits have been given where appropriate, along with web links to the source |
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Special Thanks......to Shere Museum for access and permission to publish some of the older photographs from their archives - Please visit and support the Village Museum on Gomshall Lane, Shere. |
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