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Radstock Coal & Steam The Somerset & Dorset At Radstock And Writhlington Vol 1
Radstock Coal & Steam The Somerset & Dorset At Radstock And Writhlington Volume 1: History
By Chris Handley Reflections from the lights on some photos.
Hardcover With Dustjacket - 160 Pages
Copyright 1991
Radstock is perhaps best remembered for the regular summer Saturday confrontation at the infamous level crossing gates where a main road and vital holiday route from the north bisected one of the busiest main railways to the south coast. The tremendous traffic jams are now only a distant memory and it is difficult to imagine the bustling scene at Radstock's Somerset & Dorset station and yard. No trace of these now remains and gone are the collieries too, only their dirt batches reminding us of a past way of life.
Radstock was an industrial, mining community set incongruously amidst some of the most beautiful countryside the south has to offer. This book sets out to tell the comprehensive story of the S&D at Radstock, from its canal and tramway predecessors, through its development and changes of ownership, trials and triumphs, to its final slow decline and closure. The railway's relationship with the whole variety of industries which went to make up the town is fully covered, in particular its dealings with the collieries. Details of tramways and rail workings to Clandown, Writhlington, Braysdown and others are all included along with much material illustrating the development of the town itself.
The author has drawn on many original documents to provide details of the history which will ensure this book becomes an important work of reference. He has also talked to many former employees who provide fascinating accounts of the day-to-day running of the line. Many photographs, maps and detailed drawings complete the picture.
Contents
INTRODUCTION
To Radstock for Coal
A Whirlwind Romance
An Unhappy Interlude
Consolidation and Reform
Serene & Delightful
Retraction and Rejection
Changing Landscapes
Trains, Traffic and People
Introduction
"A canal here?" I exclaimed. "Surely not". We were walking along Waldegrave Terrace on a glorious summer Sunday and as a talking point my father had suddenly introduced a little historical culture into my life, but as I glanced down at the 'ranks' below me with their scrupulously neat gardens carved out of the rich brown soil miraculously clinging to the steep hillside, and the thin ribbons of silver glistening beyond as if to beckon us to more exotic places, I simply could not imagine Radstock without my favourite Somerset & Dorset. As far as I was concerned at my tender age the railway had been there for ever and always would be. I was wrong on both counts of course, but in the peaceful rural charm of the day I might have been forgiven for thinking that nothing in this world would ever change. When it did it took us all by surprise and we have been lamenting ever since. But why? I suppose it's because of a perceived romanticism which allows us to view the realities of life totally out of context with the harsh economic facts. As humans we are all very good at living in the past and remembering only the good times, so perhaps it is perfectly legitimate for me to use this opportunity to take you back in time for a few hours of nostalgia; to bring back some of those earlier scenes of my favourite railway in Radstock born out of strong childhood memories; to deliver more vividly just what the scenic charm of Radstock really was - a fascinating montage of tramways and pits, of steam and trees, of railways and buildings but above all else, of people, the very lifeblood and heart of the community. Alas I cannot possibly cover everything that made the town what it is, so I make no apology for chronicling just the 'Slow & Dirty', as it was so unfairly called, and the industries directly associated with the line in a compromise which I hope will help both to quench the thirst of the historian and to satisfy the interests of the locals alike whilst presenting the wealth of detail so desperately required by all those with an inquiring mind who, over more years than I care to remember, have encouraged me to take a deep excursion into the affairs of this area; an area which will always be my true home. With your indulgence and without animosity I will blissfully leave 'the other railway' in the town for others to recall. Important though it was to the local economy, it plays only a passing part in the story of the Somerset & Dorset.
Picture, if you will, the hay being tossed in the fields and the sweet scent it makes as it wafts towards you in the gentle summer breeze. Then mix that with the distinctive odour of hot oil and steam and you have a unique blend which tells us all about Radstock, an industrial community set incongruously amidst an agricultural setting in some of the most beautiful countryside the south has to offer. Add a few noises like the slamming of carriage doors, the clanging of wagon against wagon as they angrily protest at the antics of the shunter, and the faint sussuration of steam as the little 4-4-0 waits patiently in the station for the 'right away' to
take its 'all stations to Templecombe' stopper up the heavy grades. Imagine the scene as one of those lovely old Co-op carthorses wends its majestic way sedately along Waterloo Road with its baker's cart, and look at all the people busying themselves with their daily chores, hurrying their shopping along or simply just nattering. This was the real Radstock.
The town was born one of twins; sitting supportively by its side is the slightly older and larger Midsomer Norton. They are, therefore, not identical twins; far from it. They are as different as chalk and cheese, a situation which probably has as much to do with the geological structure beneath the ground as with any of the physical aspects above. Radstock sits deep in a valley bowl and by a masterful stroke of fate, luck, misfortune or whatever, right on top of a plentiful supply of coal. By way of contrast, Norton, despite its nearness, straddles a somewhat wider vale away from the intimate surroundings of the coal measures. The consequence of all this was to cause intensive deep mining activity to intrude right into the very heartland of Radstock whereas at Norton the pits miraculously fringed the town.
In such a green and pleasant land as Somerset (or Avon as this northern outpost of the old county seems to have been renamed) it still comes as something of a surprise to many to find that a thriving coalfield survived into recent times to spawn an industrial enclave of a type which traditionally befits more northern lands. The very existence of coal was bound to affect the architectural attractiveness of both communities, if only because they also happen to sit upon copious supplies of white lias limestone, a durable but somewhat drab medium with which to work. The influx of an increasing mining population eventually obliged some of the more enlightened colliery owners to provide a number of good strong terraces built of this stone, but they lacked architectural distinction, something that Nikolaus Pevsner was quick to point out in his Bristol and North Somerset volume of The Buildings of England series. Of Norton he is particularly harsh:
The village does not live up to its poetic name - or at least it does not now. The neighbourhood of Radstock and the collieries has spoilt what must once have been quite an attractive setting.
Poor Radstock! It was getting the blame already but of that little town itself he was downright hurtful:
Radstock is really desperately ugly. Or so at least it appears in its pleasant countryside. In industrial counties one would perhaps praise the nearness of field and hedgerow and the hilly site as such. In Somerset the small colliery town hurts particularly.
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