Petersfield, Lavant Street c.1965

Photo ref: P48064

More about this scene

On 4 January 1859 the railway arrived; it was to join Godalming and Havant stations, and as a consequence, it was possible to travel from London Waterloo to Portsmouth direct. Previously a journey from London to Portsmouth entailed one of two options: to go to Croydon and then to Brighton, with a change there onto the South Coast line to Chichester and Portsmouth, or to follow the line of the Admiralty telegraph through Basingstoke, Eastleigh and on to Gosport, from where it would be necessary to take a pinnace to the King's Stairs and into Portsmouth. The London Brighton & South Coast Railway had made an agreement for the London South-West Railway to use the rails between Havant and Portsmouth, but obviously the LB&SCR were not to be trusted. The first train to arrive at the Havant junction was manned by a useful number of gangers, all adept at handling themselves. The inevitable fight ensued, with lumps of coal being the major weapons. After a lot of bad language and a few cuts and bruises, the train withdrew to Godalming; meanwhile, a number of telegraph messages were exchanged and a clear understanding developed.