From Petworth To Rowden Mill

What's The Grub Like?

fbb was a little anxious to espy the picture, above, of 'table set for breakfast' showing a minuscule plate of fruit bits, but he need not have worried unduly because ...

... 'Full English' is included in the room rate! Phew! 

It certainly ought to be.

Smaller rooms are cheaper (better expressed as "less expensive") but somewhat more than the fbb's cheapskate budget. The rooms look something special!

And dinner, sir?

fbb always likes a sprinkling of hazelnuts with his beetroot carpaccio. Of course you knew that it is a 'classic Italian appetiser'.

fbb has oft hankered after a hearty portion of beef wellington, and yes, he does know how it is served.

The puds look intriguing.

fbb would always go for the crumble!

But again, the price is a bit too posh for the gourmand grandfather!

Afternoon Tea, Sir?

Sounds delish! But ...

... fbb is more likely to seek a mugga tea and a Belgian bun in a "caff".

But the old man can always dream of a relaxation of his personal fiscal rules.  Maybe today's equivalent of a Postal Order (a very high face value Postal Order!) might arrive, Bunter style?

Bunter's never did. "Oh, I say, you fellows!"

And So To Rowden Mill

It is just outside Bromyard, Herefordshire ...

... on the long-closed line to Leominster.

You need to zoom in on a modern map to find Rowden Mill station today!

There it is, close to Rowden Abbey ...

... which doesn't look much like an ecclesiastical establishment, but neither did Downton Abbey! 

Next door is Rowden House ...

... now a school specialising in autism. Maybe it is these two big houses that provoked the Railway Company to choose the name Rowden Mill rather than the larger nearby community of Bredenbury?

Wikipedia tells us all about Rowden Mill station.

Rowden Mill station was bought and restored as a private residence by John Wilkinson. He re-installed sections of the track either side of the station, on which are presently housed British Rail Class 03 shunter No.D2371, various Wickham self-propelled trolleys, some carriages, goods wagons and a GWR Toad brake van. At private gatherings, the stock is propelled along the line, while the site is opened occasionally for public access and viewing, but without operational trains.

The stock listed is pictured ...

... with a better look at the diesel shunter.

But things may have changed since the Wiki newshounds composed the entry above.

Zoom in to Google Earth and the freight stock is gone and what appears to be a carriage is parked. 

There is also a notable white parasol.

Wrong again, fbb! The wagons are still there, a couple beyond the cattle dock ...

... with a parasol to keep the coos cool. 

The brake van IS still there, but it looks a bit different.

The carriage also looks different from the usual Mark 1 offering. It is shorter.

Clearly things have moved on at Rowden Mill! The properties changed hands in 2017.

More tomorrow.

  Next Rowden Mill blog : Fri 3rd July 

Recycling At Petworth (2)

Petworth Station : Then

There are not too many pictures of the station in active use by trains. Above a humble coal train trundles through eastbound whilst below, a special of some sort ...

... is on its way to Midhurst with a very untypical crowd either watching or waiting or both.

The top picture hints at an extensive goods yard.

The proud station staff stand smartly to attention in the early days of trains when pride in the job was more evident than it was in the station's declining years!

At least one of 'the lads' opted for a more informal pose!

Petworth Station : Now

Travelling south along the A285, we pass the former Station Hotel, avoiding, for the moment, the driveway to the station itself.

First we traverse the murky waters of the West Sussex version of the River Rother ...

... then the track bed of the former railway.

Clearly the proprietors are expecting fine weather for their customers, hence the line of pristine parasols on the former platform, parking place for a large chunk of railwayana!

But next, we approach down the slope ...

... once again bridging the Rother; before hanging a left into the station forecourt.

Things now become interesting. 

On the left are a couple of former houses for station staff ...

... beyond which is a small industrial estate, hardly worth of such an imposing name. This is where the goods yard was.

One of the houses is now, incongruously, named "Pullman Cottage" ...

... although fbb is very certain that the South Eastern and Chatham Railway never operated a Pullman express via Petworth! 

But spin the camera through 180 degrees and we can see ...

... two deliciously presented Pullman carriages.

Unlike at Beningborough, these are genuine Pullmans, not simply Mark 1 carriages painted in pseudo pullman colours.

There are four of them ...

... one a posh restaurant ...

... the others forming comfortable bedrooms.

Sumptuous lounge facilities are provided ...

... in the former station buildings.

The only thing missing, of course, is a passing train. But you can always half close your eyes and imagine ...

... a rusty clanking tank wagon wheezing past with a rusty clanking train of coal wagons.

Pictures also reveal a fifth carriage being delivered ...

... being the vehicle espied from the road bridge, a Pullman from 1906. Of course it now rejoices in Pullman livery ...

... and looks like extra restaurant seating.

Talking of restaurant, readers may wonder about the quality of nosh available.

We will sample the menus tomorrow and visit another closed station that is now open.

  Next Recycled Station blog : Thurs 2nd July 

Recycling At Petworth (1)

But First, An fbb Favourite

"The Sidings" at Shipton by Beningborough, north of York, was first visited for posh nosh by fbb at the invitation of a certain Mr Fearnley.  Then fbb and Mrs stayed there for an anniversary weekend.

It rained! The attraction of sleeping in an old railway carriage, with a plywood uninsulated roof as the North Yorkshire monsoons hammered down, slightly put a dampener on the weekend.

Earplugs were needed but not provided!

On another occasion, a Great Britain Bus Timetable "weekend away" for staff, fbb stayed in the end room of the end carriage parked at right angles to the others.

After the founding Gemmel family retired, it became an Italian restaurant and its railway heritage faded somewhat.

The latest ownership change has returned the establishment to something like its railway-themed glory.

The area through the archway was an extension to the bar jam-packed with railwayana. It now accommodates restaurant tables ...

... to complement the dining carriage.

There is a terrace which is absolutely next to the four track East Coast main line.

Were fbb and Mrs to say in that end room today, they would have their very own end door exit ...

... to their very own decking, also right at the boundary fence!

The reason for fbb's accomodation and nostalgia-fest is to recognise that 'The Sidings' is (probably) the only such establishment right next to a busy busy main line.

In fact, "The Sidings" was never a station.

The restaurant and hotel are bottom centre; Beningborough station was top left.

So "The Sidings" cannot be called a "recycled" station.

But that at Petworth can!

Recycled Station

Sadly the above is not Petworth railway station. It is Petworth House, for centuries the home if the Percy family, the dukedom of Northumberland. It in now in the hands of the National Trust ...

... and is stuffed with art and furnishings as befits its history.

Needless to say, the station was well to the south of the small town ...

... that owes its existence to Petworth House.

So where was Petworth in the rail network of the UK?

The line running from north to south is the current Arun Valley route. The long closed branch line via Petworth continued to Midhurst.

No doubt Petworth station was designed to be a route for posh passengers to and from the "Big House". The picture that incited fbb to explore Petworth and its station did not seem in any way attractive.

It certainly looked abandoned!

Bur it did look as if it were once a little bit grand ...

... with carriages awaiting the arrival of the next train.

The closed line does appear in little bits on modern maps ...

... as se9en on the above map extract, bottom left.

The river is the Rother, by the way, but is NOT the same Rother that we met at Rye a few blogs back. This Rother is a tributary of the Arun which Joins the sea at Littlehampton.

Petworth used to have a Station Hotel ...

... adjacent to the station, surprisingly.

The hostelry still stands and appears to be operational ...

... but is renamed 'Badgers'.

It has no link with the railway locomotive known affectionately as "The Badger".

Pity!

Tomorrow we explore the recycled Petworth station in more detail.

   Next Recycling at Petworth blog : Wed 1 July