Peeps was contacted this week by David Lindsell, a member of the Liss Area Historical Society, with an appeal for pictures of Liss Station in the days of steam and early electric services.

He is drafting an article for the Liss Area Historical Society’s annual magazine, and is keen to hear from readers who have pictures of the station, the goods shed and goods yards north of the station.

He would also welcome personal memories from station staff and regular users of the station over the years, and wonders if anyone knows when the goods shed and signal box were demolished?

In the modern day Liss Station is served by South Western Railway services and is part of the Portsmouth Direct Line. The station is 51 miles and 35 stops down the line from London Waterloo via Woking. There is normally one train each way per hour.

David has kindly shared the below introduction to his article, telling the fascinating story of how the Portsmouth line came into being:

In the beginning came the Woking to Guildford line built by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) which branched off the London to Southampton Railway and opened on the May 5, 1845. It was extended to Godalming on the October 15, 1849.

At the Portsmouth end, the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway (LB&SCR) extended their line from Brighton via Havant to Portsmouth on March 15, 1847.

A 1937 photograph of Liss Station
A 1937 photograph of Liss Station (David Lindsell)

The LSWR and the LB&SCR were content to leave the situation as it was but, an independent group, the Portsmouth Railway Company, led by the well-known railway contractor, Thomas Brassey, thought otherwise and obtained an Act of Parliament on the July 8, 1853 to construct a direct line.

The 33-mile single line from Godalming to Havant was constructed on the “undulating railway” principle, following the lie of the land, and was completed by January 1, 1859, apparently without ceremony, with initially only four trains each way on weekdays with two on Sundays.

David Lindsell can be contacted on 01264 324494, email [email protected] or by post to 58 South View Gardens, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 2AQ.