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The Surrey Iron Railway
On 21 May, 200 years after its registration
as a company, the Croydon Society put up a plaque on Reeves Corner
and Pitlake to commemorate this event. Some of today's tram track
is on the route it followed. Recently we did a walk along the
Wandle and the tramway path goes from Goat House Pub to Mitcham
Station. We did not follow this path as we were following the
Wandle on that occasion.
Although it was hailed as the first 'public' railway it only
carried goods like stone from Merstham Quarry and vegetables
and manure from the farms along the way. It was pulled on an
iron rail by horse and was public because previously all railways
were in private brickfields, Quarries or mines. Mitcham Railway
Station probably has its foundations in the Surrey Iron Railway.
The engineer involved in the route was called William Jessop
and there is a Jessops Lane in Mitcham and a Jessops Road in
Croydon to record this.
May Johnson
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