Modeller Seeks Details Of Buildings In And Around Guildford Railway Station

Published on: 13 Nov, 2012
Updated on: 13 Nov, 2012

By David Rose

As developers and contractors wait to descend upon Guildford to build the latest projects here – such as the new Waitrose store, an additional park and ride site, and the revamp of an area around North Street – one man has quietly been building his own part of Guildford. Admittedly, it is in miniature, and it is exactly how it was in 1958!

Jeff Lloyd is making an extremely detailed model of Guildford railway station.

For 10 years Jeff Lloyd has been modelling buildings as they were in and around Guildford railway station towards the end of the 1950s, when its steam locomotive depot was still in operation.

He is making his model in 2mm finescale. That’s about half the size of 00 gauge – the scale that the majority of model railway are made to.

Some of the station buildings that Jeff has already modelled. All the window frames and glazing have yet to be fitted. The building unfinished in white plastic has yet to have its external features added. Do you recall what it looked like?

I first met Jeff when he was starting his project. He had taken a keen interest in some of the images in my local history titles that showed views in and around the station. For Jeff, photos such as these are vital for him to be able to faithfully model in plastic, metal and card the variety of buildings, of which a good deal of the originals no longer exist, or are now much altered.

In fact, most the station buildings, including the loco shed, engine coaling stage, goods yard, and so on, have long gone.

Jeff has scoured other sources for photos and now has a fantastic record of how this area of Guildford used to look.

The Napoleon Hotel and adjacent buildings that stood in Farnham Road.

When completed, his model will feature one part of Guilford railway station – from the entrance of the tunnel that’s south of the station, the area around it including parts of Farnham Road, Park Street, Testard Road, and so on; the station itself including its platforms and associated buildings up to the covered footbridge for passengers, the loco depot, goods yards and all its buildings and an area of Guildford Park Road as well as Walnut Tree Close.

The semi-roundhouse engine shed – not quite completed.

With the aid of maps, drawings and photos, Jeff uses an illustrating program on his computer to make templates of each building. These are transferred to either thin plastic or metal for the actual structures. They are then cut out and assembled.

Again using the computer program, he draws all the details such as bricks, tiles and other materials. These are then printed in colour on to paper which are then cut out and glued to each particular building. It’s no wonder it has taken him 10 years so far. But he has completed many of the buildings he requires and the detail is absolutely stunning – especially if you can actually remember or have seen photos of some of them.

The goods shed exactly as it looked at Guildford.

Not a single window, door, sign or other unique feature does Jeff want to leave out. Therefore there are some buildings of which he is still missing a few important details.

So an appeal goes out to anyone who might be able to help fill in the gaps, so to speak. You may have an old photo of one of the buildings on his list, or may be able to remember exactly how one or more of them looked.

Here’s Jeff’s checklist of what he requires, and below some photos he already has that show a lot, but more are needed….

Walnut Tree Close: near the station. Pictures of the Weddel meat firm building and of the Bishops Move building.

Station Approach: specific details of the cafe and the station buildings.

Park Street: A front-on view of the Salmon Motors garage that was once there.

Engine shed canteen building: a view from the north looking at it front on from Farnham Road.

Farnham Road: Close detail of the buildings and shops from the Railway Hotel to the offices of Heath & Salter.

Any pictures that show advertising panels and posters around the station buildings.

Note: although Jeff’s model is specifically based on the year 1958, he says any photos or memories from the 1970s back to the 1950s will be useful, and that colour pictures would be a fantastic find!

If you can help call him on 01483 570586 or send an email to jeffreylloyd@talktalk.net

An aerial photo that shows the same area that Jeff is modelling.

This shows the Station Approach in 1964. The crowds are waiting to see the Queen arrive by train on the day she opened the revamped Women’s Royal Army Corps camp at Stoughton. Does anyone have a picture that shows the buildings more clearly?

Aerial view of the goods shed (light coloured roof) with Walnut Tree Close to the top of the photo. The Weddel building is just above it in this view.

This view shows a part of Park Street with The Mount away to the left. The motor garage with its canopy roof can just be seen.

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