Beeching, Before and After

[steepholm]

Back when your granny was a wee lass, there was a small railway station at Ashley Hill in Bristol, just where Ashley Down meets Purdown, and in the shadow of the Muller orphanages. It looked like this:



Later, Dr Beeching (or a similar functionary, but let him stand for all, a la Judge Jeffreys) closed the station, and so it remained for many a year. The orphanages were by this time part of Brunel College, and were then converted to flats, while in their grounds had little houses built on them, in one of which I lived from 2006 until 2020. For much of that time, there was talk of re-opening the station under the name Ashley Down, and whenever it came up we were a little excited and a little nervous, but only a little because we never thought it would actually happen.

It did happen, yesterday. To celebrate the event, I took a two-minute journey from Stapleton Rd to visit the new, clean, yet untagged station. Not railway station, as in old-fashioned British English, not train station, as in US English, but "rail station". This is the shining new world we live in.










I felt a little self-conscious, I admit, photographing train things like an otaku in an anorak, but I was far from alone. The only depressing bit was this bench-cum-misericord, presumably designed like this to deter homeless people (because if only we didn't encourage them they wouldn't insist on being homeless?), but equally deterrent of passengers, I imagine.

Comments

[sovay]

To celebrate the event, I took a two-minute journey from Stapleton Rd to visit the new, clean, yet untagged station.

Congratulations! On everything but the hostile architecture. My brain will now return to its previously unscheduled earworm of the theme song to Oh, Doctor Beeching!

[steepholm]

I never watched the series, but listening to the theme song just now it seems to owe something to the music-hall standard, 'Oh Mr Porter'.

[sovay]

I never watched the series, but listening to the theme song just now it seems to owe something to the music-hall standard, 'Oh Mr Porter'.

It is absolutely a filk of "Oh! Mr Porter," which is why it is so catchy.

(spatch went through a phase of David Croft earlier this year and watched Hi-de-Hi!, You Rang, M'Lord?, and Oh, Doctor Beeching! which I did not all watch with him because from that much television I would implode, but I did learn the theme songs.)

[steepholm]

spatch is clearly a more devoted Croft fan than I am, though Dad's Army and Are You Being Served still hold places in my heart (separate ventricles, obs).

[cmcmck]

There's been talk of one or two re-openings locally including Buildwas which would be really useful, but nothing has happened so far.

[steepholm]

Fingers (but not lines) crossed!

[greenwoodside]

I'm happy that more stations are created/being restored. Hope this one will see much use.

When I lived in mid-Wales, there was much interest for a time in the question of which new station would be created on the Shrewsbury/Aberystwyth line.

The Powers That Be eventually chose Bow Street, a few miles out of Aberystwyth. A bit of a baffling choice, given it could already be well served by short distance buses.

I'm still frustrated that they didn't pick Carno in (very) rural Powys, another Beeching victim. Having its station back could have given tourism a real boost for the area, especially if the station reopening had been arranged to coincide with a new walking/cycling route, say. Or a Laura Ashley shop/museum/cafe.

Anyway, long may the railway revival continue. And if St Nicholas is listening, can we have better east–west connections in England, please. I've been to London plenty of times, but never been to Norwich. In my head, the Kett rebellion has just finished there, so I need to go and convince myself that even in Norwich the 21st century has arrived.

That bench/exercise equipment/torture device is infuriating.

eta: Apologies for the rambling reply. Even without possessing an anorak or notebook, I apparently care a lot about the railways.

[steepholm]

I've driven past the Bow Street station on multiple occasions on my way to Borth (which already has a station), and I agree it seems an odd choice.

Agree too about the need for East-West connections in England - also, North-South connections in Wales. The fact that you can't go from north to south in Wales without first going to England tells you everything you need to know about the priorities of extractive economies.

[greenwoodside]

Sadly, yes.

[cmcmck]

I believe the's been quite a lot of new build in Bow Street (we live in north Shropshire not so very far away) which may have coloured the decision.

[greenwoodside]

Yes, I remember it being a popular commuter location for various people connected to the university and national library. Once visited someone on its edge. She had red kites coming to her back garden!

That said, Bow Street station's location seemed particularly frustrating because it's on one side of Penglais hill with Aberyswyth station on the other side. So which ever station you go to, there'll still be a steep climb to get to university/library. Perhaps Transport for Wales could have installed a ski lift instead...??

But I guess the new station was great news for people working in/around Bow Street or living in Bow Street and working around Borth or Aberystwyth town centre.

[heleninwales]

I think the idea of opening Bow Street was to allow people to use it as a park-and-ride into Aberystwyth. Aber is a bit short on parking and Bow Street station has a large car park, at least as far as I can see when driving past.

Carno would be a good choice for a new stop though. I remember the inhabitants campaigning for the station to be reopened.

[greenwoodside]

Ah, now that does make sense! Yes, I remember the parking/traffic system in Aber being awful.

And apologies for hijacking steepholm's journal with the Cambrian Line.

[steepholm]

The Cambrian Line is always welcome here!

[calimac]

I feel the terrible irony that the station could only be opened because it had been closed long ago. Reinstatements of unwisely-abandoned public transit ... they're now slowly building a light rail in Los Angeles to replace the streetcars ripped up in the 1940s.