PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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MUTLEY STATION
Mutley Station was
located between Plympton and
Plymouth North Road Stations on the
Great Western Railway
main line. It was adjacent to Ermington Terrace, to the left of this picture, and
Napier Terrace. The rear of Mutley Baptist Church can be seen to the top right of
the picture.
The Station was built by Messrs Call and Pethick for the South Devon Railway and was opened for passenger traffic on Tuesday August 1st 1871. 'A number of passengers booked for Plymouth', the Western Daily Mercury reported, adding that 'during the day a large number of persons congregated around the building minutely examining its structure, and watching the arrival and departure of trains with as much interest as if the whole affair was quite of a new character to them'. [1] But passengers were as critical of their train service providers in those days as they are today. On Saturday September 21st 1889 a commercial traveller arrived at Mutley Station to travel on the first Up train of the day. The previous evening he had left his luggage at the Station and asked the porter on duty to get it out of the cloakroom for him. The porter said he could not find it and returned to the booking office to deal with the passengers waiting to purchase their tickets. He was the only member of staff at the Station. Unfortunately the Up train arrived and departed before the porter could have a second look for the luggage, which he found immediately, anyway, and the traveller missed his train. One can only imagine his anger at having to sit there for a further two hours waiting for the next train. Perhaps such delays were the birth of train-spotting. [2] Mutley Station became known as the 'gentry's station' because it served the more prosperous districts of Mutley and Mannamead. When the London & South Western Railway started operating their service using the GWR's Tavistock Branch, they maintained their own staff at Mutley Station. In 1890 the Station Master at Mutley Station was Mr Thomas Arthur, who lived at number 33 Belgrave Road, Mutley. [2a] Mr Charles Williams, the son of a well-known nurseryman, was almost killed on Wednesday August 2nd 1893 while crossing the lines at Mutley Station on his way to the Ford Flower Show. He managed to leap clear of the track but was caught by the outside edge of the front buffer, which through him heavily against the bank. Although no bones were broken, he injured his back and suffered from a state of shock. His basket of flowers and tomatoes was cut to pieces. [3] Because Mutley Station was so close to Plymouth North Road Station, it was regarded as an unnecessary duplication and was closed from Thursday March 2nd 1939. Sources (incomplete):
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