Battersea’s forgotten trams
By Hilaire
Horse-drawn Trams
Trams first ran in London’s streets in 1861, and had a mixed reception. Although this mode of transport was popular with passengers, the first lines in central London employed rails that protruded above the road surface, causing problems for other road users. Parliament subsequently passed legislation authorising tramways as long as the rails were recessed into the road. Tram companies also had to bear the cost of maintaining the tramways and their immediately neighbouring carriageways. The first authorised lines were built in 1870. The tram companies agreed a standard gauge for the rails, so that in the future services could be linked up across the capital. At this stage, trams were horse-drawn, with two horses typically required to pull a 60-person tramcar.
In 1881, the first horse tramways appeared in Battersea. Provided by the South London Tramways Co., these ran along Battersea Park Road. Horse-drawn trams also served Falcon Road and Queen’s Road (now Queenstown Road) between Wandsworth Road and Chelsea Bridge.
Laying tram tracks on York Road, ~1900. Wandsworth Heritage Service; used by permission.
The Expanding Network
As construction methods improved, new lines were built, with a route from East Hill Wandsworth to the junction of Lavender Hill opening in June 1882. The following year additional connections to the rest of the South London network were provided via Nine Elms Lane and Wandsworth Road. There were two horse tram depots in Battersea: a large depot off Ingate Place, and another adjacent to the footpath leading down to Clapham Junction Station from St John’s Hill.
In 1902, the London County Council (LCC) purchased the South London Tramways Co. and repainted and renumbered all the tramcars. By this time, tram services were transitioning to electrically powered vehicles. In many areas these were powered by overhead wires. The LCC however favoured the underground conduit system. Although this was more expensive, aesthetically it was a neater solution, obviating the need for overhead wires.
The LCC was keen to extend tram services across the river to the West End, as they offered a cheap and efficient means of transport to Londoners. However, the London General Omnibus Company, supported by rich and influential West End interests, consistently opposed plans to extend the tram network north of the river.
Electricity Replaces Horsepower
The electrification of tramways in the Battersea area commenced in 1906, with electric lines being installed along Falcon Road, Battersea Park Road, Nine Elms Lane and from Wandsworth Road to Vauxhall Cross. The replacement of horse-drawn trams with electric vehicles led to the sale of over 900 tram horses from the Clapham Junction depot.
River Crossings and Double Decker Trams
By 1915, tram services in Battersea had expanded to include routes from Lavender Hill to Chelsea Bridge, and Clapham Junction to Kings Road, Chelsea and Waterloo Bridge, amongst others. Tram travel was popular not only because it was cheap and reliable, but also the frequent stops along the route made it very convenient. Many routes also ran an hourly service through the night. The Lavender Hill to Chelsea Bridge service was nicknamed the ‘chicken run’ by tram crews, presumably due to its relatively short route. The service was replaced by an extended 137 bus route in 1937.
In January 1909, single-deck tramcars started running from Queen’s Road to the south end of Chelsea Bridge; restricted headroom under a number of railway bridges on this stretch prevented double-decker trams, which were the norm, from operating on this line. The roadway under the railway bridges on Queen’s Road was finally lowered in 1927 to allow double-decker trams to travel on this route.
Cedars Road Crash
Trams generally had a good safety record. However, the steep gradient on Cedars Road from Clapham Common down to the junction of Wandsworth Road/Lavender Hill was considered too severe for horse-drawn trams. When electric trams began running on Cedars Road, only drivers with at least six months’ experience were permitted to drive on this section. Nevertheless, there were a number of incidents and near misses on this stretch. The last, and possibly most dramatic of these, occurred on 23rd August 1950. The driver of a tram on Cedars Road, approaching the left turn into Lavender Hill, lost control of his tram, which derailed and crashed into the front of Hemmings the Bakers, situated on the corner of Queenstown Road and Wandsworth Road. The driver was trapped in the wreckage and two passengers were injured.
End of the Line for Trams
By the mid 1930s, tram services across London were being phased out and replaced by trolleybuses, a transition delayed by World War Two. Tram services continued to run throughout the war, and were preferred by many as the noise inside trams drowned out the sound of air raids.
Just over a month later, on 30th September 1950, the last trams in Battersea ran. At this point, trolleybuses were also being phased out in favour of diesel buses.