Garden Rededication Revives S&D Memories at Sturminster

Memories of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway were revived in the Dorset Town of Sturminster Newton  when the Town’s Railway Garden was rededicated at a ceremony  held on March 6th,2010, ironically the 44th anniversary of the date that the last timetabled train ran on the S & D in 1966.

Townsfolk and civic leaders were welcomed by the Town Crier Kevin Knapp who introduced the Chairman of the Town Council Victor Fox who performed the rededication ceremony. Also present was the Member of Parliament for Dorset North, Robert Walter M.P. and the Chairman of the Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust, Godfrey Baker.

The S&DRT’s connection with Sturminster Newton goes back many years  to the days when a lady and gentleman named Ted and Florence Drew would organise film shows and talks on the Somerset & Dorset Railway. These were often a joint effort with the Trust. Ted Drew who worked on the S & D at Sturminster Station, was also a guest at the ceremony.

The very deep cutting to the north of the station was eventually filled in following the line’s closure and  levelled to form a Railway Garden to which in 1992 was added a pair of commemorative gates and a plaque that recorded the fact that at that location men and women of the Town and surrounding area worked on the Somerset & Dorset Railway and that of course the Railway’s locomotives and trains passed through there. The Trust was involved with this and supplied the plaque.

The latest development began about 18 months ago when the Trust was approached by a locally based member , Alan Harrison, asking that the Trust provide support to a proposal that was then in its infancy to improve the Railway Gardens. The proposal was to make the area more relevant to present and future generations of the Town and having now become connected to the railway path to Shillingstone , the Garden would become a focal point for those starting and ending their journey along the former track bed.

Agreement was also reached with the Town Council that a track panel and interpretation boards be erected , the Trust providing the text and information for the boards , plus the chairs , rails and labour to transport and lay the panel.

The ceremony on March 6th marked the completion of the project.

Photographs Courtesy Robin Pearson/Paul Guppy