NOTES: EASTLEIGH: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LATE VICTORIAN RAILWAY TOWN 125

EASTLEIGH: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LATE VICTORIAN RAILWAY TOWN

Eastleigh and Aldershot are perhaps the most : Eastleigh and Crewe differ. For instance, distinctive of Hampshire's Victorian new . chronologically, railway engineering at East- towns. The. original bases - the railway for : leigh was established about half-a-century Eastleigh and the Army for Aldershot - remain later than the operating side (Course 1973). significant in both places, even if their degree Neither is there any parallel to the political of dominance has diminished. The evolution dominance in the town of Francis W Webb, of Eastleigh may be divided into three phases: Locomotive Superintendent in Crewe. When first, the period before the establishment of the locomotive works were transferred from any manufactories (say, before 1889); second, Battersea to Eastleigh in 1909, Dugald Drum- that of railway dominance (say, 1889 to 1960) mond, the Locomotive Superintendent of the and, third, the present phase of diverse London and South Western Railway, did not employment, both within and outside the even live in Eastleigh, but commuted daily town. The carriage and wagon works had from his home in Surbiton. His successor, begun operation by 1889, and the locomotive Urie, lived in Hill Lane, Southampton. How­ works by 1909. Other industries, such as ever, it must be conceded that William Panter, Pirelli General Cables and Sir Joseph Causton, the superintendent of the carriage and wagon Printers, were established after the First works, had his residence in Eastleigh and World War, but provided far less work than played some part in local affairs. the railway company. That the arrival of these Drummond and Urie were not alone in two important railway facilities was of great commuting to work for, in the period of about importance to the town is supported by the 50 years before there were any railway work­ census returns. During the 1880s the shops at Eastleigh, most of the operating staff population more than tripled and in the first based on the junction lived in Southampton. decade of the present century there was a However, this is not to suggest that there was doubling in the number of inhabitants, foll­ no settlement at Eastleigh before the coming owed by much smaller increases down to 1931. of the works. There were very few dwellings, (The census returns for Eastleigh are: 515 but by 1868 evolution had reached the stage (1871); 1,017 (1881); 3,613 (1891); 7,779 when a small church was provided (Pevsner & (1901, with Bishopstoke); 15,247 (1911); Lloyd 1967). Nevertheless, it could be argued 15,617 (1921); 19,069 (1931).) that a tradition of Eastleigh workers living Eastleigh differs from such railway elsewhere had become established before the settlements as Swindon and Ashford, where works arrived. works were set up in the 1840s, and company In addition to having a unique chronology, housing was erected in proximity to a nearby Eastleigh was distinctive geographically, with established town. Initially, the new a ring of alternative dwelling places surround­ settlements had their own names - New ing it. It was reasonably convenient to live at Swindon and Alfred Town (later Ashford New Northam, Southampton (5 miles), Romsey (7 Town) - but these have fallen out of use. miles), Farcham (10 miles) or Winchester (6 Eastleigh has rather more in common with miles). Not only were these places accessible Crewe, as both were built at a distance from but, because the company's servants either existing towns. Both were located at important travelled free or at greatly reduced fares, jour­ railway junctions, when there was employment neys to and from Eastleigh were not financially in railway workshops and on the operating onerous. Reinforcing the ease of commuting, side, for engine drivers, guards and station the lack of housing in the new town was staff. (Socially, the engineers and the other another reason for the high proportion of railway workers maintained a degree of separ­ non-residents. Railway companies tended to ation.) But in other respects, the histories of limit their expenditure on housing to what 126 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY

they considered necessary for the recruit­ is not surprising that little has been written ment, availability and retention of their staff. about Eastleigh. Drewitt wrote the first history In Eastleigh, Campbell Road ('Spike Island') in 1935, and in 1967 Dr Brian Turton included and the few dwellings on the west side of the Eastleigh in his survey of the railway towns of railway line were mainly inhabited by operat­ southern England (Turton 1967). Eighteen ing staff, especially locomotive crews based years later came a most useful survey of the on the engine shed, moved from Northam in formative period by Brian Luffman, a 1903. Dutton Lane was occupied by workshop descendant of the London people who moved- staff, but these were mostly volunteer fire­ into Hampshire with the railway works (Luff- men, on call for fire duty. The sparse provi­ man 1985). Amplification of some of Luff- sion of company housing in Eastleigh was man's points have been made by Robertson both the cause and the effect of the high (1986). Because of its distinction among the proportion of voluntary workers commuting Victorian railway towns of Britain, it is hoped daily to work. that more writers will consider Eastleigh as In view of its comparatively short history, it worthy of their attention.

REFERENCES

Course, E 1973 Railways of Southern England 1, Wight, Penguin. Batsford. Robertson, D 1986 Eastleigh: 'The Development of Drewitt, A 1935 Easileigk's Yesterdays, Eastleigh Print­ a Late Victorian Railway Town'. Some ing Works. Comments Proc Hampsh Field Club Archaeol Luffinan, B 1985 The Development of a Late Victorian Soc42 164. Town, Eastleigh and District Local His­ Turton, B J 1967 The Railway Towns of Southern tory Society. England, Transport History, 2(2) 105-19. Pevsner, N & Lloyd, D 1967 Hampshire and the Isle of

Author. E A Course, Dept of Adult Eduction, The University, Southampton S09 5NH.

© Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society