Michael L. Roach
The Nineteen Sixty Four Series - Part 2
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 101
Day Trip to Highbridge - 09.09.1964
Michael L. Roach
After looking at occurrences in 1906, 1926 and 2010 recently perhaps it is time to return to the year 1964. In Part 91 I wrote about the upcoming sixtieth anniversary of the closure of the Somerset and Dorset with some of the photographs attached to that article coming from a day trip to the line on Thursday 10 September 1964. I described how I travelled to Bath for a return trip from Green Park to Templecombe and back.
The previous day, Wednesday 9 September 1964, I travelled from Plymouth, via Okehampton, to Exeter and on to Highbridge. The last leg from Taunton to Highbridge (18 miles) was in a 3-car dmu towing one parcels van and the train stopped at three stations which would soon be closed: - Creech, Durston and Dunball. I was at Highbridge for just over an hour and visited the engine shed and also walked down to Highbridge Wharf. Although the town is more than a mile inland from the Bristol Channel the Wharf received ships bringing timber for more than a century finally closing to commercial traffic just two months after my visit (other sources say earlier). There were numerous railway sidings on the wharf. From 1801 to 1809 French prisoners-of-war were used to cut a new straight channel for the River Brue through the town of Highbridge. The old/original channel was where the railway constructed their wharf. That railway was originally the Somerset Central Railway which was broad gauge and backed by and worked by the Bristol and Exeter. The Somerset Central and the Dorset Central amalgamated on 1 September 1862 but only became jointly owned (Midland/LSWR) in 1875. I recommend looking at the First Edition of the OS 25-inch plans of Highbridge from the 1880s available on the NLS website; also, the book recommended at the end.
I left Highbridge on the 16.00 to Evercreech Junction hauled by Collet goods 3210 with just one coach and one parcels van. Since the train was due at the junction at 17.00 and my train back from Evercreech Junction departed at 17.00 I opted to bail out at the previous station, Pylle Halt, and await the return train there. It turned up behind Ivatt 2-6-2 tank 41296, again with one coach and one parcels van. The timetable gave most trains 55 – 60 minutes for the 22 miles from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction with a longer stay of 5 or 6 minutes at Glastonbury & Street Station where there always seemed to be a large pile of parcels and mailbags to be dealt with. On the return trip Collet goods 3218 was there at Glastonbury with a single parcels van; but where had it come from as I had not noted it earlier? All three steam engines seen on this line that day were based at Templecombe Shed.
A one-minute connection between the two stations at Highbridge looked tight but turned out to be easy as 41296 arrived 2E and the DMU departed 3L. It took me 12 miles south to Durston Station which was on borrowed time as the passenger service was withdrawn just one month after my visit. The Bristol & Exeter had chosen Durston as the location of the junction for their branch to Yeovil back in 1845 although the line and Durston Station did not open until 1853. The Yeovil Branch had closed three months before my visit to Durston. It is hard to know why Brunel had chosen Durston for the junction of the Yeovil Branch rather than Taunton itself as the railway could have followed the valley of the River Tone direct from Athelney to Taunton as the later 1906 cut-off did. In 1964 all passenger trains ran through to Taunton, but in 1853 all trains started and terminated at Durston. In 1902 it was roughly half and half.
If the line from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction still existed, the stations at West Pennard and Pylle would be the nearest railway stations to the site of the Glastonbury Music Festival Site; but in 1964 the forerunner of the Glastonbury Festival was still six years in the future. The nearest railhead is now at Castle Cary on the Paddington to Penzance railway line.
The previous day, Wednesday 9 September 1964, I travelled from Plymouth, via Okehampton, to Exeter and on to Highbridge. The last leg from Taunton to Highbridge (18 miles) was in a 3-car dmu towing one parcels van and the train stopped at three stations which would soon be closed: - Creech, Durston and Dunball. I was at Highbridge for just over an hour and visited the engine shed and also walked down to Highbridge Wharf. Although the town is more than a mile inland from the Bristol Channel the Wharf received ships bringing timber for more than a century finally closing to commercial traffic just two months after my visit (other sources say earlier). There were numerous railway sidings on the wharf. From 1801 to 1809 French prisoners-of-war were used to cut a new straight channel for the River Brue through the town of Highbridge. The old/original channel was where the railway constructed their wharf. That railway was originally the Somerset Central Railway which was broad gauge and backed by and worked by the Bristol and Exeter. The Somerset Central and the Dorset Central amalgamated on 1 September 1862 but only became jointly owned (Midland/LSWR) in 1875. I recommend looking at the First Edition of the OS 25-inch plans of Highbridge from the 1880s available on the NLS website; also, the book recommended at the end.
I left Highbridge on the 16.00 to Evercreech Junction hauled by Collet goods 3210 with just one coach and one parcels van. Since the train was due at the junction at 17.00 and my train back from Evercreech Junction departed at 17.00 I opted to bail out at the previous station, Pylle Halt, and await the return train there. It turned up behind Ivatt 2-6-2 tank 41296, again with one coach and one parcels van. The timetable gave most trains 55 – 60 minutes for the 22 miles from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction with a longer stay of 5 or 6 minutes at Glastonbury & Street Station where there always seemed to be a large pile of parcels and mailbags to be dealt with. On the return trip Collet goods 3218 was there at Glastonbury with a single parcels van; but where had it come from as I had not noted it earlier? All three steam engines seen on this line that day were based at Templecombe Shed.
A one-minute connection between the two stations at Highbridge looked tight but turned out to be easy as 41296 arrived 2E and the DMU departed 3L. It took me 12 miles south to Durston Station which was on borrowed time as the passenger service was withdrawn just one month after my visit. The Bristol & Exeter had chosen Durston as the location of the junction for their branch to Yeovil back in 1845 although the line and Durston Station did not open until 1853. The Yeovil Branch had closed three months before my visit to Durston. It is hard to know why Brunel had chosen Durston for the junction of the Yeovil Branch rather than Taunton itself as the railway could have followed the valley of the River Tone direct from Athelney to Taunton as the later 1906 cut-off did. In 1964 all passenger trains ran through to Taunton, but in 1853 all trains started and terminated at Durston. In 1902 it was roughly half and half.
If the line from Highbridge to Evercreech Junction still existed, the stations at West Pennard and Pylle would be the nearest railway stations to the site of the Glastonbury Music Festival Site; but in 1964 the forerunner of the Glastonbury Festival was still six years in the future. The nearest railhead is now at Castle Cary on the Paddington to Penzance railway line.
80064 arrives at Okehampton with 5C on the 08.48 Padstow to Exeter on 09.09.1964. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Collet goods 3210 is seen by the turntable at Highbridge on 9 September 1964. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Standard GWR 20-ton goods brake van no. W68557 was stored at Highbridge Wharf, and slated for withdrawal. Believed to have been built in 1925. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Highbridge Station looking north to Bristol. The former S&DJR Burnham and Evercreech Branch crossed the Western Region main line on the level between the far end of the signal box and the abutment of the road bridge. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
With ten minutes to go 3210 waits to take out the 16.00 train to Evercreech Junction. This was the fourth of five eastbound trains a day. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Ivatt 2-6-2 tank 41296 brings the 17.00 Evercreech Junction to Highbridge into Pylle just four minutes after leaving Evercreech Junction. This was the fourth of six trains a day in this direction. The road bridge carried the A37 / Fosse Way over the railway and has been demolished since the line closed. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Durston Station looking north to Bristol. The line was opened by the Bristol & Exeter Railway in 1844 and the station in 1853 when it became the junction station for the B&ER's newly opened Yeovil Branch. The branch curved off to the right just beyond the signal box. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 102
Buses to Llangollen and to Wrexham
Michael L. Roach
When the Ruabon to Barmouth railway line closed in 1965 the passenger trains were replaced by a bus service along the adjacent road route, going through all the same villages and small towns. The present T3 timetable has timing points at many of the names you would recognise from an old railway timetable for Ruabon to Barmouth. In 1965 the bus route would have been operated by Crosville, which was formed 120 years ago in Chester. At its peak Crosville operated a fleet of 841 buses and coaches. After passing through a number of owners Crosville eventually became part of Arriva who still operate a route from Llangollen to Wrexham only. Arriva gave up the route west of Llangollen many years ago and the T3 is now operated by Lloyds Coaches of Machynlleth, formed in 2001, and based at the former Crosville bus garage opposite the railway station in Machynlleth.
When we stayed just outside Llangollen in 2010 Arriva were still operating the T3 but there was also a local bus company called Bryn Melyn operating in the Llangollen / Wrexham area and they had very colourful buses. The firm had been established in 1921 and in 2007 had passed into the ownership of GHA Coaches who kept Bryn Melyn as a separate business – one of a number of subsidiaries, but GHA closed down suddenly in July 2016 at a time when it had more than 300 employees.
I would like to thank John Hutchinson of Norwich most sincerely for researching all the information used in the captions of the photos attached to this article. I am not really a bus enthusiast although I have been photographing them for more than 60 years, so why do I photograph them. The answer to that conundrum is that there is nothing better than a bus for enhancing the street scene and giving a clue to where the photo was taken. This was especially so when every major town and city had its own municipal bus company, and the colour of the buses would help to identify where the photograph was taken. In the 1950s I watched each year as Plymouth Corporation received the latest batch of new half-cab double-deckers from Leyland.
In Arthur Street, Montgomery, Powys is a well known ironmonger selling petrol and diesel across the footway of a public road. On 25 May 2010 we visited the town of Bala one of the major settlements on the Ruabon to Barmouth route despite a population of just 2,000 persons. In Bala there were two garages selling petrol and diesel across the footway in 2010 and they still are I believe. Now I thought the practice of selling fuel across a public highway was banned by Act of Parliament more than fifty years ago circa 1970 because of the risk of something going wrong. I assume that because of the risk the petrol or diesel is dispensed by an attendant rather than self-sevice.
Many railway enthusiasts are aware that the first successful railway-operated bus service was the GWR route from Helston Station to The Lizard which commenced on 17 August 1903. Less well known is the fact that just over a year later the GWR stopped the bus service. The Company announced in the October house magazine that the motor buses used on the Helston - Lizard route would instead be used in the neighbourhood of Kingsbridge, Teignmouth and Dawlish, but that did not happen. Just a month later the magazine announced that in fact the buses had gone to Wrexham and had started operating a bus route from Wrexham Station to Holt and Farndon on 10 October 1904. Now Helston to Wrexham is more than 300 miles so there is no way the buses would have been driven that distance at that time - they would have been taken north in a goods train on a flat wagon. In fact the railways had been delivering steam rollers and traction engines since they were invented in the 1850s. So why did the GWR abandon the Helston – Lizard bus route so soon after starting it. The answer was given in the November 1904 magazine (page 191) - “in consequence of the failure of the local authorities to properly maintain the road.” Four months earlier the magazine reported on page 119 that - “As is well known, roads can only be maintained in a sufficiently sound state to admit of the use of motor vehicles, by the employment of a steam roller to consolidate the metalling.” The then Helston Rural District Council declined to roll their roads at the time.
The website ronsbusesandcoaches.com has a very good section on Bryn Melyn; and Ron also has a really comprehensive website about Crosville Buses called crosville.org
When we stayed just outside Llangollen in 2010 Arriva were still operating the T3 but there was also a local bus company called Bryn Melyn operating in the Llangollen / Wrexham area and they had very colourful buses. The firm had been established in 1921 and in 2007 had passed into the ownership of GHA Coaches who kept Bryn Melyn as a separate business – one of a number of subsidiaries, but GHA closed down suddenly in July 2016 at a time when it had more than 300 employees.
I would like to thank John Hutchinson of Norwich most sincerely for researching all the information used in the captions of the photos attached to this article. I am not really a bus enthusiast although I have been photographing them for more than 60 years, so why do I photograph them. The answer to that conundrum is that there is nothing better than a bus for enhancing the street scene and giving a clue to where the photo was taken. This was especially so when every major town and city had its own municipal bus company, and the colour of the buses would help to identify where the photograph was taken. In the 1950s I watched each year as Plymouth Corporation received the latest batch of new half-cab double-deckers from Leyland.
In Arthur Street, Montgomery, Powys is a well known ironmonger selling petrol and diesel across the footway of a public road. On 25 May 2010 we visited the town of Bala one of the major settlements on the Ruabon to Barmouth route despite a population of just 2,000 persons. In Bala there were two garages selling petrol and diesel across the footway in 2010 and they still are I believe. Now I thought the practice of selling fuel across a public highway was banned by Act of Parliament more than fifty years ago circa 1970 because of the risk of something going wrong. I assume that because of the risk the petrol or diesel is dispensed by an attendant rather than self-sevice.
Many railway enthusiasts are aware that the first successful railway-operated bus service was the GWR route from Helston Station to The Lizard which commenced on 17 August 1903. Less well known is the fact that just over a year later the GWR stopped the bus service. The Company announced in the October house magazine that the motor buses used on the Helston - Lizard route would instead be used in the neighbourhood of Kingsbridge, Teignmouth and Dawlish, but that did not happen. Just a month later the magazine announced that in fact the buses had gone to Wrexham and had started operating a bus route from Wrexham Station to Holt and Farndon on 10 October 1904. Now Helston to Wrexham is more than 300 miles so there is no way the buses would have been driven that distance at that time - they would have been taken north in a goods train on a flat wagon. In fact the railways had been delivering steam rollers and traction engines since they were invented in the 1850s. So why did the GWR abandon the Helston – Lizard bus route so soon after starting it. The answer was given in the November 1904 magazine (page 191) - “in consequence of the failure of the local authorities to properly maintain the road.” Four months earlier the magazine reported on page 119 that - “As is well known, roads can only be maintained in a sufficiently sound state to admit of the use of motor vehicles, by the employment of a steam roller to consolidate the metalling.” The then Helston Rural District Council declined to roll their roads at the time.
The website ronsbusesandcoaches.com has a very good section on Bryn Melyn; and Ron also has a really comprehensive website about Crosville Buses called crosville.org
SN03 DZZ is seen crossing the River Dee on route 5 to Wrexham bus station, on 22.05.2010 This was a Transbus Dart which was new to Lothian Buses in 2003. Purchased by Arriva, before it moved on again, and here it is being operated by GHA Coaches – clearly not on its intended branded route of Connect 88 which was Altrincham to Knutsford. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Bryn Melyn R669 UCC is working the 64 to Chirk on 22.05.2010. I could not find such a service currently. This was a Mercedes 814D with Marshall bodywork which Bryn Melyn bought new in September 1997 and withdrew from service in May 2015. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
R32 GNW is about to cross Llangollen Bridge. This was a DAF SB220LF with Plaxton bodywork which previously worked in Eastbourne (as a demonstrator) and in Preston (with J. Fishwick). Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Arriva CX05 AAE is seen on the Barmouth to Wrexham service in the centre of Bala on 25.05.2010. Then numbered X94 the service was being operated by a 12-metre VDL SB200 (originally a DAF SB200) with Wright Commander bodywork. Arriva took more than 90 percent of the 315 built. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
In 2010 this filling station was selling fuel across the footway on the south side of the main A494 through Bala town centre; towards the east end of the High Street. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Further west down the High Street was this much larger Texaco filling station also selling fuel across the footway. It is now a Gulf branded filling station. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
A Bryn Melyn double-decker F201OPD stands in the main car park at Llangollen alongside a visiting Shearing's coach on 26.05.2010. This interesting bus was a Dennis Dominator with East Lancs bodywork; new in November 1988 to London & Country at Leatherhead; it came to Bryn Melyn in May 1998 and was scrapped at Corwen in 2011. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
On the last day of rail passenger services to Helston, Saturday 3 November 1962, Western National 1811 stands outside the station building on route 26 to The Lizard. The bus is a Bristol KS6B with 8-feet wide bodywork dating from 1950. Note how the radiator has been partly covered to prevent too much cooling in the coming harsh winter of 1962-63, which was very necessary as it turned out. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 103
The Falmouth to Paddington Through Train in 1977
Michael L. Roach
On the morning of Saturday 9 July 1977 I left home in Camborne to travel to Perranwell Station on the Truro to Falmouth line. Although the distance via Redruth town centre is only about 11 miles it seems further even now and takes half an hour. The objective was to photograph the loco-hauled Falmouth to Paddington though train. It departed Perranwell Station at 09.31 two minutes earlier than timetabled behind 50027 (PRESERVED) with 6C. The train left Falmouth at 09.10, stopped at all stations on the branch, and ran non-stop from St. Austell to Plymouth. It reached Paddington at 15.08
Five weeks later I photographed 50035 (ALSO PRESERVED) on the same train as it approached Penweathers Junction where it would join the main line. During that five-week gap we had travelled north to spend one night at Lincoln (29 July) and seven nights at York. The journey from Lincoln to York started with going 40 miles north to Barrow upon Humber to visit New Holland Pier and see one of the three steam paddle steamers on the Humber Ferry, which were made redundant by the opening of the bridge; and also some views of the partly finished suspension bridge itself. Construction had started 5 years earlier in July 1972; cable spinning began 2 months later in September 1977; and it was opened by The Queen four years later in July 1981.
After photographing the Falmouth to Paddington train on 13 August I made my way the short distance to Newbridge Viaduct for the only time ever and there photographed two up expresses. At this time the first HST was still some time away and all expresses were loco-hauled. Three expresses hauled by three different classes of diesel engine in less than 50 minutes.
Five weeks later I photographed 50035 (ALSO PRESERVED) on the same train as it approached Penweathers Junction where it would join the main line. During that five-week gap we had travelled north to spend one night at Lincoln (29 July) and seven nights at York. The journey from Lincoln to York started with going 40 miles north to Barrow upon Humber to visit New Holland Pier and see one of the three steam paddle steamers on the Humber Ferry, which were made redundant by the opening of the bridge; and also some views of the partly finished suspension bridge itself. Construction had started 5 years earlier in July 1972; cable spinning began 2 months later in September 1977; and it was opened by The Queen four years later in July 1981.
After photographing the Falmouth to Paddington train on 13 August I made my way the short distance to Newbridge Viaduct for the only time ever and there photographed two up expresses. At this time the first HST was still some time away and all expresses were loco-hauled. Three expresses hauled by three different classes of diesel engine in less than 50 minutes.
50027 Lion is leaving Perranwell at 09.31 with the 09.10 Falmouth to Paddington train on 9 July 1977. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
A 3-car DMU enters Sparnock Tunnel at 10.15 the same morning on the 10.05 Truro to Falmouth. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Five weeks and a couple of minutes later 50035 Ark Royal is seen further north on 13.08.1977 a short distance south of Penweathers Junction. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
50035 heads down to Penweathers Junction. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
47088 comes off Newbridge Viaduct with 11C on the 09.15 Penzance to Manchester. 1/250 has not stopped the front of the engine which I have allowed to get too close. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
An unidentified Peak heads east across Newbridge Viaduct at 10.23 on 13 August 1977, with the 09.35 Penzance to Wolverhampton. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 104
Settle and Carlisle 150
Michael L. Roach
It was good to see the Settle and Carlisle's 150th birthday celebrated by Ian Thomas on Saturday 2 May 2026. I was already scanning my colour slides for a similar article when it appeared, but mine will focus on normal traffic at the time of our first visit in 1982, when the line was still busy with traditional freight trains and a good variety of diesel classes, and not a single dmu seen. First a few facts about the line. The line was constructed by the Midland Railway as part of the third route and their own independent route to Scotland. The line started at Settle Junction and finished at the eastern outskirts of Carlisle at Petteril Bridge Junction, 72m 42c away, and passed through some of the most hostile terrain in England. There are 22 viaducts and 14 tunnels with several notable landmarks:- Blea Moor Tunnel, signal box and down loop; Ribblehead Viaduct; Ais Gill Summit (1169 feet); and Hawes Junction (renamed Garsdale) the name (but not the exact site of) a disastrous collision on Christmas Eve 1910 made worse by gas-lit carriages igniting the wrecked coaches.
The problems that accompanied construction of the Midland Railway's line from Settle to Carlisle in mid-Victorian times are well known to most readers – a hostile landscape; harsh winters; isolation; shanty towns; disease and death to name but a few, plus hard graft for 10 or 12 hours a day, or more. Eventually man triumphed over adversity and left us with a wonderful legacy to travel along or visit and photograph. 150 years later it still exercises a pulling power over rail enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. I doubt that anyone visiting the S&C for the first time has ever been disappointed. My first visit was in the summer of 1982 when we both travelled along it and did some lineside photography. The line opened to passengers on 1 May 1876 and has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. Attached are a few photos from those visits in the summer of 1982. We are really lucky to be able to celebrate a line that was saved from closure; is still busy; has not been disfigured by OHLE; and still has semaphore signalling and Midland Railway signal boxes.
The line is reasonably busy with its own passenger trains and come into its own when the WCML is closed and trains are diverted this way. There are also a number of freight train paths but most of them are (Q) and run as required. One of the most interesting of these, for us in the West Country, is 6S00 the 10.12 Ernesettle MOD to Glen Douglas MOD which runs infrequently. The train is routed via Bristol TM, East Usk Junction (Newport) 14.35-15.12, Crewe, Hellifield Goods Loop 21.49, Carlisle NY 00.02-04.23, Mossend, and due Glen Douglas 08.50 The distance is about 550 miles. It would be great if one of the website's photographers manages to record this train one day. It seems quite appropriate that a train starting at Ernesettle should travel via Settle when it does run.
When the S&C was built the Lancaster and Richmond turnpike road passed under the line adjacent to Ribblehead Station. It is now numbered the B6255. Two miles south-west down that road is the nearest church to the line and where the people who lived in the shanty towns were buried when they died of natural causes, disease or accidents. The church is St. Leonards at Chapel Le Dale, also know as Ingleton Falls. I looked at the burial register for a couple of typical months during the construction period. In November and December 1871 there were 8 deaths with ages of 3 days, 4 days, 3 years, 4, 16, 28, 35 and 37 years. Six months later in May 1872 there were 7 deaths in that one month alone with ages of 9 months, 13 months, 23 months, 25 years, 40, 45 and 80 years. Each shanty town had been given a name. Those in the vicinity of Blea Moor Tunnel, Ribblehead Viaduct and Ribblehead Station were called, north to south:- Blea Moor, Tunnel, Jerusalem, Jericho, Inkerman, Sebastopol, Belgravia, Batty Green and Salt Lake. It was thoughtful of the Vicar of St. Leonards to record the name of the shanty town where people died in the Burial Record. Blea Moor Tunnel turns up frequently.
The design of the Settle and Carlisle was done by John Sydney Crossley (1812 – 1879) the Midland Railway's own in-house Chief Civil Engineer, who also supervised construction and when the Contractor for Contract No. 1 (Settle Junction to Dent Head, including Ribblehead and Blea Moor Tunnel) got into financial difficulties constructed that length by direct labour. The railway stations on the S&C are all similar and a delight. They were designed by John Holloway Sanders (1825 – 1884) the Midland Railway's Chief Architect who also designed Bath Green Park and Mangotsfield among many others.
The weather was dull much of the time with the last three photos of trains passing at milepost 251 taken in rain with a shutter speed of 1/125 at f2.8.
The problems that accompanied construction of the Midland Railway's line from Settle to Carlisle in mid-Victorian times are well known to most readers – a hostile landscape; harsh winters; isolation; shanty towns; disease and death to name but a few, plus hard graft for 10 or 12 hours a day, or more. Eventually man triumphed over adversity and left us with a wonderful legacy to travel along or visit and photograph. 150 years later it still exercises a pulling power over rail enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. I doubt that anyone visiting the S&C for the first time has ever been disappointed. My first visit was in the summer of 1982 when we both travelled along it and did some lineside photography. The line opened to passengers on 1 May 1876 and has just celebrated its 150th anniversary. Attached are a few photos from those visits in the summer of 1982. We are really lucky to be able to celebrate a line that was saved from closure; is still busy; has not been disfigured by OHLE; and still has semaphore signalling and Midland Railway signal boxes.
The line is reasonably busy with its own passenger trains and come into its own when the WCML is closed and trains are diverted this way. There are also a number of freight train paths but most of them are (Q) and run as required. One of the most interesting of these, for us in the West Country, is 6S00 the 10.12 Ernesettle MOD to Glen Douglas MOD which runs infrequently. The train is routed via Bristol TM, East Usk Junction (Newport) 14.35-15.12, Crewe, Hellifield Goods Loop 21.49, Carlisle NY 00.02-04.23, Mossend, and due Glen Douglas 08.50 The distance is about 550 miles. It would be great if one of the website's photographers manages to record this train one day. It seems quite appropriate that a train starting at Ernesettle should travel via Settle when it does run.
When the S&C was built the Lancaster and Richmond turnpike road passed under the line adjacent to Ribblehead Station. It is now numbered the B6255. Two miles south-west down that road is the nearest church to the line and where the people who lived in the shanty towns were buried when they died of natural causes, disease or accidents. The church is St. Leonards at Chapel Le Dale, also know as Ingleton Falls. I looked at the burial register for a couple of typical months during the construction period. In November and December 1871 there were 8 deaths with ages of 3 days, 4 days, 3 years, 4, 16, 28, 35 and 37 years. Six months later in May 1872 there were 7 deaths in that one month alone with ages of 9 months, 13 months, 23 months, 25 years, 40, 45 and 80 years. Each shanty town had been given a name. Those in the vicinity of Blea Moor Tunnel, Ribblehead Viaduct and Ribblehead Station were called, north to south:- Blea Moor, Tunnel, Jerusalem, Jericho, Inkerman, Sebastopol, Belgravia, Batty Green and Salt Lake. It was thoughtful of the Vicar of St. Leonards to record the name of the shanty town where people died in the Burial Record. Blea Moor Tunnel turns up frequently.
The design of the Settle and Carlisle was done by John Sydney Crossley (1812 – 1879) the Midland Railway's own in-house Chief Civil Engineer, who also supervised construction and when the Contractor for Contract No. 1 (Settle Junction to Dent Head, including Ribblehead and Blea Moor Tunnel) got into financial difficulties constructed that length by direct labour. The railway stations on the S&C are all similar and a delight. They were designed by John Holloway Sanders (1825 – 1884) the Midland Railway's Chief Architect who also designed Bath Green Park and Mangotsfield among many others.
The weather was dull much of the time with the last three photos of trains passing at milepost 251 taken in rain with a shutter speed of 1/125 at f2.8.
On Monday 16 August 1982 we made a day trip from Skipton to Carlisle and return. Here we see our return train at platform 5 at Carlisle on the 15.37 to Leeds. On the right was 47309. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
A view out the window at 16.58 soon after passing Dent Station. Note the waste heaps; Arten Gill Viaduct (hidden); Dent Head Viaduct; and the portal of Blea Moor Tunnel extreme right. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Dent Head Viaduct on 17.08.1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Dent Station looking south. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
40047 heads south at Ais Gill at the head of a freight train at 16.04 on 17.08.1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
25206 has just crossed Dent Head Viaduct and is about to enter the tunnel with ten bogie tanks at 16.20 on 25.08.1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
31242 crosses Dent Head Viaduct with the 15.37 Carlisle to Leeds on 25.08.1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
25080 passes milepost 251 just north of Blea Moor Tunnel with 4C – the only Class 25 seen on a passenger train. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
25080 passes 45010. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
45010 heads south at milepost 251with 30 wagons at 17.31 on 25.08.1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 105
S & C (2) – Ribblehead Viaduct
Michael L. Roach
In Part 104 I recalled my first rail trip over the Settle and Carlisle line from Skipton to Carlisle, and showed some photos taken that day and further days that week in August 1982. We were on a 16-night holiday touring Northern England staying in guest houses at various places like Skipton, Carlisle, Berwick-on-Tweed, Richmond, Chester and Llanidloes (Wales). The day after our rail trip we said farewell to Skipton and travelled along the route of the S&C stopping at several places: Hellifield, Settle, Ribblehead Viaduct, Dent Head Viaduct, Dent Station, Garsdale and Ais Gill to see a railtour pass.
Ribblehead Viaduct is the single most recognisable landmark in the whole of the 72-mile length of the S&C, even to those who have never been there. It is a truly magnificent structure: 24 arches in 4 groups of 6 with 3 king-piers between the groups to prevent any possible chance of the whole viaduct collapsing in the event of trouble. There are taller viaducts on the line than the 104 feet of Ribblehead , but none are longer at 1,320 feet (400 metres). It took up to 2,300 men to build the viaduct over a 5-year period between July 1870 and July 1875. The first freight train passed over Ribblehead on 3 August 1875, and it is now listed Grade II*.
It would have needed enormous quantities of materials to build the Ribblehead Viaduct. Large quantities of timber to build the temporary huts to house the workers (and their families); coal to keep them warm in winter; drinking water and beer; daily supplies of food; lime for the mortar; masses of timber for centring the arches and the scaffolding. It was quite lucky in a way that there was a turnpike road just a quarter of a mile from the south end of the viaduct, with the nearest existing railway station being about six miles away down that turnpike road at Ingleton. Ingleton Station was at the end of the Midland's Branch from Clapham (Yorkshire) which was on the line from Skipton to Morecambe and Heysham. The Midland Station at Ingleton was a short distance southwest of the town centre. Further away west of the town centre, across two rivers, was another railway station belonging to the LNWR on the opposite side of a valley. The two termini were joined by rail track across an 11-arch viaduct which still stands trackless today. It is a measure of the difficult and strained relationship between the LNWR and the Midland that the two railways could not agree on a joint station and running rights for the Midland over LNWR tracks to Low Gill and the WCML to Scotland. Ingleton had a quarry and lime kilns producing lime for making mortar.
The Midland Railway had tentacles going out in all directions from the centre of England, but I could only find three places where it reached the coast of Britain and that was over jointly owned lines and through running rights. The three ports were: Swansea, Heysham and Kings Lynn. During Victorian times much, if not most, of Britain's appetite for softwood would have been satisfied by imports from the countries around the Baltic Sea. There were dozens if not hundreds of small ports and harbours in Britain importing timber but mostly in small quantities for local consumption. Kings Lynn would have been in a different league for two reasons – it was one of the largest and nearest ports to Europe and The Baltic and it was a Member of the Hanseatic League. The Midland Railway had long been associated with the forerunners of The Midland and Great Northern Railway (formed 1893) and thus had control over its own wagons carrying timber from the outskirts of Kings Lynn all the way to Ingleton, some 180 miles away. From Ingleton Station to Ribblehead transport of supplies would have been mostly by horse-and-cart but while the line was being built the firms of Charles Burrell and John Fowler (of Leeds) were just starting to produce steam road locomotives which may have got a look-in if a water supply could be obtained as water was needed in large quantities for mixing mortar and for drinking, washing etc. But this paragraph is only considering the Ribblehead area – there were another 34 viaducts and tunnels also needing large quantities of materials, with some being very remote. Luckily from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle (41 miles) there were a number of existing North Eastern and LNWR stations to bring in materials.
Our last five nights in the north were spent in the delightful North Yorkshire market town of Richmond. The cobbled market square is huge and has been holding markets for more than 900 years. The town has a lot of character, and the former railway station survives as a cultural centre. Richmond gave its name to the Lancaster and Richmond Turnpike Trust (58 miles apart) although the eastern end is actually 3 miles further on giving a total length of 61 miles. Most turnpike trusts were much shorter than 61 miles e.g. Penryn to Redruth eight miles. Much of both ends of the turnpike road has been bypassed by newer routes but we picked up the route at Bainbridge or Hawes. As we approached Ribblehead Viaduct the sun was shining which demanded a stop for a distant view of the viaduct from the B6255. It would be another 12 years before we would be this far north again.
I will round off this article with details of a delightful 96-page booklet I bought in 2012 in one of the many bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, which cost me just £2. It was written by William R Mitchell who lived at Giggleswick, near Settle and covers the repairs to Ribblehead Viaduct 1990 – 1992 to ensure its structural stability and reprieve the line from closure. In his forward to the booklet the project engineer for the repairs wrote these words: “The Settle-Carlisle railway has an almost indefinable magic – a cocktail mix of fact and folklore, acquired over more than 100 years of operation on the high and remote Pennines. It is one of the best-known and best loved pieces of railway in Britain, if not the world. Not surprisingly, this magic has wrapped itself around the line's most famous viaduct, Ribblehead, which strides across the head of Chapel-le-Dale, buffeted by wind, rain and extremes of temperature.”
Ribblehead Viaduct is the single most recognisable landmark in the whole of the 72-mile length of the S&C, even to those who have never been there. It is a truly magnificent structure: 24 arches in 4 groups of 6 with 3 king-piers between the groups to prevent any possible chance of the whole viaduct collapsing in the event of trouble. There are taller viaducts on the line than the 104 feet of Ribblehead , but none are longer at 1,320 feet (400 metres). It took up to 2,300 men to build the viaduct over a 5-year period between July 1870 and July 1875. The first freight train passed over Ribblehead on 3 August 1875, and it is now listed Grade II*.
It would have needed enormous quantities of materials to build the Ribblehead Viaduct. Large quantities of timber to build the temporary huts to house the workers (and their families); coal to keep them warm in winter; drinking water and beer; daily supplies of food; lime for the mortar; masses of timber for centring the arches and the scaffolding. It was quite lucky in a way that there was a turnpike road just a quarter of a mile from the south end of the viaduct, with the nearest existing railway station being about six miles away down that turnpike road at Ingleton. Ingleton Station was at the end of the Midland's Branch from Clapham (Yorkshire) which was on the line from Skipton to Morecambe and Heysham. The Midland Station at Ingleton was a short distance southwest of the town centre. Further away west of the town centre, across two rivers, was another railway station belonging to the LNWR on the opposite side of a valley. The two termini were joined by rail track across an 11-arch viaduct which still stands trackless today. It is a measure of the difficult and strained relationship between the LNWR and the Midland that the two railways could not agree on a joint station and running rights for the Midland over LNWR tracks to Low Gill and the WCML to Scotland. Ingleton had a quarry and lime kilns producing lime for making mortar.
The Midland Railway had tentacles going out in all directions from the centre of England, but I could only find three places where it reached the coast of Britain and that was over jointly owned lines and through running rights. The three ports were: Swansea, Heysham and Kings Lynn. During Victorian times much, if not most, of Britain's appetite for softwood would have been satisfied by imports from the countries around the Baltic Sea. There were dozens if not hundreds of small ports and harbours in Britain importing timber but mostly in small quantities for local consumption. Kings Lynn would have been in a different league for two reasons – it was one of the largest and nearest ports to Europe and The Baltic and it was a Member of the Hanseatic League. The Midland Railway had long been associated with the forerunners of The Midland and Great Northern Railway (formed 1893) and thus had control over its own wagons carrying timber from the outskirts of Kings Lynn all the way to Ingleton, some 180 miles away. From Ingleton Station to Ribblehead transport of supplies would have been mostly by horse-and-cart but while the line was being built the firms of Charles Burrell and John Fowler (of Leeds) were just starting to produce steam road locomotives which may have got a look-in if a water supply could be obtained as water was needed in large quantities for mixing mortar and for drinking, washing etc. But this paragraph is only considering the Ribblehead area – there were another 34 viaducts and tunnels also needing large quantities of materials, with some being very remote. Luckily from Kirkby Stephen to Carlisle (41 miles) there were a number of existing North Eastern and LNWR stations to bring in materials.
Our last five nights in the north were spent in the delightful North Yorkshire market town of Richmond. The cobbled market square is huge and has been holding markets for more than 900 years. The town has a lot of character, and the former railway station survives as a cultural centre. Richmond gave its name to the Lancaster and Richmond Turnpike Trust (58 miles apart) although the eastern end is actually 3 miles further on giving a total length of 61 miles. Most turnpike trusts were much shorter than 61 miles e.g. Penryn to Redruth eight miles. Much of both ends of the turnpike road has been bypassed by newer routes but we picked up the route at Bainbridge or Hawes. As we approached Ribblehead Viaduct the sun was shining which demanded a stop for a distant view of the viaduct from the B6255. It would be another 12 years before we would be this far north again.
I will round off this article with details of a delightful 96-page booklet I bought in 2012 in one of the many bookshops in Hay-on-Wye, which cost me just £2. It was written by William R Mitchell who lived at Giggleswick, near Settle and covers the repairs to Ribblehead Viaduct 1990 – 1992 to ensure its structural stability and reprieve the line from closure. In his forward to the booklet the project engineer for the repairs wrote these words: “The Settle-Carlisle railway has an almost indefinable magic – a cocktail mix of fact and folklore, acquired over more than 100 years of operation on the high and remote Pennines. It is one of the best-known and best loved pieces of railway in Britain, if not the world. Not surprisingly, this magic has wrapped itself around the line's most famous viaduct, Ribblehead, which strides across the head of Chapel-le-Dale, buffeted by wind, rain and extremes of temperature.”
25158 heads south across the viaduct with a ballast train of 17 wagons on 17 August 1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Pier 6 - one of the king piers. Note the Danger Sign and the cracks in some of the stones. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Ribblehead Viaduct from half a mile away on the B6255. The milestone has a cast iron plate typical of the route reading Ingleton 6½ and Lancaster 24 this side, and Richmond 32 miles on the far side. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Ribblehead Viaduct from a quarter mile away, looking north west, on the morning of 27 August 1982. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The cover of the booklet “Ribblehead Re-born” which is full of sketches, diagrams, photographs and facts.
The back of the booklet is just as interesting.
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 106
S & C (3) – Ais Gill Summit
Michael L. Roach
Trains heading north up the Settle and Carlisle face a 15-mile climb at 1 in 100 from Settle Junction to Blea Moor Tunnel. In the opposite direction there is a similar 15-mile climb from Ormside to Ais Gill. In the six miles between the two locations the railway undulates gently up and down. Ais Gill is the highest point on the S&C at 1169 feet (356 metres); while for comparison Shap Summit on the WCML is 916 feet (279 metres) above sea level. Shap has the A6 trunk road, the M6 motorway and a village of the same name for company while Ais Gill has a very narrow minor B-road and seems much more isolated than Shap. But if you are ever at Ais Gill when a steam railtour is due to pass it is more like a busy town centre with people and cars jockeying for the last parking space. The summit is at the watershed which here forms the boundary between the historic counties of Westmoreland and Yorkshire. Westmoreland formed part of Cumbria from 1974 to 2023 but is now part of the Westmoreland and Furness Unitary Authority.
This instalment looks at the passage of A4 Sir Nigel Gresley past us on Tuesday 17 August 1982 when we were in a field beside the line just to the north of the road bridge which carries the B6259 over the line six miles south of Kirkby Stephen Station and not far from Ais Gill Summit. This is the last instalment about the S&C for the moment, but I may return to the S&C in due course. The line carried 995,000 passengers last year and is on course to pass 1M passengers this year. We wish the organisations and individuals who support the line a successful summer and autumn of celebrations and normal operation.
There have probably been more books, pamphlets and magazine articles written about the Settle and Carlisle than any other similar length of railway in Britain. The website settle-carlisle.co.uk contains a “Directory of Resources” which lists hundreds of books about the line. It is a measure of how spectacular and well-loved the Settle and Carlisle line is that a similar length of line in lowland England – Bristol to Exeter 75 miles – has little more than a handful of books about it, not even reaching double figures.
This instalment looks at the passage of A4 Sir Nigel Gresley past us on Tuesday 17 August 1982 when we were in a field beside the line just to the north of the road bridge which carries the B6259 over the line six miles south of Kirkby Stephen Station and not far from Ais Gill Summit. This is the last instalment about the S&C for the moment, but I may return to the S&C in due course. The line carried 995,000 passengers last year and is on course to pass 1M passengers this year. We wish the organisations and individuals who support the line a successful summer and autumn of celebrations and normal operation.
There have probably been more books, pamphlets and magazine articles written about the Settle and Carlisle than any other similar length of railway in Britain. The website settle-carlisle.co.uk contains a “Directory of Resources” which lists hundreds of books about the line. It is a measure of how spectacular and well-loved the Settle and Carlisle line is that a similar length of line in lowland England – Bristol to Exeter 75 miles – has little more than a handful of books about it, not even reaching double figures.
It was dull when the railtour passed us at 2.59pm on Tuesday 17 August 1982 with 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley in charge. The engine was then based at Carnforth. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
4498 heads towards the summit at Ais Gill half a mile away. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The last coach on the train, which may be a Caledonian Railway coach. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
An hour after the railtour passed and most of the enthusiasts have departed. This freight train passed us with a load of 23 including a diesel shunter, hauled by 40047. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
Our blue mini NRL448R is dwarfed by the landscape as a class 31 heads south on the 15.37 from Carlisle to Leeds. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
The 15.37 heads towards Ais Gill box extreme right. The county boundary passes over the bridge on the right; while at the junction of the rough road over the bridge and the B6259 there is a cottage and a couple of bungalows with the postcode CA17 4JY. Copyright Michael L. Roach.
1964 Part 107 – Bathampton and Bathford
Types of Great Western Countryside
Michael L. Roach
Although the heading is Bathampton and Bathford, that is only for convenience and where the article concludes. The starting point is a story about two men with the same surname – Winstone. The name is not common, but there are/were quite a few Winstones in North Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and more right up the M4 corridor to London. There was also an enclave of Winstones in Glamorganshire. I am going to tell you about the second Winstone I came across first. It is the story of a young man who worked for the Great Western Railway and the Brecon & Merthyr Railway in mid-Victorian times and how he got into a spot of trouble. His story came to light while researching the opening dates of railways to Brecon. Among the results was the report of a court case involving a break-in at a Brecon & Merthyr railway station. The young man was called David B Winstone.
David William Banaster Winstone was baptised on 3 November 1847 at the parish church of St John the Evangelist in Brecon, which became Brecon Cathedral in 1923. David's parents were Evan and Jane Winstone who had been married for more than 21 years when David came along. The first mention of David Winstone in employment is in September 1865. He describes himself as 17 years old but he had not reached his 17th birthday. He is working for the GWR at Chippenham Station as a goods clerk on a salary of £50 per annum. He advanced quickly and in May 1867 was doing the same job at Swindon on £60 per annum. He quickly advanced to £70 in December 1867 and to £90 in May 1869. He resigned from the GWR in December 1869. By 1871 he has returned to Wales doing the same job of goods clerk for the B&M at £110 per annum. He was now 23 years old and was earning about double the national average wage for the time.
David had married while he was working in Swindon He married Fanny Elizabeth Coates on Sunday 21 June 1868 at St Marks Church in the Parish of New Swindon. He was 20 years of age, a bachelor, an accountant and son of Evan Winstone, builder. She was 18, a spinster of no occupation and daughter of William Coates, bootmaker. The address of both groom and bridegroom was New Swindon. The couple's first child was baptised at Swindon on 28 February 1869 and was named Frank W W Winstone (1869 - 1934). The Father's occupation was given as Railway Accountant. I suppose it is possible to be an accountant, but employed as a goods clerk, but its just as conceivable that David is telling fibs. It would have been interesting to find the family in the 1871 census, but I had no luck searching for David, Fanny or Frank Winstone in that census. I was thinking that they had somehow managed to evade the census enumerator, or moved on, and was on the point of giving up when I tried a couple of variations of the surname; e.g. Winston and Winton. This brought a bit of luck as the entry had then been transcribed as David Wenstone (since corrected ) and the family that I was looking for, with the right names and ages. On the night of 2 April 1871 they were living at 10 Spring Street, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. Spring Street was just across Pant Road/Victoria Street from the huge Ifor Iron Works. David gives his occupation as Railway Clerk. If you have difficulty finding the entry, it is at Glamorgan/Merthyr/ Upper Merthyr/District 14/Page 36 of 52/ Line 172.
In 1881 and 1891 the family are at Workington in Cumberland and David is a clerk in tin-plate and iron-works respectively. Their son is doing rather well and in 1891 he is 21 and an analytical chemist; while 10 years later he is a Works Manager on The Wirral. His mother, Fanny, is with him in 1901 but not his father. She describes herself as married, and not widowed. David B Winstone disappears completely after 1891. I found no death for him, but did find a D Winstone emigrating to Boston USA on the “Saxonia” on 15 October 1901, but he describes himself as a driver. I also found no death for Fanny or find her emigrating.
No mention of the names Winstone and Merthyr Tydfil would be complete without saying a few words about Howard Winstone. Howard was born in Merthyr in 1939 and died there in 2000. Howard hit the headlines in 1958 and was never out of the headlines for the next 10 years culminating in becoming world featherweight boxing champion in January 1968. He retired from boxing 5 months later.
While searching for opening dates for the Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway in the 1860s my eyes alighted on a result involving alleged theft from the company by one Daniel Banaster Winstone who was employed as a clerk by the Brecon & Merthyr. The case against Winstone was heard in front of a jury at the Glamorganshire Midsummer Quarter Sessions held at the Town Hall Cardiff starting on Tuesday 27 June 1871. The case was reported in at least 3 newspapers, as follows, and created “considerable interest in court” The allegation was that Winstone broke into the booking office of his own station and stole the day's takings late at night. The evidence was a bit circumstantial as the station's night watchman only got a rear view of the burglar while looking through a window as the burglar escaped out of the opposite window. His christian name was reported as Daniel but it was a regular thing to use an alias in those days, and each newspaper spelled his surname differently. Witnesses testified that Winstone had been drinking at the Bruce Arms public-house (now the Bruce Hotel, Victoria Street, Dowlais) at the very time the watchman said the robbery was committed. The three newspapers were:
The Western Mail of Thursday 29 June 1871
The Merthyr Telegraph of Friday 30 June 1871
The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian of 01 July 1871
Winstone was found not guilty; but finding David B Winstone got me thinking as to where I had seen that surname previously. It had been decades earlier in the GWR Magazine. In 1960 I bought my first batch of GWR Magazines – a substantial pile from the 1930s and 1940s. Right through the 1930s the magazine regularly carried a photograph of pretty villages in GW territory; places like Polperro, Noss Mayo (where my great-great-grandmother was born in 1825 – see 1964 Part 53), Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Tintern and Wells Cathedral. The last photo at Wells was taken by one F.R. Winstone, who was a regular contributor. Indeed I thought he might even be on the payroll of the railway, so regular were his photographs in the magazine.
Frank R Winstone was born on 3 September 1909 at Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4QT close to Victoria Park. His father had a menswear shop in East Street, Bedminster BS3 4HH and the young Frank joined him in the shop when he left school. Frank's real interest was in photography which he had started at school, which became his passion and his full-time occupation in 1937. In 1939 he is living at St. Agnes Avenue, Bedminster BS4 2DU, but in a directory of 1938 he has an address at St. James Street, Mangotsfield BS16 9HE which may have been a photography shop and portrait studio. During the war he served in the photographic section of the Royal Air Force. After the war he resumed his career as a freelance photographer and was quite obviously successful as he, wife and child moved to a smart new house in Hyland Grove, Henbury BS9 3NR. Frank's mission in life was to collect photos of Old Bristol, to take record photos of Bristol landmarks; and to give lantern and later slide shows of Bristol. In 1957 he published his first book of vanished scenes and some authorities would give him credit as inventing the genre. A total of 37 books of his photos were published but some were put together by his son John (born 1944) from Frank's extensive archive of 43,427 photographs. His middle name was Reece (his mother's maiden name) and after 1945 he used the name Reece Winstone. Bristol's history is very well recorded photographically thanks to Reece Winstone who was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society as a result; and his books were very popular with the first one, published in 1957, selling 20,000 copies.
If one types Reece Winstone author into Ebay books dozens of results show up with the books still commanding good prices considering the numbers printed. The last image today shows one of Reece Winstone's photographs for the GWR Magazine. When I saw it for the first time the picture entranced me as representing the GWR, and the beautiful territory it served, in the 1930s when the railway was at the height of its zenith. In 1960 it was only 20 years since the 1930s came to an abrupt end with WW2. It has only taken me 66 years to find a use for that picture and bring it to a wider audience. In 1960 it was only 12 years since nationalisation and some rural lines were still the same as in the 1930s, with the same GWR engines, the same GWR coaches, and even some of the same GWR staff operating the trains as pre-war. A good example is the Plymouth to Tavistock and Launceston Branch. The Editor of the GWR Magazine in the 1930s must have liked the River Yealm, near Plymouth, because three photos appeared in the 1930s under the heading Great Western Territory and the three are attached to this article.
David William Banaster Winstone was baptised on 3 November 1847 at the parish church of St John the Evangelist in Brecon, which became Brecon Cathedral in 1923. David's parents were Evan and Jane Winstone who had been married for more than 21 years when David came along. The first mention of David Winstone in employment is in September 1865. He describes himself as 17 years old but he had not reached his 17th birthday. He is working for the GWR at Chippenham Station as a goods clerk on a salary of £50 per annum. He advanced quickly and in May 1867 was doing the same job at Swindon on £60 per annum. He quickly advanced to £70 in December 1867 and to £90 in May 1869. He resigned from the GWR in December 1869. By 1871 he has returned to Wales doing the same job of goods clerk for the B&M at £110 per annum. He was now 23 years old and was earning about double the national average wage for the time.
David had married while he was working in Swindon He married Fanny Elizabeth Coates on Sunday 21 June 1868 at St Marks Church in the Parish of New Swindon. He was 20 years of age, a bachelor, an accountant and son of Evan Winstone, builder. She was 18, a spinster of no occupation and daughter of William Coates, bootmaker. The address of both groom and bridegroom was New Swindon. The couple's first child was baptised at Swindon on 28 February 1869 and was named Frank W W Winstone (1869 - 1934). The Father's occupation was given as Railway Accountant. I suppose it is possible to be an accountant, but employed as a goods clerk, but its just as conceivable that David is telling fibs. It would have been interesting to find the family in the 1871 census, but I had no luck searching for David, Fanny or Frank Winstone in that census. I was thinking that they had somehow managed to evade the census enumerator, or moved on, and was on the point of giving up when I tried a couple of variations of the surname; e.g. Winston and Winton. This brought a bit of luck as the entry had then been transcribed as David Wenstone (since corrected ) and the family that I was looking for, with the right names and ages. On the night of 2 April 1871 they were living at 10 Spring Street, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil. Spring Street was just across Pant Road/Victoria Street from the huge Ifor Iron Works. David gives his occupation as Railway Clerk. If you have difficulty finding the entry, it is at Glamorgan/Merthyr/ Upper Merthyr/District 14/Page 36 of 52/ Line 172.
In 1881 and 1891 the family are at Workington in Cumberland and David is a clerk in tin-plate and iron-works respectively. Their son is doing rather well and in 1891 he is 21 and an analytical chemist; while 10 years later he is a Works Manager on The Wirral. His mother, Fanny, is with him in 1901 but not his father. She describes herself as married, and not widowed. David B Winstone disappears completely after 1891. I found no death for him, but did find a D Winstone emigrating to Boston USA on the “Saxonia” on 15 October 1901, but he describes himself as a driver. I also found no death for Fanny or find her emigrating.
No mention of the names Winstone and Merthyr Tydfil would be complete without saying a few words about Howard Winstone. Howard was born in Merthyr in 1939 and died there in 2000. Howard hit the headlines in 1958 and was never out of the headlines for the next 10 years culminating in becoming world featherweight boxing champion in January 1968. He retired from boxing 5 months later.
While searching for opening dates for the Brecon & Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway in the 1860s my eyes alighted on a result involving alleged theft from the company by one Daniel Banaster Winstone who was employed as a clerk by the Brecon & Merthyr. The case against Winstone was heard in front of a jury at the Glamorganshire Midsummer Quarter Sessions held at the Town Hall Cardiff starting on Tuesday 27 June 1871. The case was reported in at least 3 newspapers, as follows, and created “considerable interest in court” The allegation was that Winstone broke into the booking office of his own station and stole the day's takings late at night. The evidence was a bit circumstantial as the station's night watchman only got a rear view of the burglar while looking through a window as the burglar escaped out of the opposite window. His christian name was reported as Daniel but it was a regular thing to use an alias in those days, and each newspaper spelled his surname differently. Witnesses testified that Winstone had been drinking at the Bruce Arms public-house (now the Bruce Hotel, Victoria Street, Dowlais) at the very time the watchman said the robbery was committed. The three newspapers were:
The Western Mail of Thursday 29 June 1871
The Merthyr Telegraph of Friday 30 June 1871
The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian of 01 July 1871
Winstone was found not guilty; but finding David B Winstone got me thinking as to where I had seen that surname previously. It had been decades earlier in the GWR Magazine. In 1960 I bought my first batch of GWR Magazines – a substantial pile from the 1930s and 1940s. Right through the 1930s the magazine regularly carried a photograph of pretty villages in GW territory; places like Polperro, Noss Mayo (where my great-great-grandmother was born in 1825 – see 1964 Part 53), Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Tintern and Wells Cathedral. The last photo at Wells was taken by one F.R. Winstone, who was a regular contributor. Indeed I thought he might even be on the payroll of the railway, so regular were his photographs in the magazine.
Frank R Winstone was born on 3 September 1909 at Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4QT close to Victoria Park. His father had a menswear shop in East Street, Bedminster BS3 4HH and the young Frank joined him in the shop when he left school. Frank's real interest was in photography which he had started at school, which became his passion and his full-time occupation in 1937. In 1939 he is living at St. Agnes Avenue, Bedminster BS4 2DU, but in a directory of 1938 he has an address at St. James Street, Mangotsfield BS16 9HE which may have been a photography shop and portrait studio. During the war he served in the photographic section of the Royal Air Force. After the war he resumed his career as a freelance photographer and was quite obviously successful as he, wife and child moved to a smart new house in Hyland Grove, Henbury BS9 3NR. Frank's mission in life was to collect photos of Old Bristol, to take record photos of Bristol landmarks; and to give lantern and later slide shows of Bristol. In 1957 he published his first book of vanished scenes and some authorities would give him credit as inventing the genre. A total of 37 books of his photos were published but some were put together by his son John (born 1944) from Frank's extensive archive of 43,427 photographs. His middle name was Reece (his mother's maiden name) and after 1945 he used the name Reece Winstone. Bristol's history is very well recorded photographically thanks to Reece Winstone who was awarded Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society as a result; and his books were very popular with the first one, published in 1957, selling 20,000 copies.
If one types Reece Winstone author into Ebay books dozens of results show up with the books still commanding good prices considering the numbers printed. The last image today shows one of Reece Winstone's photographs for the GWR Magazine. When I saw it for the first time the picture entranced me as representing the GWR, and the beautiful territory it served, in the 1930s when the railway was at the height of its zenith. In 1960 it was only 20 years since the 1930s came to an abrupt end with WW2. It has only taken me 66 years to find a use for that picture and bring it to a wider audience. In 1960 it was only 12 years since nationalisation and some rural lines were still the same as in the 1930s, with the same GWR engines, the same GWR coaches, and even some of the same GWR staff operating the trains as pre-war. A good example is the Plymouth to Tavistock and Launceston Branch. The Editor of the GWR Magazine in the 1930s must have liked the River Yealm, near Plymouth, because three photos appeared in the 1930s under the heading Great Western Territory and the three are attached to this article.
Noss Mayo from the July 1931 Magazine. This view is looking north from Noss Mayo to its twin village of Newton Ferrers on the opposite side of the River Yealm. In the centre is The Dolphin Inn where my father's uncle (William Charles Roach 1878-1962) was the publican in 1911. Later he was the ferryman operating a rowing boat when the causeway between the two villages was covered by the tide. Above the chimney at the left end of the Inn and on the opposite side of the road is the small cottage where William's son Leslie (the village postman) lived with his family and where my mother and I lived when I was a baby. No copyright
The River Yealm from the June 1935 Magazine. This view shows the River Yealm; open sea to the left; and Newton and Noss to the right. Directly ahead and two miles away up the creek was Steer Point railway station on the Yealmpton Branch. There was a landing stage alongside the station from where a ferry sometimes connected with trains and ran to Newton and Noss. The line closed to passengers in 1930. More in Alan Kittridge's book ISBN 0906294541 No copyright
Noss Mayo from the September 1936 Magazine. No copyright
From the June 1940 Magazine is taken this nicely composed view by F.R. Winstone, who would have taken the photo before 3 September 1939 since private photography of railways was banned during the war. The train is heading north and just starting to curve around to Bathampton Junction and the village on the horizon is Bathford. The tree is quite unusual and has not yet been identified; being very tall with few branches and the main trunk covered in ivy at the bottom. This photo was one of very few in the series that actually showed a railway line. No copyright
NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR – PART 108
Bathampton and Bathford (2)
Guy Vincent and Michael Roach
This instalment has a guest contributor – without him it would not have been possible. The CRS website is very lucky to have regular contributors from many parts of Britain; thank you Guy.
The railway franchise for the provision of express passenger trains from London to Southwest England, South Wales and the Cotswolds was awarded to Great Western Trains starting in 1996. Through changes of name, extent and types of trains FirstGroup has continued to operate the trains for 30 years. Compared to some of its peers on the ECML and WCML that is nothing short of a miracle and is to be applauded. But the GWR franchise will come to an end later this present year, 2026. It was on Friday 8 May 2026 that the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, had exercised her right to issue an expiry notice to GWR, confirming its contract with the Department of Transport would end on 13 December 2026, at which point services would transfer into public ownership.
The territory that the present GWR franchise trains pass through en-route is pleasant countryside in every single county that the franchise serves; i.e about 20 counties. The same comments about the pleasant countryside also applied to the original GWR from the day the first length opened in 1838 to the Grouping of 1922-3. In the last instalment (Part 107) were four images of “Great Western Countryside” taken from the pages of the GWR's own magazine of the 1930s. The last of the four images was taken a short distance from Bathampton Junction, east of Bath by F.R. (Reece) Winstone a professional photographer, and is repeated here. The photograph showcased the lovely countryside of the Avon Valley between Bath and Limpley Stoke where roads, railway and the canal share the valley. I never managed to visit the area other than to pass through on a train a couple of times.
While writing to one of the website's regular contributors I asked him if he would like to visit the location and record what it looks like in 2026 some 87 years after the original was taken. Guy Vincent of Westbury rose to the challenge in May 2026 and I am very grateful to Guy for taking the photos that accompany this article. All the photos were taken on 1 May 2026. Guy's notes on his visit recorded the following facts. He stood on the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal about half a mile south of Bathampton to take the photos. The church tower is that of St. Swithun which is the Parish Church of Bathford. St. Swithun was the Bishop of Winchester from 800 to 862. On the far side of the tracks is a timber GWR p'way hut totally hidden by ivy for many years. This was one of the few lengths where the vegetation has been cleared and that the line-side can be clearly seen as the line is generally quite overgrown with vegetation around here. There was no sign of the tall tree in the 1939 photograph. Guy concluded with the comment that his visit to this location was a most worthwhile adventure.
The railway franchise for the provision of express passenger trains from London to Southwest England, South Wales and the Cotswolds was awarded to Great Western Trains starting in 1996. Through changes of name, extent and types of trains FirstGroup has continued to operate the trains for 30 years. Compared to some of its peers on the ECML and WCML that is nothing short of a miracle and is to be applauded. But the GWR franchise will come to an end later this present year, 2026. It was on Friday 8 May 2026 that the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, had exercised her right to issue an expiry notice to GWR, confirming its contract with the Department of Transport would end on 13 December 2026, at which point services would transfer into public ownership.
The territory that the present GWR franchise trains pass through en-route is pleasant countryside in every single county that the franchise serves; i.e about 20 counties. The same comments about the pleasant countryside also applied to the original GWR from the day the first length opened in 1838 to the Grouping of 1922-3. In the last instalment (Part 107) were four images of “Great Western Countryside” taken from the pages of the GWR's own magazine of the 1930s. The last of the four images was taken a short distance from Bathampton Junction, east of Bath by F.R. (Reece) Winstone a professional photographer, and is repeated here. The photograph showcased the lovely countryside of the Avon Valley between Bath and Limpley Stoke where roads, railway and the canal share the valley. I never managed to visit the area other than to pass through on a train a couple of times.
While writing to one of the website's regular contributors I asked him if he would like to visit the location and record what it looks like in 2026 some 87 years after the original was taken. Guy Vincent of Westbury rose to the challenge in May 2026 and I am very grateful to Guy for taking the photos that accompany this article. All the photos were taken on 1 May 2026. Guy's notes on his visit recorded the following facts. He stood on the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal about half a mile south of Bathampton to take the photos. The church tower is that of St. Swithun which is the Parish Church of Bathford. St. Swithun was the Bishop of Winchester from 800 to 862. On the far side of the tracks is a timber GWR p'way hut totally hidden by ivy for many years. This was one of the few lengths where the vegetation has been cleared and that the line-side can be clearly seen as the line is generally quite overgrown with vegetation around here. There was no sign of the tall tree in the 1939 photograph. Guy concluded with the comment that his visit to this location was a most worthwhile adventure.
From the June 1940 GWR Magazine is taken this nicely composed view by F.R. Winstone, who would have taken the photo before 3 September 1939 since private photography of railways was banned during the war. The tree is quite unusual and has not yet been identified; being very tall with few branches and the main trunk covered in ivy at the bottom. No copyright
The Google Earth view of the Bathampton – Bathford area with Guy's location on the canal towpath indicated by a blue dot. No copyright
GWR 3-car Turbo 16621 working the 10.23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central passes at 12.38. Copyright Guy Vincent.
Two GWR class 158s 765 and 760 unusually worked 2E62 the 12.04 Westbury to Gloucester local train which had replaced a 3-car Turbo, seen at 12.45. Copyright Guy Vincent.
Freightliner 66610 and failed 59103 head south from Bathampton Junction with the late running 6C79 the 09.58 Avonmouth to Whatley stone empties at 12.47. Copyright Guy Vincent.
Freightliner 66606 heads towards the junction at 12.53 with the 10.04 West Drayton Frays Siding to East Usk empty hoppers. Copyright Guy Vincent.
DB Cargo 67024 with the 1V80 09.47 London Victoria to Bath Spa Belmond British Pullman at 12.59. Copyright Guy Vincent.
The rear of the Pullman train showing the newly introduced carriage no. 99593 “Celia” which is a dining and events space for 12 guests refurbished from a 1932 Pullman coach. Copyright Guy Vincent.
GWR 2-car 158762 heads south on the 12.40 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury train at 13.05. Copyright Guy Vincent.
GWR 2-car Turbo set 165135 on the 12.12 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads heads to the junction at 13.08. Copyright Guy Vincent.