Vauxhall Victor 152 FLV 1959Vauxhall Victor 152 FLV 1959

The History Of Sutton Station

September 17, 2021  •  Leave a Comment

The first railway to Sutton was opened in 1847. It took to years to build and cost the lives of four young men, aged between fourteen and twenty four, who were killed in accidents during it's construction and are buried in St Nicholas churchyard. A small wooden hut served Sutton's residents as a station for nearly twenty years and although it seems very small, Sutton had only 1,500 residents at the time. In 1865 the Epsom Downs line was opened and many additional passengers travelled on the railway as a result. In Derby week 1865, 70,000 people travelled on the new line. The old wooden shed was dismantled and moved to Sutton cricket ground on the corner of Gander Green Lane for use as a scorers shed. I took this photo of it in 1997. 

The Old Sutton Station At Sutton Cricket GroundThe Old Sutton Station At Sutton Cricket GroundTaken in 1997

The new station, which is pictured here in a drawing from around 1880, had a booking office, waiting rooms and a shop. It was much better suited to the new passengers who travelled through to the coast on the newly opened Brighton line, from Leatherhead. This station continued in use until 1883 when it was demolished and another new building was erected.

Sutton Station 1880Sutton Station 1880

Sutton Railway Station 1883Sutton Railway Station 1883

Sutton was a busy town when this photo as taken around 1918. Horse drawn cabs line the edge of the pavement and at the corner of Mulgrave road, just out of view was a horse trough and drinking fountain for thirsty passers by! 

Sutton Station c.1915Sutton Station c.1915

Charles Gardner was one of the Station Masters at Sutton station. He joined the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway company in May 1870 as a booking clerk at Clapham Junction with a weekly wage of £1.00. He worked at different stations in South London rising to become Station Master at Old Kent Road in 1881. By 1891 he was working at Purley, and by 1901 he was in charge at Sutton. Charles retired at the end of 1913.He stayed in the area until his death in 1938.

Charles Gardner Station Master at Sutton Station Taken On 8th May 1905Charles Gardner Station Master at Sutton Station Taken On 8th May 1905Charles Gardner who was the Station Master at Sutton station. He joined the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway company in May 1870 as a booking clerk at Clapham Junction with a weekly wage of £1.00. He worked at different stations in South London rising to become Station Master at Old Kent Road in 1881. By 1891 he was working at Purley, and by 1901 he was in charge at Sutton. Charles retired at the end of 1913.He stayed in the area until his death in 1938. (Source research carried out on behalf of the HLF funded Past on Glass/Ordinary Lives)
Photo copied and cropped from The Past on Glass at Sutton Archives. Photographer David Knights-Whittome. Shared under the Creative Commons Non Commercial

                 Photo copied and cropped from The Past on Glass at Sutton Archives. Photographer David Knights-Whittome.

Shared under the Creative Commons Non Commercial
 

The population of Sutton continued to grow and the numbers of rail commuters increased. The new station pictured here was opened in 1928 to keep pace with the growth. New motor cabs replaced the horse drawn cab and the horse trough at the corner of Mulgrave Road moved to Brighton Road. 

Sutton Station 1940sSutton Station 1940s
This station still stands today and due to the pandemic the commuters are a fraction of what they were a few years ago. Will passengers ever return in the numbers pre-pandemic? Only time will tell.

Sutton Station Taken From Platform 4 Towards Platform 3Sutton Station Taken From Platform 4 Towards Platform 3Taken on 3rd January 2020.

Sutton Station 2020


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