Sprat Sand

The Sprat and Winkle Line was the common name of the Andover to Redbridge railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, England. In the Romsey area it joined, and then left, the Salisbury to Southampton line. It was built by the Andover and Redbridge Railway (A&RR), which was incorporated in 1858. In 1863 the uncompleted railway was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), which opened the line in 1865. The line had been conceived as part of a trunk route from Manchester to Southampton, but when the Midland and South Western Junction Railway (M&SWJR) opened, the anticipated long-distance traffic was disappointing. The M&SWJR line closed in 1961 and the Andover line was unable to survive on purely local traffic. The part from Andover to Romsey (Kimbridge Junction) closed to passengers in 1964, and completely in 1967. The section from Romsey to Redbridge had become part of the line from Salisbury to Southampton; it remains in use at the present day.