Skip to main content

Blandford Station - 1901

 

Blandford station was once a significant employer. By 1901 it had a workforce of around 50 which included porters, clerks, permanent-way men, signalmen and a large general labouring gang. Within a decade the number had roughly doubled. Among the eight porters was foreman porter John Hockey. His great grandson, Vernon Rattenbury reckons nine of John’s ten children were born at Blandford Station. The 1891 census lists John and his family living in Station Yard, Edward Street. Most of the station’s staff lived to the north of the station. Shunting duties within the station yard were carried out with the help of two railway horses.

The Somerset & Dorset Line was nicknamed the ‘Swift & Delightful’ but more often the ‘Slow & Dirty!’ Had the proposed Wilts, Dorset & East Devon Railway been built connecting Salisbury with Exeter, via Blandford & Dorchester, then ‘Blandford Railway Junction’ would have been even busier.

Today, it is difficult to realise what an important role Blandford Station played locally in the past. As an example, around a century ago every newspaper advertisement with property for sale in the area would list the distance to the station.

Frederick Barrett was the station master or ‘railway agent’ in 1901 and he lived with his wife, Henrietta in Eton Villas, Alexandra Street. Theirs was a railway family and both their sons worked on the Somerset & Dorset Railway. Apart from passengers, coal wagons would arrive regularly in the station yard for the local coal merchants. Sheep would pass through the station for the town’s sheep fairs. Young lads would enjoy helping to herd dozens of flocks to and from their destinations. With cattle following the same route quite a lot of cleaning up would have been necessary. The Council had a special horse drawn cart that swept and watered the streets. A good sized cattle market took place each week.


(Illustrations: Blandford Station)












Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous7 July 2023 at 13:07

    My ancestor Thomas Gould was a clerk there in the 1860 ts

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

True Lovers Knot - a Tragic Tale

True Lovers Knot public house describes itself as a traditional  inn set in a picturesque Dorset valley in Tarrant Keynston. Yet, this historical hostelry is said to have gained its name from a particularly tragic tale and still to be haunted by a distressed former publican. This publican’s son met and fell in love with the daughter of the local squire. Because the young lad was not from the gentry they decided to keep their relationship secret from her father. Unfortunately, a stable hand saw the two young lovers together and told her father. Set firmly against this friendship the squire made plans to send his daughter away from the district. Not able to face up to life without her boyfriend, the young girl decided to commit suicide and hanged herself from a tree in the village. So upset was the publican’s son of hearing of his girlfriend’s death he too hanged himself from the same tree. The Tarrant Keynston publican had, himself lost his wife at child birth and now losing his s...
4 comments
Read more

Holton Heath's Tragic Explosion

Ten were killed and 23 were injured according to newspaper reports at the time. This made it one of Dorset’s worst ever industrial accidents. Holton Heath employees were blown into unrecognisable fragments necessitating a roll call of the factory’s entire staff before the identities of those killed were identified. Eleven men were originally believed to have been killed but when a roll call was held one turned up. A crimson red plume of acid vapour had towered into the sky resembling the shuddering eruption of a volcano. It was caused by the bursting of a sulphuric acid tank. Close by low buildings vanished and the shock affected houses for 20 miles with roof slates dislodged, ornaments knocked down and windows broken. The sound of the explosion could be heard at Shillingstone some 18 miles away. Closer to the factory, a hoe was wrenched from the hands of a gardener who was flung against a tree. One fortunate employee, Charles Rogers owed his life to having to leave, just before the ...
1 comment
Read more

Tarrant Rushton's Nuclear Secret

Tarrant Rushton was a large RAF base used for glider operations during World War II. It was then taken over by Flight Refuelling for the conversion of aircraft for the development of aircraft in-flight refuelling. However, between 1958 & 1965, the Tarrant Rushton airfield had a much more secretive and less publicised role. This was in support of the nation’s nuclear bomber deterrent, as Tarrant Rushton airfield became a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) dispersal unit.   During 1958, contractors Costain reinforced the main runway and carried out other work to ensure the giant bomber aircraft could be accommodated. At times just a few miles from Blandford, there would have been up to four RAF Vickers Valiant bombers at Tarrant Rushton ready to become airborne in minutes charged with nuclear weapons. The bombers were from 148 Squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk. As there was no suitable accommodation at the airfield, an old US Air Force Hospital building at Martin was used. At the time,...
10 comments
Read more