| Southampton Corporation Tramways | |
|---|---|
 Southampton Tram 45 at the National Tramway Museum | |
| Operation | |
| Locale | Southampton |
| Open | 1 July 1898 |
| Close | 31 December 1949 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Electric |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 13.7 miles (22.0 km) |
Southampton Corporation Tramways were in operation from 1879 to 1949. They were initially horse-drawn, but latterly powered by electricity.
Southampton was a growing town in the nineteenth century. With the coming of the railway in 1839 and the development of the docks, Southampton grew from a population of 27,000 in 1841 to 42,000 in 1861. The first horse-drawn omnibus service in the town started about the time the railway arrived, and by 1843 one Thomas Matcham was running a regular service from the station to Millbrook, Eling, Bitterne, Shirley, Portswood, Totton and Romsey. [1]
By 1872, tramways were becoming fashionable and the British and Foreign Tramway Company approached Southampton Corporation with a view to setting up a tramway in the town. Various objection were raised to this scheme, and the Corporation refused to allow tram lines to be laid in the High Street and Above Bar. The Company lost interest in the scheme. [1]
By 1876, the Corporation realised that Southampton was falling behind other places in regards to the provision of public transport. The Southampton Tramways Company was formed to build a new tramway system. Construction began in the summer of 1878. [1]
Southampton Tramways Company services began on 5 May 1879, with takings of £26 on that day. There was opposition to the running of trams on Sundays, and a petition of 3,500 signatures was raised against this practice. The manager of the company replied that patronage of the trams on Sundays showed that there was a demand for the service, and that as long as they showed a profit, the trams would continue to run. The first route opened was Stag Gates – Holy Rood, with approval to operate Alma Road – Canute Road – Oxford Street – High Street – Floating Dock and Stag Gates – Lodge Road – Portswood being received on 6 May 1879. Tramway Junction – Commercial Road – Shirley opened on 9 June 1879. [1]
The company was soon in trouble, with one manager having absconded to America in 1881, and another dismissed in 1882 over irregularities in the accounts. By 1887, the company was on a sound financial footing, and paying dividends of 8% per annum to its shareholders. From 22 October 1889, the Portswood route operated via Spear Road and Avenue Road. In 1896, fares were reduced from 3d to 2d for the through routes, and frequency doubled to 5-minute intervals from Stag Gates to Holy Rood. Four new trams and forty more horses were required to operate this service. [1]
The Southampton Tramway Company was compulsorily purchased by Southampton Corporation on 30 June 1898, at a price of £51,000.
In 1896, Southampton Corporation had bought out the Southampton Electric Light and Power Company. The compulsory purchase of the Southampton Tramway Company in 1898 paved the way for the provision of electric trams in the town. In 1899, a committee viewed tram systems in Bradford, Dover, Glasgow, Liverpool and London. It was decided to model the system on that of Liverpool. The first electric tramway route, Junction – Shirley, opened on 22 January 1900, and Stag Gates – Prospect Place – Holy Rood, 29 May 1900. The system was gradually extended. Holy Rood – Bridge Street – Docks, 12 September 1900. Stag Gates – Portswood, 4 October 1900. Ordnance Office – Bellevue Terrance – St. Mary's – Docks, 3 August 1901. Marsh Lane – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, 17 October 1901. Docks – Central Bridge – Floating Bridge Road, on or about 10 January 1902. Portswood Bitterne Park Triangle, 30 August 1902. Stag Gates – Common (Highfield Road),19 May 1903. Onslow Road – Bevois Hill – Lodge Road, 20 April 1903. Portswood – Hampton Park, 25 July 1903. This completed the initial extent of the electrified system. [1]
Further extensions before the war were Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 17 December 1910. Holy Rood – High Street – Royal Pier, in June 1911 and Common (Highfield Road) – Common (Old Race Course) after July 1911. This latter destination was later known as "Rest Camp". After the war, further extension opened. Common (Rest Camp) – Bassett Crossroads, 25 March 1921. Roberts Road – Millbrook, 5 January 1922. Hampton Park – Swaythling, 23 February 1922. Bitterne Park Triangle – Bullar Road – Bitterne Station, 26 July 1923. Bassett Crossroads – Burgess Road – Swaythling, 10 July 1930. This latter bringing the system to its fullest extent. The only other new lines opened after this were the lines that bypassed Bargate. The east side opened on 24 April 1932 and the west side on 5 June 1938. Prewar closures were Roberts Road – Millbrook (except workmen's services), 2 October 1935 (reinstated during the war) and Clock Tower – Northam Bridge, 4 June 1926. [1]
Prior to 1932, [2] the only road route between Southampton High Street and Above Bar was through the arch in the centre of the Bargate. In 1923 [2] a new design of enclosed double deck tram was introduced by P.J Baker, [2] General Manager of the tramways, [2] with a rounded top that would fit through the arch. These trams had smaller wheels [2] to help reduce the overall height and were driven by high speed motors [2] producing more torque. Despite the clever design, the roadway through the arch in the Bargate still had to be lowered [2] and some secretive fine-tuning of the profile of the arch masonry was also required at the last minute. [2] Trams started to pass around the East of the Bargate on 24 April 1932. [2] The last tram to pass through the central archway did so on 4 June 1938, [2] by which time part of Southampton ancient walls had been demolished so that the Bargate was passable on both sides. [2]
In 1903 Southampton Corporation Tramways agreed to construct an 0-4-0 locomotive for Southampton Power Station. [3] The locomotive cost £146 and began work in 1904 and was scrapped in 1953. [3] [4]
Throughout Southampton there are a number of what are locally called Lucy Boxes. So called because they were made by W. Lucy & Co. and still remain along the routes even though the tram lines have been removed.
Southampton Tramways were affected by staffing issues during World War I, leading to the introduction of female "conductorettes". Tram No.2, which had been converted to a toastrack in 1916, had a central gangway cut through for the benefit of the ladies. In the early years of the war, a tram went round Southampton for two hours twice a week, with a military band playing on the top deck, in an effort to boost recruitment. [1]
World War II affected Southampton much more than World War One. Again women were employed, but this time they were needed to drive the trams as well as collect fares. Car no.31 was destroyed by an incendiary bomb on 30 November 1940, the only loss of the war. [1] To save the fleet of trams from the intensive bombing of Southampton during World War II, they were painted grey, [2] regular services ceased at 7pm [2] and they were parked up overnight in Cemetery Road on Southampton Common. [2]
In November 1942, a tram was accidentally set in motion whilst parked up overnight, [2] taking two others with it. The unmanned convoy of trams was stopped by a lorry before anybody was hurt. [2] That incident caused some consternation locally, as saboteurs were thought to be responsible. [2] It later emerged that the incident was due to a young boy playing on the trams. [2]
The trams in Southampton had consistently made good profits for Southampton Corporation, but the profits went into the rate relief fund [5] instead of being re-invested into the Tram system. Consequently, by the end of the Second World War, the whole system needed modernisation – the trams, the power supply and the track. It was decided that buses were a better alternative. The first line to close was Bitterne Park – St. Mary's – Docks, which closed on 15 May 1948. Swaythling – Portswood – Lodge Road – Stag Gates closed on 30 October 1948. Swaythling – Burgess Road – Bassett Crossroads – Avenue Junction closed on 5 March 1949. Floating Bridge – Shirley, Holy Rood – High Street – Royal Pier and Roberts Road – Millbrook all closed on 31 December 1949. The last movement of a tram in Southampton was on 4 February 1950 when cars No.21 and No.101 were moved from Shirley depot to Portswood depot under their own power. After closure, some dome-topped trams were sold to Leeds, but the majority were sent to A F Harris's scrapyard at Bevois Valley for scrapping. A few were sold on from there to be used as sheds or summer houses, which enabled the preservation of three vehicles. [1]
Four Southampton trams have survived.
The National Tramway Museum is a tram museum located at Crich, Derbyshire, England. The museum contains over 60 trams built between 1873 and 1982 and is set within a recreated period village containing a working pub, cafe, old-style sweetshop and tram depots. The museum's collection of trams runs through the village-setting with visitors transported out into the local countryside and back and is operated by the Tramway Museum Society, a registered charity.
Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-north-east of the city centre and is bounded by Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley.
Highfield is a suburb of Southampton, England. The suburb is situated to the north of the city centre, and is bounded by Southampton Common, Bassett, Swaythling and Portswood. Highfield is home to the main campus of the University of Southampton, which is built on a former brickfield.
Bitterne Park is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England, on the Eastern bank of the River Itchen, built on sloping parkland which once formed part of Bitterne Manor.
Sheffield Tramway was an extensive tramway network serving the English city of Sheffield and its suburbs.
The Grimsby & Immingham Electric Railway (G&IER) was an electric light railway, primarily for passenger traffic, linking Great Grimsby with the Port of Immingham in Lincolnshire, England. The line was built by the Great Central Railway (GCR), was absorbed by the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) in 1923, and became part of the Eastern Region of British Railways. It ran mainly on reserved track.
Southampton is a city in Hampshire, England. The area has been settled since the Stone Age. Its history has been affected by its geographical location, on a major estuary on the English Channel coast with an unusual double high-tide, and by its proximity to Winchester and London; the ancient and modern capitals of England. Having been an important regional centre for centuries, Southampton was awarded city status by Queen Elizabeth II in 1964 .
The Swansea Improvements and Tramway Company operated street trams in and around Swansea in Wales from 1878 to 1937.
Glasgow Corporation Tramways were formerly one of the largest urban tramway systems in Europe. Over 1000 municipally-owned trams served the city of Glasgow, Scotland, with over 100 route miles by 1922. The system closed in 1962 and was the last city tramway in Great Britain.
Southampton Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Southampton between 1879 and 1898.
The Northam Bridge is a road bridge across the River Itchen in Southampton, England, linking the suburbs of Northam and Bitterne Manor. The current bridge was the first major prestressed concrete road bridge to be built in the United Kingdom. The bridge carries the A3024 road as a dual carriageway, with two lanes on each carriageway.
Dundee Corporation Tramways formerly served the City of Dundee in Scotland. The corporation had financed the construction of a horse tramway in 1877, but had then leased it to the Dundee and District Tramways Company. They had replaced most of the horse trams with steam tram locomotives pulling trailer cars from 1884, but in 1897 the corporation decided that it would run the tramway system itself. After some negotiation and the payment of compensation, they took over the system in 1899, with a view to electrifying it. Electric trams started running in 1900, and the changeover was completed in 1902.
Bournemouth Corporation Tramways served the town of Bournemouth in Dorset from 23 July 1902 until 8 April 1936.
Tramways in Exeter were operated between 1882 and 1931. The first horse-drawn trams were operated by the Exeter Tramway Company but in 1904 the Exeter Corporation took over. They closed the old network and replaced it with a new one powered by electricity.
Halifax Corporation Tramways operated a tramway service in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England between 1898 and 1939. After considering lifts and inclined planes to assist trams in negotiating the steep hills to the south of the town, they obtained permission to build a conventional system in 1897, and the first three routes opened in 1898. By 1905 there were 37 miles (60 km) of track and 96 tramcars, supplied by two manufacturers. In 1921, an additional route was added to the system, and the Corporation embarked on a programme of building their own tramcars, some of which replaced existing vehicles, while some extended the fleet. During the 1930s, the trams were gradually replaced by motor buses, either run by the Corporation or by private companies, and the last tram ran on 14 February 1939.
The tramways in Plymouth were originally constructed as four independent networks operated by three different companies to serve the adjacent towns of Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport in Devon, England. The merger of the 'Three Towns' into the new borough of Plymouth in 1914 was the catalyst for the three companies to join up under the auspices of the new Plymouth Corporation. The network was closed in 1945, partly as a result of bomb damage during World War II.
Southampton Corporation Transport motor bus services started in 1919 as a successor to Southampton Corporation Tramways. After Southampton achieved city status in 1964 it was renamed Southampton City Transport. In 1986, as a result of deregulation it became Southampton Citybus, an arms-length company that was sold to the staff in 1993. It continued trading as Southampton Citybus until it was bought by First Bus in 1997.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England.
The Great Grimsby Street Tramways Company was a tramway serving Grimsby and Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, England. It was a subsidiary of The Provincial Tramways Company. They opened a horse tramway in 1881, running from the Wheatsheaf Inn in Bargate to the border with Cleethorpes, with a branch along Freeman Street, and extended the line into Cleethorpes in 1887. It followed the trend of many British systems, and was converted to an electric tramway in December 1901. Small extensions were made to the system at both ends, but the basic plan of the system remained the same throughout its life.
Elections to Southampton City Council took place on Thursday 3 May 2018, alongside nationwide local elections, alongside other local elections across the country. The elections saw no changes in the overall composition of the council, however saw seats being exchanged. The Labour Party lost Bitterne, Millbrook and Peartree to the Conservative party while the Conservatives lost Freemantle, Portswood and Swaythling to Labour. This led to the Labour leader of the council, Simon Letts, and the leader of the Conservative group in the city, Jeremy Moulton, losing their seats.