Ryde Tram – Strand Arch

The first iteration of the horse-drawn tram on The Strand took an unusual detour right into the heart of a residence. This was because Monkton Brook runs below the road that would have been easiest for the tram to travel through; hence, the tram would have been too heavy for that course. Therefore, in order to circumvent the brook, engineers from Ryde developed an alternative route. As can be seen in the Images section, in order to accomplish this goal, a home needed some fairly classy renovations.

A tramcar that was operated on this particular tram route was constructed in 1871, and it is currently on exhibit at the Streetlife Museum in Hull. This tramcar is recognised as being Britain’s oldest surviving tramcar. It was constructed on Merseyside for the Ryde Pier Company and ran for 681 metres. It transported ferry passengers from sites in the Ryde district to other locations along those 681 metres. The Resources section contains additional content that is more in-depth in nature.

The esplanade may be seen in the photograph that can be seen above. If you look at the road in close enough detail, you will be able to pick out the level crossing for the tramway that comes from the Eastern Gardens and runs over the road.