Just to round off my look at railway heritage over the last fortnight, here’s a GWR bench I found at Bradford on Avon station last summer.
I was particularly keen to photograph this because I think its days are numbered.
It shows the area where the finished engines would be moved outside and positioned onto the appropriate track to move them around the rest of the site.
I used to walk past here every week on my way from the railway station to my voluntary work at the National Trust HQ at Heelis.
It pleased me that this piece of our railway heritage was still there. However, houses are currently being built on this part of the site and already much of the track has been ripped up.
The buildings on the right of the picture are part of the Steam Museum. It’s a shame they couldn’t have acquired this area to demonstrate what used to happen when this was leaving and breathing industry.
At the far end of the railway works site is the old water tower.
This picture shows how close the railway village on the left was to the works to the right.
The corner buildings of the railway village are taller and a little more ornate than the rest of the street. Some look like they may have housed people higher up in the railway’s hierarchy. Many have a pub serving local ales.
A wider view of yesterday’s Mechanics Institution from the streets of the model railway village.
The railway company had its own education centre and library and railway workers were actively encouraged to improve themselves through study and acquiring further qualifications. Sadly this magnificent building is now derelict and no-one seems to want to develop it, except possibly into flats. A community building in keeping with it’s former use is what residents would like, but that doesn’t cover the costs the building needs spending on it to be made fit for purpose again.
So sadly, it just moulders on.
The outside of the old railway works and the part which houses last Saturday’s pictured hooters. This is on one of the main thoroughfares into the outlet centre and the benches merge so well with their backgound they look like they’ve been camouflaged!
The railway company also provided housing, a school, a further education centre and more for its workers right next to the factory where they worked. These houses date back to 1842, but are substantial and the choice of stone used mean they look almost new today. I believe there are restrictions on what can and can’t be grown in the front gardens so that the appearance of the ‘village’ is kept consistent.
There are a few rows of these ‘back to backs’ which are all slightly different in appearance.
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