bike2steam Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Night before last we had a slide show ( mostly those belonging to John Blanchard) on locations on the S&D, one that came up was Holly Bush Crossing, believe it or not out of 24 or so, of so called experts, no one could locate it, well it's on a single line section, and we suspect that it's on the 'Levels', but beyond that we drew a blank. So go on, some one put us out of our misery. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted June 9, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 9, 2011 Paul, It doesn't ring any immediate bells, but a photo would help! Was it a vehicular crossing with cottage etc., or just a farm crossing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 The Middleton Press Burnham to Evercreech Junction volume includes a list of "Level crossings with cottages" for the 'main' branch and shows crossings on the gradient profiles for the Bridgwater and Wells branch. There's no sign of a Holly Bush Crossing, so maybe it didn't have a cottage, was known by a different name, or was on one of the single track sections of the main line? Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 The pic itself ( a 35mm slide ) was old, and not in the best of conditions,what I could make of it, it was either a narrow lane or farm crossing with no buildings in the pic . But my suspicion is that it is off the S&DJR, and found itself included by mistake, as I have nothing listed of that name. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted June 10, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 10, 2011 Not having seen the pic I have no idea of the kind of environment the crossing was in, but on looking on Google I did find references to a Hollybush Inn on the Bath side of Bristol and not far from a railway line. It didn't look flat enough to be where a crossing would have been though. There is a Hollybush Lane in Somerset not far from East Cranmore, but there is no railway on or near it so I didn't think that would be likely. There were certainly no results indicating a Hollybush place name anywhere on the S&DJR itself. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 ...looking on Google I did find references to a Hollybush Inn on the Bath side of Bristol and not far from a railway line. It didn't look flat enough... Maybe the one at Brislington? In which case, yes it is far from flat. The nearest railway was the Bristol & North Somerset, mostly in cuttings and crossed by bridges in this area. Another pub with this name on the east side of Bristol is at Oldland Common on the Bath Green Park to Mangotsfield line (a bit closer to the S&D). As far as I remember, the only crossing in this area was at Warmley with bridges elsewhere. Pub names might provide a clue, but they do have an annoying tendency to change over time Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 11, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2011 It is not mentioned in the 1933 Somerset & Dorset Railway appendix - either by name in the index or in Table A. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted June 11, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 11, 2011 There's a Holmbush crossing near St Austell... (sorry, not helpful!....) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 FOUND IT !!!! Between Evercreech Junction, and Pyle, thanks those of you that came up with suggestions, but one of our group was able to contact the man himself (John Blanchard), and that's where he said. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 As far as I can see from various maps, the only crossing between Evercreech Junction and Pylle is the one usually called Elbow Corner (apparently because of the sharp bend in the road). There are photos in Somerset & Dorset Files No 1, the Middleton Press Burnham to Evercreech Junction volume and elsewhere, all using the Elbow Corner name. A quick look at the old-maps.co.uk failed to find any trace of another name. So where did the Holly Bush name come from? Nick ps. the keeper's cottage at Elbow Corner also bore that name when photographed in 1961. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted June 15, 2011 Author Share Posted June 15, 2011 As far as I can see from various maps, the only crossing between Evercreech Junction and Pylle is the one usually called Elbow Corner (apparently because of the sharp bend in the road). There are photos in Somerset & Dorset Files No 1, the Middleton Press Burnham to Evercreech Junction volume and elsewhere, all using the Elbow Corner name. A quick look at the old-maps.co.uk failed to find any trace of another name. So where did the Holly Bush name come from? Nick ps. the keeper's cottage at Elbow Corner also bore that name when photographed in 1961. Just what I'm told Nick, have you included occupational crossings ?what about the farms along the route ? But I couldn't tell you where the name came from. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 There are a couple of what might be occupational or foot crossings, but no hints from farm names. Incicentally, the Elbow Corner cottage still has a name plate. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted June 15, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 15, 2011 As far as I can see from various maps, the only crossing between Evercreech Junction and Pylle is the one usually called Elbow Corner (apparently because of the sharp bend in the road). There are photos in Somerset & Dorset Files No 1, the Middleton Press Burnham to Evercreech Junction volume and elsewhere, all using the Elbow Corner name. A quick look at the old-maps.co.uk failed to find any trace of another name. So where did the Holly Bush name come from? Nick ps. the keeper's cottage at Elbow Corner also bore that name when photographed in 1961. That Level Crossing is listed in the Appendix as 'Elbow Corner Level Crossing', 1480 yards from Evercreech Jcn North Signalbox. The Appendix - as was the normal practice - doesn't list such things as occupation or accommodation crossings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted June 16, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 16, 2011 As so often happens on the railway, extremely local or colloquial names often get substituted by non-railway people for the 'official' names. I've learned a lot about certain localities, for example, due to the High Output team referring to certain sites by the name of the local farm etc., rather than the 'approved' railway name that appears in the Sectional Appendix or internally-produced track diagrams. Like others, however, I've just never heard of 'Holly Bush' in all my years of perusing S&D books and other material (don't get out much!!), so I suspect this is a very local name for a footpath or O/A crossing... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 As so often happens on the railway, extremely local or colloquial names often get substituted by non-railway people for the 'official' names. I've learned a lot about certain localities, for example, due to the High Output team referring to certain sites by the name of the local farm etc., rather than the 'approved' railway name that appears in the Sectional Appendix or internally-produced track diagrams. Like others, however, I've just never heard of 'Holly Bush' in all my years of perusing S&D books and other material (don't get out much!!), so I suspect this is a very local name for a footpath or O/A crossing... Well that's why we had trouble locating it, we had to resort to get hold of the photographer (not the easiest thing to do), who is (well locally) accepted as the most knowledgable person, alive, on the former DCR end of the S&DJR. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RailWest Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Certainly not a name that I have ever heard in relation to a S&D crossing - it would be useful to see the original picture to see if it does indeed match Elbow Corner. There is a colour-slide (from Colour Rail) that appears in shows occasionally which allegedly is a location on the 'Branch', but is actually Bruton Road or Lamyatt (I forget which), so you have to be careful about the attributions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 No not Elbow Corner (Easton Lane), but approx., the farm lane that turns first left as you go north along the A371 to Shepton from what was Evercreech Junction, where the lane crosses the old track bed at 51.136214N, 2.523674W. I must get a copy of the pic, but in it is what is thought to be Evercreech Junction's outer home signal on the Highbridge branch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 Ah, that one. Thanks for revealing the solution, Paul, but I'm still not convinced. That was not one of the two that I'd referred to in #12. I'd discounted that one as the 1885 1:2500, 1890 and 1904 1:10560 maps all show it as a bridge with small embankments leading up on either side. The line was in a shallow cutting here. There was a signal about 2-300 yds north of here. However, about 200 yds to the south is a footpath that crosses the line from south-west to north-east. This is just beyond the end of the sidings and it also appears on the map in the Middleton Press Burnham to Evercreech Junction volume at the top of the page with plates 114/5. On the 1959 1" map that I happen to have in front of me this path has been re-routed to follow the railway boundary to the north and cross the farm track bridge before regaining its original route. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 We were only trying to locate from John Blanchards description relying on a near 60 year memory, the nearest we could pin-point was the location I described, but if there was a signal post near the crossing you mentioned, I'd probably go for that, the crossing was only small, with a slight rise to the northern side of the line, with the signal post to what we perceived as the Evercreech Junction side of the crossing, at about 50 yards distant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 The signal is the problem. The crossing is at a point where the ground is starting to rise because the cutting starts just to the north-west. Towards Evercreech Junction the two sidings are on the north-east side of the line and their ends are very close to the crossing. The nearest signal shown on the maps is about 150 yards in this direction. To the north-west, the next signal on the map is 300-400 away. Nick Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bike2steam Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 My judgement of 50 yards (again relying on memory of the pic last seen about 3 - 4 weeks ago) must be way out - we'll go for the 150 yards, and say we've found the location, thanks Nick. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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