Railway Arrives in Chichester

1846

The railway reached Chichester in 1846 when the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway opened the line from Brighton through Worthing and Arundel to Chichester and onwards to Portsmouth. The station was built on the southern side of the city, outside the walls, on Stockbridge Road. The arrival of the railway transformed Chichester's connections. Before 1846, the city relied on road transport by coach and carrier, with the canal providing a limited waterway link to the harbour. The railway brought fast, reliable connections to London, Brighton and Portsmouth. Journey times that had taken a full day by coach were reduced to hours. The economic effects were significant. The canal lost its commercial traffic to the railway within a few years. New housing began to appear outside the walls, along the roads leading to the station. Commuting became possible, and Chichester began to attract residents who worked elsewhere but valued the city's character and its proximity to the coast and the Downs. The station was also the junction for branch lines: the line to Midhurst opened in 1881 (closed 1953) and connected the city to the rural Weald, while the Selsey Tramway operated from 1897 to 1935, serving the Manhood Peninsula. The main line survives today as the West Coastway route, with regular services to London Victoria via Gatwick, to Brighton, and to Portsmouth and Southampton. Chichester station remains in its original position south of the city walls.