A transport system from London to Portsmouth was needed, either a canal or a tramway. The engineer William Jessop, recommended a tramway. He was given the job to build the first phase, from the Thames at the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth to Croydon, closely following the River Wandle which was already heavily industrialised. This began in 1801 and was completed together with the Wandsworth Basin so it was opended 1803. An extension to Godstone was authorised but only actually reached Mestham. This operated from 1805, making the entire route 18 miles long. Portsmouth was never reached. This early rail-way consisted of the rails on which carriages were pulled by horses. The rails meant that a single horse could pull much more than its usual load so the system was very efficient, but not as good as steam locomotive railways and the SIR closed in 1846. The Croydon Tramlink today uses much of the old SIR route. The SIR was the first public railway in the world not connected with a canal.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Surrey Iron Railway Company
Commemorated ati
Surrey Iron Railway Company - Croydon
Surrey Iron Railway Company 1801 {At the centre is an image of a draped femal...
Surrey Iron Railway Company - Wandsworth
Surrey Iron Railway Company 1801 {At the centre is an image of a draped femal...
Other Subjects
Deptford Creek bridge
From the magnificent Edith Streets: The Bridge, with its control tower alongside, was opened in 1954. The first footbridge was built in 1804, and the first road bridge in 1815. The bridge lifts le...
Serjeant William Stuart Lock Maxwell
William Stuart Lock Maxwell was born in Brixton, one of the six children of William Henry Maxwell (1864-1938) and Agnes Sarah Maxwell née Lock (1864-1953). His birth was registered in 4th quarter o...
Geoff Harrison-Mee
Director of transport systems in Ireland, Qatar and the much reviled Connex rail company in South-East England.
Baker Street and Waterloo Railway
Constructed by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London, between Baker Street and Lambeth North, (then called Kennington Road). It was later extended to Elephant & Castle, and then t...
Ford Motor Company
Founded by Henry Ford in Detroit. The company opened in Britain at Dagenham in 1931, but production here has been greatly downsized.