Trust Museum Curator, John Smith, writes about recent comment on the storm damage at Burnham

Those over 60 years old may possibly remember, so this article is written for the younger ones who may have read the recent articles & seen the accompanying photographs in the papers regarding the damage which the storms over the last few weeks, have caused to the Burnham-on-Sea Jetty.

This Jetty was a Railway Jetty, 900 feet long, built by the Somerset Central Railway (which later became the Somerset & Dorset Railway) & opened on 3rd May 1858. This Railway was opened on the 17th August 1854 to run from Glastonbury (by Snows Timber Yard) to Highbridge, terminating at the Wharf (by the Cattle Market). Those instrumental in getting the Railway built were George Reed, a prominent Burnham resident, George Warry, of the Manor House, Shapwick & James Clark, the Shoe Makers at Glastonbury. The Railway was extended in 1859 to Wells, Priory Road, terminating opposite the Sherston Public House & the other end of the line at Highbridge, in 1858 extended to Burnham on Sea, the station being built behind Abingdon Road. The holiday traffic necessitated the building of a second platform, long enough to accommodate ten coach trains. From this station, track was laid across the Esplanade, on to the Jetty, a point laid on the wooden part of the Pier, allowing two sidings to run down the Jetty.

The majority of the the Jetty was constructed of Stone & the top of the Jetty covered with Cobbled Stones. The down gradient was 1 in 23, making it impossible for locomotives to run down this Jetty, especially when the rails were wet & Railway Rolling Stock was lowered up & down the Jetty by a wire rope through a ring set in the stonework at the top of he pier - in 1884 rollers were ordered to be laid down between the rails for the protection of the wire rope on the jetty.

The Railway ran a passenger service to South Wales from 1858 to 1888, purchased a Paddle Steamer, the Ruby. Along side the Jetty a large Sluicing Pond was built which filled up on every full tide. After the tide had gone out, gates were opened allowing the water to flow down the south side of the Jetty, washing the mud & sand away to maintain a deep channel for the boats. The pond gates were then closed enabling the Sluicing Pond to fill again on the next tide. However, the unsuitability of the Jetty for large boats to berth was soon brought to the Railways costly notice when on 18 August 1863 the Ruby, which was trying to berth, in the River mouth at the end of the Jetty, got its bow stuck in one river bank & its stern in the opposite bank. As the tide fell, the inevitable happened, the boat broke in half & was a complete wreck.

Between 1884 & 1888 the Railway owned a large wooden paddle steamer, the Sherbro which carried cattle, market produce as well as passengers to & from Cardiff. The Railway then suspended these operations although occasional pleasure steamers berthed at the Jetty for many years & there are photographs of amongst others, the Waverley, part of the Cambells Fleet. Cargo boats, however, continued to use Highbridge Wharf until about 1950.

At some time in the 70s or 80s, after they had survived in place for about 100 years, the Rails & Cobbled Stones were removed, the top of the Jetty levelled & tarmac laid, last being resurfaced, between tides, last year. The final insult to the Railway came when "Yellow Lines" were recently painted on either side of the 24 feet wide Jetty for its whole length.

For those visiting Burnham now, the Jetty remains in place, although much of the tarmac has been lifted. Many of the large wooden Mooring Posts can still be seen but all traces of the Sluicing Pond have gone. At the top of the Jetty on the Esplanade, the Reed's Arms can be seen - a large Wetherspoon Hostelry. This was originally built by George Reed for the benefit of Railway travellers visiting the town. Carved in the stone work at the rear of the building was "The Reed Arms" but this is now covered by a Wetherspoon extension to the building. A little farther in shore, at the end of Pier Street, we find on our left hand side the "Somerset & Dorset" Public House which has pictures of the old station hanging on its walls. Opposite, behind Somerfield, next to the gates to the Lifeboat Yard, is a small white building with a hipped roof which is currently being refurbished. This was originally the Lifeboat House where the Philip Beach was housed. This Lifeboat was given to the RNLI by Mrs Beach, in memory of her husband. The Life boat was kept & moved on a Trolley, mounted on Rails. The Rails from the Lifeboat House were joined by a point to the Railway line between the Station & Jetty enabling the Lifeboat to be pulled from the Lifeboat House on to the main railway line & then pushed across the the Esplanade & providing the tide was right, launched down the Railway Jetty!! I wonder what the Health & Safety Executive would say today, about this bizarre arrangement of the Lifeboat & Steam Engines sharing the same length of Railway Track. I am unaware of any reported accidents & photographs exist of the Lifeboat being moved along the "joint" track. The new road, Marine Drive, passes through the station site & follows the track bed towards Highbridge. Just outside the station site on the north side in the grass can be seen the 12 inch square, 12 inches high, black base of the Station Starting Signal, not pulled since the last train ran in 1963.

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