The Lambourn Valley Railway

The train emerged from the cutting passing The village of Speen and coasted gently toward one of the line's three level crossings. A lamp fitted with both red and clear glass was attached to each gate. The lamps rotated as the gates were opened and closed, providing a visual warning to all road users of the impending hazard ahead.

The original station here at Speen, consisted of a 9" high platform fenced with chestnut palings,a small office, three oil lamps and a station nameboard. The platform was ultimately raised to standard height with the addition of two, twenty five foot ramps. The traditional Great Western iron shelter was added around 1910.

Initially, the station was known as 'Speen for Donnington' and, as late as 1932, was so listed in some timetables. A lad porter was in sole charge until February 1908.
The increase in traffic coupled with the added responsibilities for the operation of the crossing gates, resulted in the GWR upgrading this position to a that of a Class 1 porter. Duty times for the porter would be 7 a.m. though till 8 p.m. At all other times, including Sundays, the train crews were responsible for the safe operation of the crossing gates. The Speen porter was also required to light the station lamps at West Fields and Stockcross.

This 1919 view looking towards Lambourn shows the station as it would have appeared after it's GWR re-structure.
The office and lamps, from the original station, still in situ. However a new Great Western style nameboard was now in evidence sitting proudly on the newly raised platform, the length of which had been increased by Forty-Nine feet .

The waiting shed was a standard GWR structure, clad with corrugated iron. The wooden building to it's left, was originally provided by the LVR and had the luxury of fitted stove. With the exception of Westfields, all the intermediate stations on the line had their platforms on the west side of the metals.

A busy day on Speen station and the number of passengers in evidence would suggest that this photo was probably taken on a Thursday. Thursday being Newbury Market Day. In the 1930s Speen had it's traditional oil lamps replaced with Tilley lamps as indeed did some of the other stations.
The small cupboard on the side of the wooden office housed the batteries for the telephone communications which had been installed in 1905 between Welford Park and Newbury. This now meant of course, that the porter at Speen could be advised in advance of all departures from those stations for opening the gates. Fixed distant signals protected the crossing, these were situated 540 yards South on the Newbury side and 500 yards North on the Lambourn side.

The line ran through a prime agricultural area, a high percentage of which was used for livestock farming. It therefore, comes as no surprise to find that the surrounding farms provided a quite sizable volume of milk traffic. A situation which continued until the general decline of milk carriage by rail. A considerable number of parcels were also dealt with. Some of smaller items would be delivered by the porter, Larger, heavier parcels would be dealt with by the Newbury based road vehicle or by a local carrier. Race horse transportation was virtually non existant at Speen. In the late 1950's, a BR work study revealed that 375 road vehicles, including cycles, used the crossing during an average day.

The Summer of 1951, and a typically average day passenger wise with a solitary person boarding the train to Lambourn. Most people now used the local bus company to travel up and down the valley. The Speen porter was usually kept fairly busy, for in addition to his parcel deliveries the station had to be kept clean and tidy, as did West Fields and Stockcross. All three being his responsiblity.

......................This picture was taken in 1971 from the garden of the Metcalf family.
The Line ran parallell to the Lambourn Road giving the residents there a close up view of all traffic.

Speen Station opened on the 4th of January 1898. and operated continuously though until the closure of passenger traffic on January the 4th 1960. Infrequent military traffic to Welford Air Base kept the level crossing in operation, until 1973.