143-626: The North Downs Line is a railway line in South East England . It runs for 41 miles 40 chains (66.8 km) from Reading in Berkshire to Redhill in Surrey . It is named after the North Downs , a range of chalk hills that runs parallel to the eastern part of the route. The name was introduced in 1989 by Network SouthEast , the then operator. The North Downs Line serves the settlements in
286-569: A grammar school: 12%; the next highest is the South-West with 6%. The most-educated people ( NQF level 4 or above) in the region live in Elmbridge (51%), then Waverley, and Epsom and Ewell; 33% of people are at this level for the South-East, only second to London at 40%. North Downs The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch from Farnham in Surrey to
429-755: A height of 251 m (823 ft), is nearby, and the highest point in Greater London , Westerham Heights , at 245 m (804 ft), is on the northern side of the same hill. East of the Medway Valley the Downs become broader and flatter, extending as far as the Isle of Thanet . The ridge of the North Downs is intersected by the valleys of a series of rivers: the Wey , Mole , Darent , Medway and Stour . These drain much of
572-466: A more sedentary and communal lifestyle that relied upon the keeping of livestock and the growing of crops. There is substantial evidence of Neolithic activity within the North Downs, notably the long barrows concentrated in the Medway and Stour valleys. The Medway long barrows , which include Kit's Coty House and Coldrum Stones , are constructed of sarsen stone , locally found on Blue Bell Hill and in
715-406: A number of different ways. It is porous, absorbing up to 20% of its dry weight in water, and is therefore highly susceptible to weathering by freeze-thaw action , which may occur over repeated annual or diurnal cycles. This frost weathering produces a mix of rubble and viscous mud, which may be washed downhill, further eroding the landscape (a process known as solifluction ). Since chalk contains
858-561: A prosperous economic hub with the largest economy of any region in the UK, after London . The region is home to Gatwick Airport , the UK's second-busiest airport, and Heathrow Airport (the UK's busiest airport) is located adjacent to the region's boundary with Greater London . The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe . The region is known for its countryside, which includes two national parks:
1001-565: A temporary facility to the east that had opened with the line in 1849. The yard was used for goods services in February 1970. Most of the station yards on the line closed in the 1960s. There were four major narrow-gauge railway systems linked to the line. The Chilworth gunpowder and cordite works, active until the end of the First World War, had an 800 mm ( 2 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) railway. At Dorking West station, there
1144-598: A very high percentage of calcium carbonate , it can be dissolved by both groundwater and rainwater. Across much of the North Downs, the chalk dips below the London Clay at a relatively shallow angle (c. 18° near Dorking), however at the far west of the range, local faulting has produced a much steeper angle (up to 55°), resulting in the distinctive Hog's Back between Farnham and Guildford. The North Downs support several important habitats including chalk grassland , scrub , woodland and chalk heath . Chalk grassland
1287-682: Is a 144-ft beech at Devil's Dyke in Newtimber Woods in West Sussex. Until 1999, there was a south east Standard Statistical Region , which also included the counties of Bedfordshire , Greater London , Essex and Hertfordshire . The former south east Civil Defence Region covered the same area as the current official region. In unofficial usage, the South East can refer to a varying area – sometimes only to London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, and Surrey; but sometimes to an area corresponding to
1430-527: Is a level-1 NUTS region, coded "UKJ", which is subdivided as follows: Buckinghamshire, Medway and Kent, and Slough have an almost completely selective education system – not just a few grammar schools as other English areas may have – with secondary modern schools as the alternative. Kent has 33 grammar schools, Buckinghamshire 13, Medway 6 and Slough 4. The other areas are comprehensive . The top thirty schools at A level are almost exclusively selective schools; one or two are sixth form colleges . However,
1573-531: Is an official region for statistical and strategic planning purposes, but is not served by any directly elected regional government. From 1998 to 2010 local councils sent to the voluntary South East England Regional Assembly , based in Guildford . Delegates met six times a year and it was responsible for the South East England Development Agency , a project which oversaw investment projects in
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#17328517231521716-594: Is at the junction of the Varsity Line (between Oxford and Cambridge) and the West Coast Main Line . The Harwell computer (Dekatron), now at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley, was built in 1949 and is believed to be the oldest working digital computer in the world. John Wallis of Kent introduced the symbol for infinity and the standard notation for powers of numbers in 1656. Thomas Bayes
1859-490: Is close to the surface. These conditions are most often found on the escarpment of the North Downs and on valley slopes, but may also occur on the plateau of the dip slope . Calcareous woodland is typically dominated by beech , hornbeam , yew and ash . Box Hill has one of the largest areas of native box woodland in England. One notable species characteristic of calcareous woodland is the nationally scarce lady orchid , which
2002-517: Is crossed at Shalford via a steel truss bridge , which replaced the original wooden bridge in 1902. The North Downs Line crosses the River Mole on a five-arch, brick viaduct, built when the line was constructed in the late 1840s. The A24 dual carriageway at Dorking is crossed on a steel bridge, installed in 1964. The Reading, Guildford and Reigate Railway company (RG&RR) was formed in August 1845. It
2145-552: Is found in more than 100 sites on the Kent stretch of the North Downs, but is confined to just two sites elsewhere in the UK. Although its spread is often considered undesirable, scrub provides valuable habitat for a range of invertebrates, including the Roman snail , rufous grasshopper and the dark green fritillary . In Surrey, superficial deposits from the Quaternary are found overlying
2288-472: Is found on the steep south-facing scarp slopes and the more gently graded north-facing dip slopes, where woodland is absent. The alkaline soils are thin and nutrient poor, which prevents deeper-rooted lush grasses (with a high water demand) from dominating. Each square metre of chalk downland may support up to 40 different species. This semi-natural habitat is maintained through sheep, cattle and rabbit grazing which prevents scrub encroachment. Chalk grassland to
2431-583: Is less than 1 km from Westerham Heights , Bromley , the highest point in Greater London at an elevation of 245 m (804 ft). 'Downs' is from Old English dun , meaning, amongst other things, "hill". The word acquired the sense of "elevated rolling grassland" around the 14th century. The name contains "North" to distinguish them from a similar range of hills – the South Downs – which runs roughly parallel to them but some 50 km (31 mi) to
2574-520: Is limited within the British Isles to chalk grassland between Folkestone and Wye . One of the two native British sites for the nationally rare monkey orchid is on the North Downs. The nationally scarce man orchid is not uncommon on chalk grassland on the Downs in Surrey and Kent. Other scarce plant species such as early gentian , dwarf milkwort and bedstraw broomrape also occur on chalk grassland in
2717-627: Is strong support for other parties, for example, Oxford , Slough and Southampton Test for Labour and Brighton Pavilion which is held by the Green Party . Out of 84 parliamentary seats, the Conservatives hold 72. In the 2017 general election, the Conservatives won 54.8% of votes, Labour 28.6%, Liberal Democrats 10.6%, Greens 3.1%, and UKIP 2.2%. In the Eurostat Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), South East England
2860-442: Is the third-largest region of England, with a land area of 19,072 square kilometres (7,364 sq mi), and is also the most populous with a total population of 9,379,833 in 2022. The region contains eight legally chartered cities : Brighton and Hove , Canterbury , Chichester , Milton Keynes , Oxford , Portsmouth , Southampton and Winchester . The region's close proximity to London has led to South East England becoming
3003-642: The A32 , is an example of a site where the Romano-British grew Roman grapes . Much of the Battle of Britain was fought in this region, especially in Kent. RAF Bomber Command was based at High Wycombe . RAF Medmenham at Danesfield House , west of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, was important for aerial reconnaissance . Operation Corona , based at RAF Kingsdown (at West Kingsdown next to Brands Hatch in Kent, between
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#17328517231523146-523: The Alton line at Ash and the Portsmouth Direct Line at Guildford . The 2015 Surrey Rail Strategy noted that 56% of passengers on the route connect to services on other railway lines and that a quarter of journeys either start or end at Reading. Around 13% of passengers travel to or from Gatwick Airport . The name "North Downs Line" was first used in 1989 by Network SouthEast , the then operator of
3289-689: The Basingstoke Canal , as well as the unnavigable River Loddon and its tributary, the Blackwater . Between Guildford and Shalford Junction, GWR trains use the Portsmouth Direct Line to travel between the two parts of the North Downs Line. The route passes through two tunnels, Guildford Chalk Tunnel and St Catherine's Tunnel. Reversible working is available on the down line on this section of track. The Shalford Junction to Redhill section of
3432-680: The Blackwater Valley as well as the towns of Guildford , Dorking and Reigate . It acts as an orbital route around the south and southwest of London and has direct connections to the Great Western Main Line at Reading, the Waterloo-Reading line at Wokingham , the Alton line at Ash , the Portsmouth Direct Line at Guildford and the Brighton Main Line at Redhill. Three different operators run passenger services on
3575-558: The English Channel to the Artois region of northern France. Initially an island, this dome-like structure was drained by the ancestors of the rivers which today cut through the North and South Downs. The dome was eroded away over the course of the Cenozoic , exposing the strata beneath and resulting in the escarpments of the Downs. Chalk is a relatively soft rock that may be eroded or weathered in
3718-419: The Great Western Main Line in Berkshire to Redhill on the Brighton Main Line in Surrey . It serves the settlements in the Blackwater Valley on the borders of Hampshire , Surrey and Berkshire, as well as the Surrey towns of Guildford , Dorking and Reigate . It acts as an orbital route bypassing the south and southwest of London and has direct connections to the Waterloo-Reading line at Wokingham ,
3861-543: The Hastings Line coupled to an adapted 2-EPB driving trailer coach. As a result of the visible difference in width between the narrow Hastings Line stock and the standard-width trailer, the units were nicknamed Tadpoles . The Class 33 diesel locomotives, introduced to the line in 1962, continued to haul peak hour services until May 1977. Three-car Class 119 units were introduced to the North Downs Line in April 1979 enabling
4004-510: The Isle of Wight , Kent , Oxfordshire , Surrey and West Sussex . Cities and towns in the region include Aldershot , Ashford , Aylesbury , Basingstoke , Bracknell , Brighton and Hove , Canterbury , Chichester , Crawley , Eastbourne , Farnborough , Gosport , Guildford , Hastings , High Wycombe , Margate , Maidstone , Medway , Milton Keynes , Newport , Oxford , Portsmouth , Ramsgate , Reading , Slough , Southampton , Winchester , Woking and Worthing . South East England
4147-549: The London and South Western Railway (LSWR) lines to Godalming and Alton . Negotiations with other railway companies began at the start of 1846. By mid-January, the RG&;RR had bought out the rival Reading and Reigate Company, promoted by David Mocatta , which had proposed a line with similar aims. That March, it agreed terms to run over the LSWR tracks from Shalford Junction to Guildford. In
4290-557: The Lower Paleolithic , about 400,000 years ago, were discovered at Barnfield Pit near Swanscombe ; this provides the earliest evidence of human occupation in the North Downs. It is suggested that human activity at that time coincided with intermittent warm phases during the last glacial period and that continuous occupation of the Downs did not occur until warming after the glaciation. Flint axes have also been found on river terraces at Farnham, on Walton and Banstead Heaths and on
4433-857: The New Forest and the South Downs , as well as the North Downs , the Chiltern Hills and part of the Cotswolds . The River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley . It is also the location of a number of internationally known places of interest, such as HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, Thorpe Park and RHS Wisley in Surrey, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Leeds Castle ,
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4576-524: The Weald to the south. The western rivers are tributaries of the Thames ; they have carved steep valleys through the chalk and provide natural corridor routes. In addition to existing rivers, the Downs are crossed by a number of wind gaps – prehistoric river valleys no longer occupied by rivers – including those at Farnham , Betchworth , Caterham , Lyminge and Hawkinge . Except for the river valleys and wind gaps,
4719-739: The White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, Brighton Palace Pier , and Hammerwood Park in East Sussex, and Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The region has many universities; the University of Oxford is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and ranked among the best in the world. South East England is host to various sporting events, including the annual Henley Royal Regatta , Royal Ascot and The Derby , and sporting venues include Wentworth Golf Club and Brands Hatch . Some of
4862-609: The White Cliffs of Dover in Kent . Much of the North Downs comprises two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs): the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs . The North Downs Way National Trail runs along the North Downs from Farnham to Dover . The highest point in the North Downs is Botley Hill , Surrey (270 m (890 ft) above sea level). The County Top of Kent is Betsom's Hill (251 m (823 ft) above sea level), which
5005-462: The circulation of blood . The Lilly Research Centre in Windlesham, Berkshire, part of Eli Lilly , developed Olanzapine in 1996 (for bipolar disorder , selling around $ 5bn worldwide annually). Beecham Research Laboratories at Brockham Park in 1959 discovered meticillin (or methicillin), the first semi-synthetic penicillin ( beta-lactamase stable), deriving from their discovery in 1958 of 6-APA ,
5148-758: The flying tail or all-moving tail also known as a stabilator ; this would solve the problem of stability and aircraft control at supersonic speeds , and its design was taken wholesale into the American Bell X-1 , the first supersonic aircraft . The first Harrier aircraft XV738 flew on 28 December 1967; this was the first aircraft of the RAF to have a head-up display avionics system. The first two-seat Harrier XW174 flew on 24 April 1969, later crashing at Larkhill in June 1969. The British Aerospace Sea Harrier XZ450 first flew on 20 August 1978; on 4 May 1982 this aircraft
5291-525: The plan position indicator method of radar display as most commonly known ever since; the site became Plessey Radar in 1965, and currently is run by BAE Systems. Sperry Gyroscope in Bracknell produced the guidance systems for Britain's 1960s space rockets. The Wealden iron industry in the Weald was the site of the first blast furnace in Britain in 1491, and produced much of Britain's cast iron until
5434-634: The straw belle moth . On the summit of the cliffs between Deal and Folkestone the early spider orchid occurs in large numbers, as well as the rare oxtongue broomrape . Naturally exposed chalk is rare inland with the exception of the river cliffs formed by the River Mole on the west face of Box Hill and at Ham Bank in Norbury Park . However, quarry lakes within chalk pits provide habitats for great crested newt . The scarce musk orchid has colonised disused chalk pits near Hollingbourne in Kent. Woodland
5577-533: The 1770s. Portsmouth Block Mills were the site of the world's first metal machine tools , built for the manufacture of wooden pulleys , invented by Henry Maudslay , and the site of the world's first industrial assembly line in 1803. South Foreland Lighthouse on 8 December 1858 was the world's first lighthouse with electric light, with the first type of industrial electrical generator made by Frederick Hale Holmes , from work he had carried out with Floris Nollet of Belgium, and 36 permanent magnets. By 1880, of
5720-466: The 1960s. Traffic increased again during the Second World War. Between 27 May and 4 June 1940, troops evacuated from Dunkirk were transported via the line and civilian services were suspended to allow these trains to run. In the same year a new cross-country service between Newcastle and Ashford, Kent , primarily for military personnel, was introduced on the line. It ran until the end of 1944, when
5863-540: The 1995/6 Surrey County Council reports as it was thought that the stopping train frequencies on the two lines would be too low for suitable connections. The 1995/6 reports also proposed a new station at Park Barn to serve the Royal Surrey County Hospital and the University of Surrey . A local newspaper report in 2019, suggested that the new station, in northwest Guildford, could open in the mid-2020s. The 1995/6 Surrey County Council reports also suggested that
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6006-474: The A20 and M20), was implemented to confuse German night fighters with native German-speakers, and coordinated by the RAF Y service . Bletchley Park in north Buckinghamshire was the principal Allied centre for codebreaking. The Colossus computer , arguably the world's first, began working on Lorentz codes on 5 February 1944, with Colossus 2 working from June 1944. The site was chosen, among other reasons, because it
6149-455: The Downs has provided a natural transport route for centuries. Much of the historic Pilgrims' Way still survives at the foot of the scarp slope, and this has been joined much more recently by the M20 motorway . The scarp slope has also been used for fortification; many examples of this still exist, such as Thurnham Castle and on Castle Hill, Folkestone Castle Hill near Folkestone. Many beauty spots on
6292-456: The Downs, a network of narrow lanes and minor roads has developed. This has resulted in a landscape similar to that found in Normandy known as bocage . The predominant type of farming on the Downs is arable farming; this increased greatly during the 20th century. Pastoral farming also occurs but to a lesser extent. Human settlements within the Downs have generally formed in sheltered valleys and at
6435-428: The Downs, particularly along the scarp slope. Oil has been drilled at the foot of the Downs in several locations in Surrey. The Kent Coalfield was established in the late 19th century after coal was found in 1890. Four successful collieries continued to be worked through much of the 20th century: Betteshanger , Snowdown , Tilmanstone and Chislet ; Bettershanger was the last to close in 1989. The east to west ridge of
6578-546: The GWR and SW&WR, was opened to goods services on 1 December 1858 and to passenger trains on 17 January the following year. At Dorking, a single-track west-to-south spur joining the Leatherhead-Horsham line, was opened on 1 May 1867, but closed around the end of the century. The fourth link, a tight curve to the Alton line allowing SER trains from Ash to run into Aldershot station , was completed in 1879. The construction of
6721-453: The GWR at Reading were introduced on 1 July 1863 with a daily Birkenhead to Dover return working, but disappointing passenger numbers resulted in the service being withdrawn in October 1868. In January 1869, there were five daily return services between Charing Cross and Reading, ten between Dorking and the capital, and one from Guildford. Passenger numbers from Dorking fell after the opening of
6864-731: The Gatwick Airport services reverse to head south along the Brighton Main Line. Until 1994, the stopping services continued to Tonbridge , but the line between Redhill and Tonbridge was electrified in 1993. Trains on this section are now operated by Southern. Additional services on the North Downs Line are provided by South Western Railway between Reading and Wokingham (trains to/from London Waterloo ) and between Ash and Guildford (trains to/from Alton or Ascot ). Southern operates frequent services using Class 377s electric multiple units between Reigate and London Victoria . These trains use
7007-492: The LSWR-constructed Shalford Junction to Guildford section, which finally opened on 15 October 1849. The initial daily full-line timetable included six trains from London to Reading, with five in the opposite direction, supplemented with an early morning departure from Guildford to the capital and an equivalent mid-evening return. During the construction of the line, the RG&RR was unsure how best to serve
7150-556: The Leatherhead to Horsham line in 1867. In the mid-1850s, Aldershot Military Town was established for the British Army in northeast Hampshire. In 1858, the SER opened North Camp station to serve the new camps. A goods yard was constructed at the station in 1859-60. Several connections between the North Downs Line and other lines were created in the second half of the 19th century. The first
7293-414: The M40); on 13 March 1962, the first in-flight rocket-powered ejection took place by Peter Howard , an RAF doctor based at Farnborough's Institute of Aviation Medicine in Meteor WA364 at 250 ft over Chalgrove, with the rocket giving a maximum force of 16G. The Miles M.52 , designed at Woodley Aerodrome in Berkshire by Miles Aircraft , was an advanced design of aircraft which had the innovation of
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#17328517231527436-543: The North Downs Line and other passenger services. A major project to renew the signals in the Wokingham area and to transfer control of the northwestern part of the line to the Basingstoke rail operations centre was completed in February 2024. The main services on the North Downs Line are provided by GWR using Class 165 and Class 166 Networker Turbo diesel multiple units. There is a half-hourly service between Reading and Gatwick Airport via Guildford, with alternate services running semi-fast either side of Guildford. At Redhill,
7579-415: The North Downs Line are: Much of this part of the North Downs Line runs immediately to the south of the North Downs escarpment, although the route deviates to the south between Chilworth and Gomshall to avoid Albury Park . Only the 1 mi 67 ch (3.0 km) section between Reigate and Redhill is electrified. Between Shalford Junction and Gomshall, the line is controlled from Guildford signal box and
7722-455: The North Downs Line are: West of Wokingham Junction and east of Aldershot South Junction, this part of the line is electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system, leaving an 11 mi 71 ch (19.1 km) unelectrified central section. Most services on the North Downs Line use platforms 4, 5 and 6 at Reading station, but access to other platforms is possible. The Reading station area is controlled from Thames Valley rail operating centre ,
7865-739: The North Downs Line as "congested", but following the construction of new infrastructure, this status was revoked in 2023. The Reading to Guildford section of the North Downs Line is 25 mi 41 ch (41.1 km) in length and has 13 stations in total. Reading and Guildford stations are managed by Network Rail and have 15 and 7 operational platforms respectively. The other 11 stations have two platforms each. Earley , Winnersh Triangle , Winnersh , Wokingham, Ash and Wanborough stations are managed by South Western Railway (SWR). Crowthorne , Sandhurst , Blackwater , Farnborough North and North Camp stations are managed by Great Western Railway (GWR). The passenger train services that use this section of
8008-427: The North Downs Line between Reigate and Redhill, where they join the Brighton Main Line. The earliest locomotives to be used on the North Downs Line are thought to have been SER 2-4-0 engines, designed by James Cudworth . A Nasmyth and Gaskell 0-6-0 and a Hick 2-4-0 are known to have worked the line in the mid-1850s. E class 2-4-0 locomotives were introduced in the early 1860s and hauled passenger services until
8151-409: The North Downs Line in September 1850 and facilities for handling freight were provided at most stations. Goods sheds opened at Gomshall and Betchworth the following year and a shed was provided at Ash from 1856. The yard at Dorking, equipped with an 8-ton crane and cattle pens, served both the town and the Denbies estate. The permanent goods yard at Reading Southern opened on 1 December 1858, replacing
8294-421: The North Downs Line is 19 mi 79 ch (32.2 km) long and has eight stations in total. Reigate and Redhill stations are managed by Southern , but the remaining six stations ( Shalford , Chilworth , Gomshall, Dorking West , Dorking Deepdene and Betchworth ) are managed by GWR. Redhill has four platforms, but the other seven stations have two each. The passenger train services that use this section of
8437-429: The North Downs Line. GWR runs semi-fast and stopping services along the entire length of the line from Reading to Redhill, the majority of which continue along the Brighton Main Line to Gatwick Airport . Southern trains between Reigate and London Victoria use a 1 mi 67 ch (3.0 km) section west of Redhill. South Western Railway services between the capital and Reading use the line west of Wokingham and
8580-464: The North Downs are owned by the National Trust , for instance Box Hill and Langdon Cliffs . Other areas of interest are Newland's Corner , Wye Downs and the Hog's Back . Much chalk grassland and ancient woodland on the Downs is open-access, and there are also many historic sites such as Kit's Coty House (near Maidstone) and Dover Castle . The topography of the North Downs means there are relatively few summits with topographic prominence . Below
8723-447: The North Downs consists of distinct lithostratigraphic units (the types of strata, the names of which are always capitalised): Following the Cretaceous, the sea covering the south of England began to retreat and the land was pushed higher. The Weald (the area covering modern day south Surrey, south Kent and north Sussex) was lifted by the same geological processes that created the Alps , resulting in an anticline which stretched across
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#17328517231528866-414: The North Downs. Chalk grassland also supports a rich fauna, particularly insects. Notable butterfly species include Adonis blue and silver-spotted skipper , which may be found on warm, sheltered, south-facing slopes. The chalk downland above the Stour Valley is the only British site for the black-veined moth . Other notable moth species that occur on the North Downs include the fiery clearwing moth and
9009-424: The PR gained authorisation to extend its line northwards from Godalming to Shalford, where it could join the North Downs Line. New embankments and a wooden tressel bridge across the River Wey were constructed by the SER to create a triangular junction at Shalford, providing an alternative route to the capital. However, before the link could be completed, the LSWR decided to allow PR trains to use its line, eliminating
9152-475: The RG&RR in 1852. Three sections of the line were electrified by the Southern Railway in the 1930s, although around 29 miles (47 km) remains unelectrified. In the early 21st century, infrastructure works to increase the capacity of the line were undertaken, including the provision of new platforms at Reading and Redhill. The North Downs Line is a 41 mi 40 ch (66.8 km) railway line in South East England . It links Reading railway station on
9295-409: The RG&RR. The purchase took effect in March 1852, although the authorising act was not given royal assent until 17 June 1852. Over the first few years of SER ownership, the financial performance of the line was poor. In 1855, the company stated that the line was losing £15,377 per annum, but the following year, the Railway Times estimated that the annual loss was around £30,000. Through trains from
9438-445: The UK was at Epsom telephone exchange from 18 May 1912. It was introduced as standard across the UK's 6,700 telephone exchanges in 1922, lasting for around 70 years; it could handle up to 500 lines. It used the Strowger design and was made by Automatic Telephone Manufacturing Company of Liverpool. The world's first automatic telephone exchange had opened in La Porte, Indiana in November 1892. UK-Belgium 5 , laid in 1986 from Kent,
9581-427: The UK, at Farnborough; on 14 May 1909 he flew it for more than a mile. On 13 August 1909, his wife was the first woman in the UK to fly in a plane, also at Farnborough. The first human airborne ejection seat firing took place on 24 July 1946 over Chalgrove Airfield , Oxfordshire, in a Meteor , piloted by Bernard Lynch ; the first dummy ejection had been 10 May 1945 over RAF Oakley in west Buckinghamshire (today near
9724-488: The Wokingham-Reading and Guildford-Ash sections was completed on 1 January 1939. One further development to take place in the 1930s, was the withdrawal of the passenger service on the former LSWR line between Ash Junction and Farnham via Tongham on 4 July 1937. Freight services on this route continued until final closure in 1961. During the Second World War, the North Downs Line was fortified with additional earthworks, tank traps and pillboxes . A nine-road marshalling yard
9867-421: The administrative capital of England some time in the 13th century as its influence waned while the City of London dominated commerce. The last monarch to be crowned at Winchester was Richard II in 1377, although the last monarch to be crowned by the Bishop of Winchester was Queen Mary I in 1553. The Meonhill Vineyard, near Old Winchester Hill in east Hampshire on the South Downs south of West Meon on
10010-412: The astronomer, from Kent, invented the term photography in 1839, meaning light writing . and discovered the first photographic fixer , sodium thiosulphate , known as hypo , also in 1839. GLEEP was Britain's first nuclear reactor, in August 1947 at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) at Harwell, it would stay operational until 1990. William Harvey of Folkestone, in Kent, discovered
10153-426: The chalk. These sands and gravels indicate the position of a former sea shore. Where these deposits occur, they are thin and the chalk also comes to the surface in the same areas (e.g. Headley Heath on the north east side of Box Hill), allowing acid-loving plants to thrive alongside those that prefer alkaline conditions , producing the rare chalk heath habitat. Worked flints and human and animal remains dating from
10296-489: The conclusion of negotiations with the LSWR, a bill authorising the curve linking the RG&RR to the South West Main Line at Farnborough was granted royal assent on 26 June 1849. Two sections of the line, from Farnborough to Reading and from Reigate Junction to Dorking, opened on 4 July 1849. Locomotives and rolling stock were delivered to the western section via the single-track link to the South West Main Line. From
10439-490: The contract to build the Dorking-Shalford Junction section of the RG&RR was awarded to Charles Henfrey that May. The SER was responsible for constructing the stations on the eastern half of the line, for which it was paid £25,000. Peter Barlow was appointed engineer in late 1847, although the exact date is uncertain. He disagreed strongly with Stephenson's alterations to the station arrangement at Reading, but
10582-518: The control of Network SouthEast, one of the five business sectors of British Rail . In 1989, groups of lines in the sector were given names and identities; the Reading-Tonbridge and Reading-Gatwick airport services were branded the "North Downs Line" and the crest of the former Tonbridge Urban District Council was applied to the trains. In 1993, the Class 165 and 166 units were introduced. The reaction to
10725-481: The conurbation known as the Greater London Urban Area . The South East has the highest percentage of people born outside of Britain other than London . According to the 2021 census, 78.8% of residents were White British , 7.1% Other White (inc. 0.8% Irish ), 7.0% British Asian , 2.8% Mixed Race , 2.4% Black British , and 1.4% of other groups . There was no census in 1941. South East England
10868-485: The core constituent; the team, led by Prof George Rolinson, won the Mullard Award in 1971. Bipyridine compounds (Paraquat-Gramoxone and Diquat) were discovered for herbicide use in 1954 by William Boon at ICI's Plant Protection division at Jealott's Hill, being released onto the market in 1958. AZT/Retrovir ( zidovudine ) was first manufactured by Wellcome in 1987 in Kent; they also introduced Zovirax ( aciclovir ), and
11011-544: The crest of the escarpment is almost continuous along its length. The dip slope is dissected by many small dry valleys , and in the broad eastern part in Kent, by further river valleys such as that of the Little Stour . Leith Hill (the highest point in Surrey) is sometimes incorrectly referred to as part of the North Downs, but it is located on the parallel Greensand Ridge and does not consist of chalk. The Downland of
11154-508: The crest of the escarpment above Folkestone. There is considerable evidence of Mesolithic activity in the Surrey Downs through the discovery of pit-dwellings at Weston Woods near Albury and the quantity of discarded tools, microliths and other implements discovered. In about 3000 BC the emergence of Neolithic culture saw the lifestyle of the Mesolithic hunter-gatherers shift to
11297-756: The early 1960s. Donald Watts Davies invented packet switching in the late 1960s at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington . Packet-switching was taken up by the Americans to form the ARPANET , the precursor to the Internet. Surrey's Alec Reeves invented pulse-code modulation (PCM) in 1937 (at ITT 's research laboratories in Paris), the standard for digital audio recordings. Sir John Herschel , son of
11440-536: The electrified sections or to completely electrify the remainder. A study for Surrey County Council, published in two parts in 1995 and 1996, recommended that the Dorking–Reigate section be electrified and a north–east link from the Mole Valley Line be built, to enable a loop service to operate via Epsom , Redhill and East Croydon . The Surrey Rail Strategy, published in 2015, noted that infill electrification of
11583-524: The end of the 19th century. James Stirling , who was appointed locomotive superintendent at the SER in 1878, introduced F class 4-4-0 engines to the line in 1897. From 1902, Q class 0-4-4T tank engines were used and are known to have worked the Ash-Aldershot shuttle services. Traffic increased during the First World War, with additional trains serving the army camps at Aldershot. GWR 3300 class "Bulldogs" and 3252 class "Dukes" were deployed to
11726-413: The end of the decade. The final through services between London and Reading via Redhill (one train in each direction per day) were withdrawn at the same time. On 4 January that year, Class 206 units , nicknamed Tadpoles and officially designated 3R, began operating an hourly stopping service between Tonbridge and Reading, calling at all stations except Winnersh and Earley. The second Beeching report, which
11869-536: The escarpment, in which the underlying stratum is primarily gault clay . The northern boundary is less apparent but occurs where the chalk submerges below the more recent Paleocene deposits. The Downs are highest near the Kent–Surrey border, often reaching heights in excess of 200 m (660 ft) above sea level at the crest of the escarpment. The highest point is Botley Hill in Surrey at 269 m (883 ft). The County top of Kent at Betsom's Hill , with
12012-518: The events of the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney and part of the cycling road race in the Surrey Hills . In medieval times , South East England included much of the Kingdom of Wessex , which was the precursor to the modern state of England . Winchester was the capital of England after unification of the various states, including the kingdoms of Kent , Sussex and Mercia . Winchester stopped being
12155-774: The first point of sale terminal in Europe - the NCR 280 in 1973. The National Fruit Collection is the largest collection of fruit trees in the world, at Brogdale , and is next to the M2 at the A251 junction in Ospringe . Scalextric was invented by Fred Francis in 1956, who founded Minimodels in Havant; initially the model cars had been clockwork ; it was made from 1967 at Triang in Margate. The world's first Mars Bar
12298-563: The first to assign the correct atomic number to elements in periodic table ; he did not receive any Nobel Prize as it is not awarded posthumously (he was killed in 1915 at Gallipoli with the Royal Engineers). Carbon fibre was invented in 1963 at the RAE in Farnborough by a team led by William Watt. The Apollo LCG space-suit cooling system originated mostly from work done at RAE Farnborough in
12441-518: The foot of the scarp slope (known as spring line settlements). In recent years vineyards have been planted along the southern slopes of the Downs, in particular the Denbies Wine Estate , Dorking , which is the largest vineyard in the country, accounting for 10% of the country's vines. The chalky soils are similar to those of the Champagne region. There is plenty of evidence of chalk extraction on
12584-414: The former Standard Statistical Region. The South East is also occasionally used as a synonym for the home counties . The population of the region at the 2011 census was 8,634,750 making it the most populous English region. The major conurbations of the region include South Hampshire (855,000), Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton (474,000) and Reading (318,000). Settlements closer to London are part of
12727-409: The full length of the North Downs Line would create around 8,000 jobs and would stimulate £1.9 billion of economic growth, based on research by four local enterprise partnerships . The Blackwater Valley Rail Survey, published in 1991, suggested replacing the station at Farnborough North with an interchange station where the South West Main Line crosses the North Downs Line. This option was dismissed in
12870-538: The immediate need for the connection. It is unclear whether track was ever laid over the spur, but the SER decided not to continue its work, fearing that completion would violate its long-standing agreement with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway not to compete for traffic to Portsmouth. As a result of the Railways Act 1921 , the North Downs Line became part of the Southern Railway in 1923. Three parts of
13013-483: The line between Redhill (22 miles 40 chains) and Shalford Junction (41 mi 60 ch), and between Ash Junction (48 mi 34 ch) and Reading (68 mi 68 ch) are measured from Charing Cross station in London. The North Downs Line is double track for the entirety of its 45 mi 40 ch (73.2 km) length and has a maximum operational line speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) for passenger trains. Three sections of
13156-489: The line could form the core of a rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. There are three listed structures on the North Downs Line. South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of Berkshire , Buckinghamshire , East Sussex , Hampshire ,
13299-434: The line from Earley to North Camp is controlled by Basingstoke rail operating centre and the section from North Camp is controlled by Guildford signal box. The majority of this section has a line speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) with the exception of the approaches to Reading, Wokingham and Guildford stations, and a 40 mph (64 km/h) restriction at Ash Junction where the line curves sharply. The steepest gradient, to
13442-399: The line were electrified in the 1930s using the third-rail system. The 1.9 mi (3.1 km) section between Redhill and Reigate was electrified under the Brighton Main Line electrification programme. Electric trains began running in public service on 17 July 1932, with trains to and from Reigate splitting and joining at Redhill with trains to and from Three Bridges . The electrification of
13585-461: The line, Redhill–Reigate, Guildford–Aldershot South Junction and Wokingham–Reading, are electrified using the 750 V DC third-rail system. Two sections, Reigate–Shalford Junction and Aldershot South Junction–Wokingham, together totalling 29 mi (47 km) route miles, are unelectrified. The line has a W6 loading gauge and overnight engineering possessions of up to 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours are available. In 2006, Network Rail classified
13728-454: The line, supplemented by 15 Great Northern Railway 2-4-0 locomotives. In 1924, Maunsell N class steam engines began hauling passenger trains and P Class 0-6-0 tank engines took over the Ash-Aldershot shuttle at around the same time. In the 1930s, the majority of services were worked by F1 and D class 4-4-0s, and H class 0-4-4Ts. In 1938, ex-GWR 2-6-0 and 4-6-0 engines moved to the North Downs Line and continued to haul trains until
13871-456: The line, with the exception of Redhill, Guildford and Reading. The change was made possible with the introduction of conductor-guards, with the ability to sell tickets, on all trains. An express service between Gatwick Airport and Reading began in May 1980, calling at North Camp, Guildford and Redhill. These trains began stopping at Dorking Deepdene in May 1986. From 1982, the North Downs Line came under
14014-555: The line. Class 33 diesel-electric locomotives began hauling trains in 1962. The final, scheduled, steam-hauled passenger service on the North Downs Line departed Reading Southern for Guildford on the evening of 3 January 1965, although a few steam-hauled freight services continued until the end of the decade. A new timetable was introduced on 4 January 1965, with 3R (Class 206) diesel-electric multiple units operating an hourly, all-stations service between Reading and Tonbridge. The new trains consisted of two 6S ( Class 201 ) coaches from
14157-556: The line. Between Redhill and Ash, the line runs roughly parallel with the North Downs , a range of chalk hills that runs from Farnham to the White Cliffs of Dover . Between Ash and Reading, the line crosses the sands, gravels and clays of the London Basin . The steepest gradients, 1 in 96, and summit of the line are near Gomshall , where the route crosses the watershed between the Rivers Mole and Wey in Surrey. The distances along
14300-481: The majority of the route to the east is controlled by Reigate signal box. Redhill railway station and its approaches are controlled by Three Bridges rail operations centre. The maximum speed on this part of the North Downs Line is 70 mph (110 km/h). The route crosses the Mole Valley Line immediately to the east of Dorking Deepdene, but there is no longer a junction between the two. The navigable River Wey
14443-521: The naturally occurring digoxin , a cardiac glycoside . After a plane crashed near his house in Oxford in 1940, Sir Peter Medawar helped the injured pilot, and in the process discovered homograft rejection , leading to organ transplantation using azathioprine . Viagra ( Sildenafil ) was synthesized at Pfizer in Sandwich, Kent. Sir Francis Pettit Smith of Kent invented the screw propeller . On 3 May 1830
14586-589: The new station was intended to cater to passengers from the Leatherhead area. The first freight trains began running on the line in September 1850. Goods sheds opened at Gomshall and Betchworth the following year and a shed was provided at Ash from 1856. The yard at Dorking, equipped with an 8-ton crane and cattle pens, served both the town and the Denbies estate. In October 1851, the SER applied to parliament to take over
14729-461: The new trains was positive and, over the following 12 months, a 46% increase in passenger numbers was recorded for North Camp. Tonbridge remained the easternmost terminus for the North Downs Line services until the electrification of the Redhill-Tonbridge line in 1994, when the stopping services were cut back to Redhill. As the result of the privatisation of British Rail , the North Downs Line
14872-629: The north-west curve, leaving only the north-east curve to be built. At Reading, Giles had proposed running alongside the Great Western Main Line on a widened embankment, but Stephenson argued that the RG&RR should build a separate station (later known as Reading Southern ) instead of sharing the Great Western Railway (GWR) facilities. Minor alterations were also made to the route in the Gomshall, Albury and Ash areas. A deviations bill
15015-401: The outset, the line was worked by the SER. The initial timetable was four trains in each direction per day between Farnborough and Reading. There were seven trains from Dorking to London on weekdays and one fewer in the opposite direction. The sections from Dorking to Shalford and from Guildford to Farnborough opened in August 1849. The collapse of St Catherine's Tunnel delayed the completion of
15158-402: The railway line from Godalming to Havant was completed in late 1858, although the first passenger services did not start running until January the following year. Since the line had been built on a speculative basis by the independent Portsmouth Railway (PR) company, it was unclear whether the LSWR would allow its trains to run over its line via Guildford and Woking to reach London. In July 1854,
15301-568: The region are at state secondary schools (the highest in England) with 101,000 in Kent (the highest in England for a county and completely selective) then 70,000 in Hampshire, 60,000 in Surrey, 45,000 in West Sussex, 36,000 in Oxfordshire, 35,000 in Buckinghamsire. The lowest is 6,000 at Bracknell Forest, then Reading with about 6,000. Of all regions, the South-East has the greatest percentage that attend
15444-676: The region is the chimney of Grain Power Station at 801 ft; it is the second-tallest chimney in the UK after Drax power station . George Albert Smith developed the first colour film process, known as Kinemacolor , in 1906 at Southwick, West Sussex . George E. Davis from Slough, is the founding father of chemical engineering. Wiggins Teape, later ARJO Wiggins Fine Papers , had the largest paper research centre in Europe at Butlers Court in Beaconsfield; built in 1891 and vacated in 2009. Bentalls in Bracknell (now Fenwick since 2017) had
15587-502: The region. It was abolished on 31 March 2009 and replaced with South East England Councils in Kingston upon Thames . The region is divided into several local council areas, most composed of two-tiered councils (the tiers are county councils and district councils) and unitary authorities : The South East of England is the most Conservative voting region of Britain in terms of both seats and votes. The area also has some seats where there
15730-482: The remaining unelectrified sections using the DC third-rail system would reduce the journey time between Reading and Gatwick Airport by 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 minutes for fast services and by 7 minutes for stopping trains. Overhead electrification of the line would reduce the journey time by 5 minutes for fast services and by 11 minutes for stopping trains. The following year, Surrey County Council suggested that electrification of
15873-537: The results for each county as a whole are not always directly related to the number of grammar schools, as Kent and Medway perform below average at A-level. The King's School, Canterbury claims to be oldest in England: 597 AD. Herschel Grammar School in Slough is the most oversubscribed school in England, with 14 people per place, Langley Grammar School in Slough is next with 13 per place, then Burnham Grammar School. 508,000 in
16016-492: The route as well. The Class 119 and 101 units were replaced by Class 165 and 166 units in 1993. In 2018, GWR announced that it would lease Class 769 hybrid multiple units for use on the North Downs Line and on other services in the Thames Valley. In 2022, the company decided not to pursue plans to introduce the Class 769 fleet and stated that all units were to be returned to the lessor. The first goods trains began running on
16159-494: The same company operates between Guildford and Ash en route to Aldershot . The majority of the North Downs Line was constructed by the independent Reading, Reigate and Guildford Railway company (RG&RR), although the section between Guildford and Ash Junction was built by the London and South Western Railway . The line opened in 1849 and services were run from the outset by the South Eastern Railway , which took over
16302-426: The same month, the South Eastern Railway (SER), which had wanted to build its own short branch from Reigate Junction to Dorking, offered to operate the line. A bill was prepared for parliament and the RG&RR was authorised on 16 July 1846, the same day that the LSWR's line from Guildford to Alton was approved. The act gave the RG&RR the powers to construct the section of the line from Dorking to Gomshall, if it
16445-451: The south. The narrow spine of the Hog's Back between Farnham and Guildford forms the western extremity of the North Downs, whilst the cliffs between Folkestone and Deal terminate the ridge in the east. The North Downs cuesta has a steep south-facing scarp slope and a more gentle north-facing dip slope . Its southern boundary is defined by the low-lying Vale of Holmesdale at the foot of
16588-404: The southern terminus was changed to Southampton Docks . In the 1950s, the majority of passenger trains were hauled by Maunsell N and U class locomotives, supplemented towards the end of the decade by Standard Class 4 tender and tank engines . From 1959 onwards, electrification schemes in Kent allowed LSWR N15 class "King Arthurs" and SR V class "Schools" steam engines to be transferred to
16731-519: The ten lighthouses with electric light, five were in the UK. From the lighthouse in 1899, the first international radio broadcast to France was made. Zénobe Gramme of Belgium made a much better design in 1870 with self-excitation of magnets, and the first modern dynamo . North Foreland Lighthouse was the UK's last-staffed lighthouse until 1998. Portland cement was developed in Northfleet, Kent, by William Aspdin, son of Joseph Aspdin . The development
16874-495: The valleys of the dip slope, whilst the Stour Valley long barrows are constructed of earth. The landscape of the Downs has been greatly shaped by man. There has been deforestation of the Downs for centuries. The woodland that remains today is largely located where deforestation has been inhibited by steep slopes or by the layer of clay with flints, which is difficult to plough. Because of the many small farms that have survived on
17017-533: The villages of Shere and Gomshall. When passenger services on the section between Dorking and Shalford began in August 1849, two temporary stations opened – one for each village. The Shere Heath station was closed the following year and a permanent station was built at Gomshall to replace the temporary platforms there. In 1851, a platform was opened at the point where the line crosses the Dorking-London road. Initially called Box Hill and now known as Dorking Deepdene,
17160-529: The west of Guildford, is 1 in 100. The Waterloo–Reading line diverges from this part of the North Downs Line at Wokingham Junction and a spur to the Alton line joins at Aldershot South Junction. In addition, the line passes beneath the South Western Main Line at Farnborough , but there is no longer a junction between the two. This section passes over two navigable waterways, the River Kennet and
17303-469: The west of the Medway Valley is dominated by upright brome and fescue , whilst grassland to the east is dominated by tor-grass . Owing to the close proximity of the North Downs to the European continent, the warm climate and the south-facing escarpment, several plant species survive on the chalk grassland which are scarce or not found elsewhere in the British Isles. The nationally rare late spider orchid
17446-489: The withdrawal of the Tadpoles in May 1981. The express service from Reading to Gatwick Airport was launched on 12 May 1980. The Class 119 units were especially modified for this service and the buffet counter in the centre coach was removed to create extra luggage space. Initially the service called at North Camp, Guildford and Redhill, but began stopping at Dorking Deepdene in May 1986. Three-car Class 101 units were later used on
17589-597: The world's first bus service was by Eastbourne Buses from Eastbourne railway station to Meads . The world's first submarine telephone cable was laid between England and France in 1891 by HMTS Monarch, enabling London-Paris calls from April 1891. On 3 December 1992, Neil Papworth of Reading, an engineer from Sema Group Telecoms at Vodafone in Newbury, sent the world's first text message from his computer to an Orbitel 901 handset of Richard Jarvis, Vodafone's technical director. The first public automatic telephone exchange in
17732-484: The world's first multi-channel flight data recorders in 1965. Although the Comet is generally accepted as the world's first production-run jet airliner, the first jet airliner ever built (individual) was a Nene -powered Vickers VC.1 Viking on 6 April 1948 from Wisley Airfield ; the world's first turboprop airliner would fly from there on 16 July 1948 by Mutt Summers . In 1939 at Cowes ( Northwood ) John Godeck invented
17875-572: The world's first passenger train service, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway (6 miles or 10 km) began. It was built by George Stephenson and hauled by the locomotive Invicta . It introduced the world's first railway season ticket in 1834. Maidenhead Railway Bridge , known for its flat arch, was built in 1839 with 39-metre spans. The Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment , in Chertsey, developed Chobham armour . On 12 April 1903,
18018-466: Was a 300 m (330 yd) single-track link running into the GWR station at Reading, which opened on 30 August 1855. The Staines, Wokingham and Woking Junction Railway (SW&WR), which had been granted running powers over the Wokingham-Reading section in 1853, opened its line from Ascot on 9 July 1856. A second link at Reading, which passed under the Great Western Main Line and which was owned by
18161-518: Was a British Timber Works narrow gauge railway, active between the 1910s and 1930s. Brockham Limeworks and Brickworks, to the east of Dorking, was connected to the North Downs Line by a standard-gauge siding, but also had a small 2 ft ( 610 mm ) system. Betchworth quarry and limeworks, which operated between 1865 and 1963, had an extensive system with four different track gauges. The travelling post office train from Dover to Manchester Piccadilly via Tonbridge, Redhill, Guildford and Reading
18304-547: Was an important statistician from Tunbridge Wells; his theorem (of probability theory ) is used for spam filters and Google's search . Sir David N. Payne at the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre invented the erbium-doped fibre amplifier , a type of optical amplifier , in the mid-1980s, which became essential for the internet. Henry Moseley at Oxford in 1913 discovered his Moseley's law of X-ray spectra of chemical elements that enabled him to be
18447-614: Was built at Shalford and the link to the Dorking-Horsham line at Dorking was reinstated. The North Downs Line played a major role in the transport of troops evacuated from Dunkirk in May and June 1940. The first Beeching report , published in 1963, recommended shutting all stations between Shalford and Betchworth inclusive. Instead of the proposed partial closure, steam-hauled passenger trains were replaced by diesel multiple units in January 1965, although steam-hauled freight continued until
18590-687: Was built in 1986. This is the world's highest-capacity submarine HVDC cable; it goes from France and lands near Folkestone, with the large transformer station (built by GEC) squeezed between the CTRL and the M20 in Aldington and Smeeth , made of eight 270 kV cables. On 16 October 1908 the British Army Aeroplane No 1 , flown by the American Samuel Franklin Cody , was the first aircraft flown in
18733-456: Was commissioned to survey the line. His route, presented to the board in January 1846, had an estimated cost of £710,000 and was to be double track throughout. It would run from the Great Western Main Line at Reading to the Brighton Main Line at Reigate Junction (later Redhill). Between Dorking and Gomshall, Giles' route required the use of the proposed London & Portsmouth Direct Atmospheric Railway . The approaches to Guildford would use part of
18876-416: Was far more extensive on the North Downs prior to human clearance 5000 to 4000 years ago. Fragments still remain particularly where the layer of clay-with-flints overlying the chalk has inhibited clearance. Where this is the case species such as pedunculate oak predominate, although much woodland has been replanted with conifer and sweet chestnut . Calcareous woodland occurs on thin soils where chalk
19019-635: Was hit by anti-aircraft fire at Goose Green , killing the pilot with 800 Naval Air Squadron from HMS Hermes ; the aircraft had no radar warning receiver (RWR), due to testing the Sea Eagle , so could not detect the Skyguard radar had locked on to it. It was destroyed with the Oerlikon GDF (35mm) of GADA 601 ; it was the first Sea Harrier lost in the Falklands campaign. Royston Instruments of Byfleet developed
19162-625: Was included in the Thames Trains franchise, won by the Go-Ahead Group in 1996. The franchise was awarded to FirstGroup in 2003 and trains were branded "First Great Western Link" for the next two years. In 2006, the former Thames Trains operations became part of the Greater Western franchise , won by FirstGroup. In the 2010s, additional platforms were opened at Reading, Redhill and Gatwick Airport stations, to increase capacity for trains using
19305-531: Was led initially by Frederick Mangles, a banker from Guildford, and most of the board members were businessmen from London and Surrey. The company's stated objective was to build a line linking the three towns in its name to "secure through traffic passing between the West, North and Midlands and the Channel Ports avoiding the congestion of London and thus saving time, distance and expense." The engineer, Francis Giles ,
19448-627: Was made in Slough in 1932; it was modelled on the Milky Way , popular at the time in the USA. Twix was introduced at Slough in 1967, with production moving to eastern France (Mars Chocolat France at Haguenau in Alsace ) in 2005. The Ford GT40 was developed by Ford Advanced Vehicles at Slough in the mid-1960s. The highest point is Walbury Hill in Berkshire at 297 m (974 ft). Britain's tallest native tree, according to The Tree Register in April 2015,
19591-526: Was not built in time by the London & Portsmouth Direct Atmospheric Railway Company. Francis Giles died in March 1847 and his position as surveyor and engineer was taken, on a temporary basis, by Robert Stephenson . Stephenson began to make changes to Giles' scheme, primarily to reduce costs. Around £3000 was to be saved by simplifying the link to the South Western Main Line at Farnborough, eliminating
19734-459: Was published in February 1965, recommended that the whole of the North Downs Line should be developed as a trunk route for freight services. Reading Southern station closed on 6 September 1965 and all North Downs Line services were diverted to platform 4a at the main Reading station thereafter. Platform 4b at Reading opened in May 1975. In November 1967, full-time staff were removed from all stations on
19877-578: Was routed along the line from May 1988 until 1996, when a new road and rail postal hub opened at Willesden. The Network Rail 2008 Strategic Business Plan recommended an enhancement project to enable freight traffic from the Channel Tunnel to use the line. Three sections of the North Downs Line were electrified by the Southern Railway in the 1930s, but around 29 mi (47 km) remains unelectrified. There have been several proposals to either extend
20020-489: Was submitted to parliament and was given royal assent on 22 July 1847. A formal ceremony to mark the start of construction took place near Betchworth on 20 August 1847. Contracts were awarded to George Wythes and William Jackson for the construction of the Reigate Junction-Dorking and Farnborough-Reading sections. In mid-1848, the plans for the London & Portsmouth Direct Atmospheric Railway were abandoned and
20163-461: Was the world's first optical fibre submarine cable, and is 36 miles long. ThrustSSC , the fastest car in the world in 1997, was built in Aldingbourne , West Sussex, by G-Force Engineering, designed by Ron Ayers , with further work done by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency at Farnborough. The BritNed 1000MW power-supply submarine cable from Isle of Grain to Rotterdam, was built in 2009. The HVDC Cross-Channel (2000MW) submarine cable
20306-497: Was to heat the ingredients to around 1450 °C, producing clinker . Previously, temperatures were taken to only 800 °C, which was not enough. The first ever cement kiln is still in Northfleet today in a cardboard factory. In the late 1800s, the rotary kiln made the process much more efficient. Concrete, effectively human-made stone, is the most widespread human-made material. 5% of all carbon emissions worldwide are from concrete production. The tallest freestanding structure in
20449-435: Was unable to persuade the RG&RR board to reinstate Giles' original scheme. Barlow made some minor alterations to reduce costs, including reducing the span of the bridge over the Basingstoke Canal from 40 ft (12 m) to 24 ft (7.3 m). He also suggested building the Dorking to Farnborough section as single track, but the board decided to continue with Giles' plans for a fully double-tracked railway. Following
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