The golden age of public transport was revisited last week as an incredible milestone was celebrated at Farnham railway station.

The clocked turn back more than a century and a half last Tuesday as a ceremony was held to mark the station’s 175th birthday.

Representatives from South Western Railway, Farnham Town Council, The Watercress Line, Hampshire Community Rail Partnership and more gathered for the morning celebration.

Waverley Borough Council leader Cllr John Ward unveiled a plaque to mark the milestone while guests recalled stories and shared their memories of the station.

They and commuters were greeted with a balloon arch, coffee and birthday cake while cheers were given in a celebration of Farnham’s railway legacy.

The only thing missing was a steam train but the Rural Life Living Museum provided visitors with some historical background.

The museum’s founder, Henry Jackson, was part of the Southern Railway Home Guard group, but was too young to sign up for the effort at the time so he became a lamp boy and, latterly, a porter.

Indeed, commuters could be forgive for thinking they had stepped back several decades with a vintage Aldershot & District double-decker bus outside and people walking around in wartime attire.

The station was opened by the London & South Western Railway on October 8, 1849, but early passengers did not have a direct line to Waterloo and had to change at Guildford.

That came 21 years later when the route to Brookwood and Woking opened, opening up new possibilities and trade routes.