The village hall was packed for this illustrated talk about Buriton’s past, when Mike Attrill joined Doug Jones to describe aspects of local railway history.
The pair gave a talk about the first 100 years of the direct line between London and Portsmouth – and they used many pictures and stories from Buriton’s Heritage Bank archives as well as new findings.
Next year, 2025, will be the 200th anniversary of the first journey by a passenger carrying steam train – but it was not until 1853 that an Act of Parliament granted permission for a direct route from London to Portsmouth and the line did not open until 1859.
Excavating the tunnel through the South Downs at Buriton was the most challenging part of the construction of the whole line – and it was a great honour for the village that the very first turf was cut here, in a very grand ceremony, to mark the start of the work.
To add to information from the Heritage Bank, Mike was able to share his detailed knowledge of the social history that the line enabled: people employed on the railway, where they had lived and other implications for the village.
Mike’s father, Cedric, was the last signalman to work in the signal-box which stood alongside the railway line above the recreation ground until 1971.
Over 70 people squeezed into Buriton Village Hall to listen to the talk and look at a range of exhibits.
As well as details of local families who had been Signalmen, Platelayers and other Railway workers, highlights from the evening included Buriton’s repeated attempts to get a station or halt, author Graham Hurley’s descriptions of the village in his crime fiction novel ‘One Under’ and the Luftwaffe’s secret bombing plans to destroy the tunnel during the Second World War.
The presentations used during the evening are combined together in a pdf file: click here.
