We were absolutely delighted to be contacted by Liz, who wanted to tell us that she used to live at Station House, Witley back in the 1960s when she was a small child. We jumped at the chance to understand more about the history of the building that Green Hub now calls home.  She and her friend Fran visited us recently to talk us through their many happy memories, which were so fascinating!

Vanessa, Fran and Liz outside Station House

Liz’s Dad, Roy, worked for the railway and the family lived at Semley and then East Horsley Station houses – he transferred to Witley as Station Master in 1963 when Liz was just 4. She and Fran immediately remembered the staircase, which is quite narrow and long, due to the high ceiling over the ticket hall below. Liz remembers hating going up them to bed at night because of a scary small door into an attic halfway up!

Memories of the house …

It seems there used to be a single storey annexe next to the front door – since demolished. It housed the family kitchen and bathroom and led into a sitting room, looking out onto the station frontage, which has now been incorporated into the ticket hall office. What is now the Green Hub kitchen and store used to be the ‘posh’ sitting room (“we only used it at Christmas!”).

Liz asked us if it was still cold in the winter – to which we replied ‘yes!’. She remembers hating getting out of her cozy bed into the cold, having to get dressed and ready for school. Her bedroom is now General Manager Josie’s office, and our meeting room was Mum & Dad’s bedroom.

The room in the middle was used by Fran, who came to Station House as a lodger when she was 18, shortly after becoming engaged. She and Liz’s Mum became very close, so much so that she left to get married from Station House, with Liz’s Mum, Glen driving her in her Ford Cortina. Mum fed the guests who were visiting to attend Fran’s wedding, which included sponge pudding and custard!

Memories of a different railway age… 

Liz remembers the steam trains on the line stopping just past the garden gate leading onto the platform and when electrification replaced steam, the work continuing throughout the night under flood lights.

The station yard was used as a coal yard during that time with a series of bunkers with different types/grades of coal. There were 2 disused sidings in the yard, where the tracks had been removed, and another garden area where her Dad grew vegetables and she made camps, now replaced by car parks. 

Liz remembers her six years at Witley as very happy times. She took the bus to nearby Witley Primary School, where Mr Snelling was headmaster. Her older sister, Mary, took riding lessons and both enjoyed having friends over for birthday parties.

We thoroughly enjoyed listening to all their stories and really hope that Liz and Fran stay in contact with us at Green Hub. It’s so interesting understanding how this interesting building fits into local history – and we are proud to be the current custodians.

Thank you to Liz for her wonderful evocative photos.

Liz and her sister Mary with the family car outside the station

A picture of Liz and her sister Mary, with their much-loved family pet, a Pekinese called Ching

Liz’s 7^th birthday party. Liz is front, second left, and her sister is in the back row. The two boys in the picture, Richard and Graham, lived at the station house at Haslemere, the next stop on the Portsmouth line, and the two families were friends, often hopping on the train with our parents to spend time at the other’s house. Her friend Carol is also in the picture – she lived in one of the Railway Cottages, a small ‘two-up, two-down’, with a basic scullery, no bathroom and an outside earth closet

Liz’s sister Mary on a pony called Patsy, who was owned by a nearby resident who would bring Patsy to the station yard for Mary to ride