RMweb Gold Popular Post Edwardian Posted January 30, 2016 RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) Welcome to CASTLE ACHING January 2016 Summers seventeen, and winters too, had passed since the day I first realised that, as an adult, my boyhood enthusiasm for model railways had returned. That is a long time to spend in the Modeller's Armchair, and so, last Spring, I finally forced myself to make a start. Life had other plans for me, however, and it is only now that I can make a start in earnest. So, what is this layout? Well, it is really just an idea and a few model buildings at present, but the intention is to model a small independent line, set during the early Edwardian period and located in West Norfolk. The model, which will be to OO Gauge, is of the terminus of one of the branches of the West Norfolk Railway, so will take the familiar BLT to fiddle-yard format. It is unlikely to prove one of those cleverly compact layouts, whose ingenuity demonstrates a true grasp of the subtleties of the craft of railway modelling. Indeed, I seem likely to waste a good 50% of the layout's area setting the scene and trying to convince you that you really are in a Norfolk village at the dawn of the Twentieth Century. However, it's really all about the scene I see in my mind's eye and I have a particular picture that I want to create. There is no baseboard. There is a track plan in only the most general sense, in that it has not yet been committed to graph paper, or Templot or, even, the reverse of a convenient envelope. There is no track purchased as yet. No stock is ready. The ruling constraint at present is that everything - buildings, scenery, locomotives and rolling stock - must be produced from what I have available and can easily and inexpensively fabricate. Now, after 17 years of day dreaming about model railways, I have accumulated all sorts of bits and bobs, so this should not be as difficult as it may sound. Hopefully before too long there will be the budget for track and any other essential items. I expect the layout will be DC, and that my childhood Duette will come out of retirement to serve until something more state of the art can be justified. April 2022 This topic has taken quite a journey. We have seen baseboards and some (poorly) hand-built track laid. A few more buildings emerged and work has begun on locomotives and rolling stock. We are still very far from a working, let alone, complete, model railway, yet the journey has been a rich and rewarding one. The West Norfolk Railway, and the world in which it inhabits, is now fairly fully realised and understood, and we know what must be built. This entry marks a new start for RMWeb, which has successfully migrated to a new host after weeks and months of issues, and a new start for Castle Aching. Some of the lost pictures in the topic will need to be restored, and the layout itself is to have a new purpose-built home constructed over the next few weeks, after which work will resume in earnest. Lore It is May 1905 in West Norfolk, and ever will be, but the railway and the district it serves reflects their rich history prior to that date and, as many of the people and places featured in the Castle Aching world may be unfamiliar to the reader, there is much to record. A distillation of Castle Aching lore and background history was compiled as an Achipedia Entry . This material was in large part reproduced below in October 2020, and continues to be updated from time to time. Castle Aching Castle Aching is the name of a village in the west of the county of Norfolk in England's East Anglia region. It is also the name of a model railway layout that has been under construction since early 2016 to a scale of 1:76, or 4mm to 1 foot, and a track gauge of 16.5mm, or OO gauge. Castle Aching has developed most fully, however, as a topic on a popular railway modelling forum (RMWeb), where concepts and ideas are tested, advice given and received, and project progress (or lack of it) reported. The topic is characterised by its digressive nature and often arcane content. The layout, which is set in the year 1905, represents a portion of the large and ancient village of Castle Aching. The scene is dominated by the ruined donjon or keep of its Norman castle, built on a motte, or mound. The village streets and a railway have colonised the former castle bailey at the foot of the motte. The layout takes a conventional terminus to fiddleyard format; fiddleyard is a railway modelling term of art for the off-stage portion of a layout and represents the rest of the railway network. There is, however, scope for expansion to include much of the central section of the West Norfolk Railway. The Village The village of Castle Aching takes its name from the castle established there by the Normans, though it was the site of a modest settlement before it became a Norman stronghold and developed into a planned town of considerable local importance. A wealthy, if bucolic, parish for much of its subsequent history, a further period of growth and prosperity was engendered by the agrarian revolution and the subsequent advent of the railway in the mid-1850s, improving access to market for local farmers and manufacturers. The population in 1901 was recorded as 1,931. Above, Castle Aching cottages Above left, the old gate at the junction of Bailey Street and High Street and, right, the Lodge, residence of Wm. Danvers Everington, Esq, situated opposite the gate. In administrative terms, the Achings form the western part of Achingham Rural District Council (RDC), while the village is a civil parish with its own Parish Council. Both RDCs and Parish Councils were established by the Local Government Act of 1894. The ecclesiastical parish (of St Tabitha's) is run by the vestry, and forms part of the Archdeaconry of Lynn (also established in 1894) in the Diocese of Norwich. The Castle The castle was of a conventional motte and bailey design, its foundation and development are summarised in the Victoria County History, A History of the County of Norfolk: Volume II, ed. William Page (London, 1906) (abridged): Originally a wooden keep atop the motte, construction soon after the Norman Conquest, the castle was substantially rebuilt in stone in the 1130s-1140s. The Anglo-Norman family of Fitz Aching held the fief. Fitz Aching is patronymic, as the prefix 'Fitz' derives from the Latin filius, meaning "son of". It is believed that 'Aching' is a corruption of Acaris, who was the son of Bardolf, a son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre. The castle is now ruinous and uninhabited, and the later history of the Fitz Achings is obscure. In modern times, the local landowning family has been the Erstwhiles of Aching Hall. The stone donjon or keep is ruinous but largely intact. The most significant loss being the fore-building, which would originally have house the guard room commanding the covered entrance to the main keep on the first floor. Today only the steps and base of the fore-building remain. Slightly below the keep, the remains of the stone curtain wall or enciente remain. Above, Castle Aching's Norman Keep All three of the gates to the bailey survive to some extent. At the east and west the gates still mark either end of Bailey Street, which curves around the base of the motte, the houses backing onto the castle ditch, now filled in in places. The gate marking the southern end of the bailey survived as a single tower, but is now unrecognisable after it was re-faced and incorporated into the Drill Hall of 1865. The Hall A pleasing Eighteenth Century house, built by the Rokewood family, incorporating much of the fabric of the original Sixteenth Century Hall behind a Palladian façade, described by Pevsner as ‘dignified and elegant’. The Church The parish church of St Tabitha lies to the south of the castle, some distance from the village; a common arrangement in Norfolk. The first church here was established in the late Saxon period. When the first Norman lord of Castle Aching, Acaris de Boer, founded Aching Priory sometime before 1090. he granted it the income from 'the church at Aching', so we know there was already an existing church. The orientation of the church is typical of Norfolk, with the east end facing down hill. The reason for this local practice is not known. Above, St Tabitha's from the north Most of the extremely large present building is a product of the 14th and 15th centuries, when a stream of pilgrims travelling to the Shrine of Our Lady of Wolfringham brought prosperity to the village. Aside from pilgrims, the village stood near the ancient Pedlar's Way footpath and catered to travellers along the old Roman road by providing inns and hostels. The church is exceptionally endowed with items of architectural interest. The main body of the fabric is 14th century. A low clerestory and tall aisles accentuate the width of the place. The magnificent 15th century Perpendicular tower, however, is wholly rational, leaving the mysteries of the middle ages behind. The Revd. Aldwyn Rokewood DD, the Rector of St Tabitha's and author of a celebrated monograph on Norfolk Perpendicular, is ever ready to share his incomparable knowledge of his church's abundant architectural riches with visitors to the parish The church also benefits from some fine stained glass, both Nineteenth Century and some original Mediaeval work, which, like the extant Fifteenth Century Rood Screen, was preserved illicitly during the iconoclasm of the Civil War period. The east window, in particular, is famed for exhibiting all the exuberance of Chaucer with none of the concomitant crudity. Among the 15th century treasures are the hexagonal font, wine-glass pulpit, and chantry, which displays the crocketted and finialled ogee that marks it as very early Perpendicular. The bosses to the pendant are typical. The Almshouses The Hospital of the Sisters of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Norwich was originally founded in 1349 by Bishop Bateman to shelter women widowed during the Black Death, who had no available means of support, little prospect of remarriage due to the depleted population, and who might, therefore "turnne unto sinne". Following its dissolution as a chantry during the Henrician Reformation, it was revived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth as St Tabitha's Hospital and placed under the care of the Rector of St Tabitha's, who generally appointed a Deputy Warden to oversee the running of the institution. The present buildings date from the revival and were constructed in the first years of the Seventeenth Century around a courtyard facing Bailey Street, with the Hospital's chapel extending eastwards at the rear of the courtyard. St Tabitha's remains home to twelve of the Distressed Womenfolk of the parish, whose distinctive red capes and tall black hats make them a cheerful sight to villagers and visitors alike. Above, the Almshouses Public Elementary School Established in 1856, and located on Station Road, Castle Aching, the school caters for children from the parishes of Castle, West and Little Aching. Above, Castle Aching village school Public Houses Castle Aching boasts several public houses. The largest and most notable is The Dodo, a courtyard coaching inn dating from the Fourteenth Century. The original name of the inn is not recorded, though there are 15th Century references to Ye Pilgrimmes Reste Inne on what became known as the High Street. The name Dodo is later and relates to the crest of the Rokewood family, the Lords Erstwhile, of Aching Hall, who became established at Castle Aching during the Seventeenth Century. Above left, the Dodo Above centre, the Castle Inn Above right, the Post Office Other notable hostelries include the Castle Inn on Bailey Street, and the Rokewood Arms, located on the green by the village pond. Shops, Trades & Businesses An account of these is provided by Kelly's Directory of Norfolk, 1904: Professional Practices: Physician & Surgeon Services: Post Office; Reading Room Shops & Trades: Baker; Butcher; Grocer; Gentlemen & Ladies Outfitters, proprietor W Awdry & Son; Beer Retailer; Corn Dealer; Dispensing Chemist & Photographic Studio, proprietor J H Ahern; Chimney Sweeper; Builder; Bricklayer; Plumber & Painter; Cycle shop, hire and repair; Blacksmith & Wheelwright; Saddler; Carpenter & Undertaker; Coal, Lime & Seed Merchant; Boot & Shoe maker; Dressmaker; Horse-breaker; Watch-maker. Industries: Brewer; Iron Founders & Agricultural Engineers Above, the Brewery, Castle Aching Local Personalities These include, at Castle Aching: Lord and Lady Erstwhile, the Hall; Sir Grenville Buttoch, composer, the Grange; Rev. Aldwyn Rokewood DD, the Rectory; Wm. Danvers Everington, Esq, the Lodge; Mrs Howard, the Grove; Mr Cuthbert Harding, Warden, St Tabitha's Hospital; Mrs Elizabeth Prior, Post Mistress; Miss Hermione Bloom, music teacher, Wisteria House; Miss Annabelle Finch, Reading Rooms & Lending Library; W. Awdry, draper and outfitter, the High Street; JH Ahern, photographer and dispensing chemist, Bailey Street; Frederick Pitcher, The Dodo; Israel Turner, coal merchant; Jabez Whiskeard, estate gamekeeper. The Aching Euterpeans, amateur operatic society. Above, musical life in the Achings. Left, the amateur Euterpeans performing Gilbert & Sullivan at the Drill Hall. Centre, Sir Grenville Buttoch of the Grange (right) At Smoxborough, Sir Henry Acton-Tichingfeld, of the Hall. At Mildew Lodge, Little Aching, we find Colonel and Mrs Trench, and their daughter, Miss Mariana. West Norfolk Castle Aching lies at the heart of the Achings, a cluster of parishes found in West Norfolk. Overview "West Norfolk" is a term that encompasses both the more familiar geography of the western parts of the county and places perhaps less familiar to the general reader. Once described as "lost in the folds of the map", a series of towns and villages mark a corridor of land running broadly south from the north Norfolk coast at a point midway between Hunstanton and Wells. Towards the coast are the cluster of communities known as the Birchoverhams. On the coast is the minor haven of Birchoverham Staithe, to the west of which lies the fashionable resort town of Birchoverham next the Sea. Inland we find Birchoverham Town, which, despite its name, is a small village. The hub of the area is Birchoverham Market, an important centre for the agriculture of the district. A shallower crease in the map takes us east, between Wells and Walsingham, then up again to the coast, where we find another village harbour at Fakeney. Travelling south along the fold from the Birchoverhams, we encounter the villages of Flocking, Hillingham and Massingham Magna before arriving in the district known as the Achings, where settlements lie around the shallow valley of the River Ache. The chief settlement here is Castle Aching, but here there is also Aching Constable, West Aching, South Aching, Little Aching and Smoxborough. Shallow folds run both east and west from here. To the west creases seem to radiate out from the Achings, as if, when the map was badly folded, the Achings marked the beginnings of the mischief. Here lies the orchard country between Aching Constable and the busy inland port of Bishop's Lynn, and we can follow another distortion in the map as it skirts the southern edge of the Sandringham Estate to reach the west coast at Wolfringham and Shepherd's Port. To the east we follow a fold to Doughton Abbey and the very considerable town of Achingham, with its own branchline, corn exchange, gasworks, maltings, egg dépôt, newspaper (The Achingham Argus), law courts, and Yeomanry and Territorial drill halls. The Achings The Achings form a series of parishes spreading out from the shallow valley of the River Ache. The river itself runs to the north, then north-west, before turning to the east where it flows towards the river Great Ouse at Bishop's Lynn. A tributary, the Lesser Ache, flows west from Achingham, meeting the bend of the Ache in the parish of Aching Constable. From thence, to its outflow on the Ouse, the combined river is known locally as the Great Ache. Castle Aching claimed precedence as a Norman stronghold and the site of a wealthy priory, and because it straddled the old Roman Road to the north-west, which later became a pilgrim route. Thus, Castle Aching became and remained the major settlement in the district. A primarily agricultural district, what little industry there is in the Achings - founding and agricultural engineering and brewing - tends to concentrate here. The famous biscuit factory lies on the Smoxborough Road, some way from the village. The principal residence at Castle Aching is Aching Hall. Home of the Rokewood family, the Lords Erstwhile, Aching Hall is a pleasant stone house built in the Palladian manner and situated within Aching Park, which abuts the south eastern edge of the village, limiting its expansion beyond the green. Smoxborough is the traditional seat of the Acton-Tichingfelds, a prominent recusant family, though the villagers remained staunchly, at times violently, protestant. Smoxborough Hall is a moated house of considerable antiquity. The area has long been associated with lavender cultivation. Aching Constable was long a modest village of no moment, but its position favoured it as the site of the West Norfolk Railway's locomotive, carriage and wagon works, an extensive site developed from around 1880. Neat modern terraced housing for the workforce has been provided by the company, lying between the railway works and the old village. The size of the village has doubled in consequence. The railway company is known as a benign and enlightened employer, and has provided an Institute in the village for the improvement and recreation of its workforce. There remain the three small villages of West, South and Little Aching, whose inhabitants are devoted entirely to the pursuit of agriculture and the consumption of beer. The West Norfolk Railway provides a horse-omnibus service linking the villages, Goods and limited numbers of passengers are taken by the two local carriers. Smoxborough, West Norfolk Smoxborough is a small village in the district known as the Achings in West Norfolk. It is known chiefly as the centre of lavender cultivation in the district and for the manor, Smoxborough Hall, the ancestral home of the Acton-Tichingfelds. The moated Hall dates from the Fifteenth Century, construction commencing in the 1480s, after Sir Edward Tichingfeld was granted a crenellation licence in 1482. Above, an Edwardian view of Smoxborough Hall The Acton-Tichingfelds were an old recusant family. According to Thornton's Ecclesiastical History, during the Eighteenth century the family was obliged to build a high wall around their estate to discourage the by then frequent attacks by their Protestant villagers. Later historians consider that the villagers' motivation was, at least in part, economic, as the Acton-Tichingfelds had taken advantage of the Enclosure Acts to gain a monopoly over lavender cultivation in the district, by which means they were able generate considerable wealth through their sales of mixed dried, naturally fragrant, plant material to provide the interiors of the day with a pleasant aroma. They cite as evidence for this theory the battle cry of the local Church & King mobs; "No Potpourri!" The parish church is dedicated to St John the Evangelist and is largely in the Perpendicular style. It is noted for the fine Fifteenth Century Tichingfeld family chapel. The benefice is in the gift of the Rokewood family of Aching Hall. The Tichingfeld Arms provides comfortable, if bürgerlich, accommodation for the genteel traveller, and has the great advantage of stocking Aching Ales. The novelist Anthony Trollope visited the Achings briefly in 1874 while researching his work Is he Popenjoy?, a tale that drew upon a well-known impersonation scandal that affected close cousins of the Acton-Tichingfelds. Trollope stayed at the Tichingfeld Arms, where it is believed he worked upon the draft of his novel, until he was asked to leave. A local carrier will convey goods and advance luggage to and from Castle Aching station as part of the weekly round. The West Norfolk Railway provides a horse 'bus service around the Achings. Travellers may enquire of the Stationmaster, Castle Aching, or the Landlord of the Tichingfeld Arms for further details. Royal Sandringham Lavender Biscuits During the 1850s a manufactory was established on the Castle Aching Road outside the the village boundary devoted to the production of Dr Gulliver's Lavender Health Biscuits. The factory has expanded considerably since the purchase of the business by Huntley & Palmer of Reading in 1895. The sale was the culmination of a 10-year campaign by George Palmer of that firm to obtain the secret recipe after tasting one of the lavender biscuits at the Grand Hotel, Birchoverham next the Sea in 1885. Eventually he was successful, but only after he agreed to purchase the business and on condition that the manufacture continued at the Smoxborough works. This undoubtedly helped Huntley and Palmer to gain a Royal warrant from the Prince of Wales, also very partial to a nibble it would seem, and these fine comestibles are now sold throughout the world under the name of Royal Sandringham Lavender Biscuits. Above, an Edwardian pencil sketch of the Huntley & Palmer Smoxborough Works The West Norfolk Railway Castle Aching, and the region of West Norfolk generally, is served by, and has largely prospered as a result of, the West Norfolk Railway Company (or WNR for short), which has improved communication both within the county of Norfolk and with the wider world beyond. One of a number of small, independent lines, in the County, it has retained its independence largely because it would be intolerable to either of its neighbours were it to be absorbed by the other. One neighbour, the Great Eastern, which had absorbed the former Eastern Counties Railway and the Lynn and Hunstanton Railway in order to serve the area, owns a significant minority stake in the WNR and is its supporter. The WNR's other neighbour, with which relations are equally cordial, is the Midland and Great Northern Railway, which was constituted in 1893 and which represents the progressive amalgamation of several former independent lines, including the Eastern & Midland and the Lynn & Fakenham. Overview The railway, among the first to be built in this part of Norfolk, arrived at Castle Aching in 1855, one end of Birchoverhams & Achings Railway. Soon to be renamed the Castle Aching & Birchoverhams Railway, the line was built to link these two populous and agriculturally rich districts of West Norfolk. This was of especial benefit to the Achings district, which now had easy access to the market at Birchoverham Market, and the enthusiastic support and investment of one of the district's principal landowners, Lord Erstwhile of Aching Hall, who was key to the realisation of the railway scheme. From Castle Aching in the south, the line ran broadly north with stations opened at Hillingham (south of which the line crossed over the Lynn & Fakenham railway, later part of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway, where a spur subsequently linked the MGN to the WNR), Birchoverham Market, Flocking and Birchoverham Staithe on the coast. Between Birchoverham Market and Birchoverham Staithe, the West Norfolk's line was subsequently crossed by the independent West Norfolk Extension Railway, a part of the Lynn to Hunstanton Railway absorbed by the Great Eastern Railway. Birchoverham Staithe was a small port on the north coast of Norfolk, but had shown signs of progressive silting to the channels through the mud banks to the docks. In 1862 a decision was made to seek an alternative outlet to the North Sea and a branch line was built to the coastal village of Fakeney to the east, via Birchoverham Town, Middle Walsingham and Halte. Also in 1862, from a junction just north of Castle Aching, a short branch line was constructed to the east to the market town of Achingham, a town of considerable consequence in that part of the county, which had been bypassed by the original route. No doubt the Board of the Castle Aching & Birchoverhams Railway was moved to expand at this point by the arrival of the Lynn & Hunstanton Railway (opened 1862), later absorbed by the Great Eastern, before this new rival had a chance to reach any further. Following this expansion, the railway company adopted the title "The West Norfolk Railway" in 1863. The West Norfolk Railway's local network expanded during the remaining decades of the Nineteenth Century. These decades saw a considerable rise in tourism across the UK and the West Norfolk constructed a spur north-west from Birchoverham Market in order to serve the burgeoning and fashionable seaside resort of Birchoverham next the Sea. This produced considerable revenue for the West Norfolk, both from passengers using its services and also from the significant through traffic from other railways that the resort attracted. The Midland Railway, the Great Northern Railway and their jointly owned Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway were able to run through services from the Midlands and the North via South Lynn. The Great Eastern Railway ran through services from the south via Ely and Cambridge, and the from the North along the Great Eastern and Great Northern Joint line via March. An attempt by the West Norfolk to develop Shepherd's Port, on the west coast, as a rival to Hunstanton, failed however. The West Norfolk, which had upgraded and extended its line to the nearby coal port at Wolfringham Staithe for the purpose, lost heavily as its investment in infrastructure, new stock and the construction of Shepherd Port's Grand Hotel, did not produce the expected returns. This could not have come at a worse time for the West Norfolk, which had built a number of new lines, some of considerable length, during the preceding decade and a half, and had been obliged to borrow significantly in order to do so and to finance the additional stock needed to run these routes. Towards the end of the century the West Norfolk had also needed to renew a considerable mileage of the original 1850s-1860s permanent way. Thus, the failure of the Shepherd's Port scheme was very nearly the straw that broke the camel's back. The failure of Shepherd's Port marked the turn of the century as a time of straightened circumstances for this generally prosperous line, though the company's finances had largely recovered by the mid 1900s. The West Norfolk had built several other lines during the 1870s and 1880s. To the west of the mainline, at the Achings end of the original route, it built new routes to the west. Here, at Aching Constable, the West Norfolk developed a substantial locomotive, carriage and wagon works, as well as a station. From here a branch led north west to the coast at Wolfringham (crossing the Lynn & Hunstanton Railway), a tramway, jointly owned and managed with the Great Eastern Railway, went west to the port of Bishop's Lynn, and to the south west a line was built in a sweeping curve round to the south east, down through the Thetford Forest, and terminating over the border in Suffolk at Bury St Edmunds (Mildenhall Road). A spur was built from the northern end of this line to Trinity Hallsend to make a south-facing connection with the Great Eastern at Magdalen Road. This made an easy connection with Great Eastern routes from March and Wisbech, Cambridge and Ely, and King's Lynn. Further south along this route, another junction led to the West Norfolk's longest and most ambitious extension, a drive eastwards to reach the County town at Norwich West station. Castle Aching Station & Facilities Castle Aching station was constructed in 1855 in a Neo-Jacobean style that was a reasonably popular revival style for railway architecture of the period, regardless of company or region. Similar examples can be found, for instance on the South Eastern Railway's Medway Valley line (Wateringbury and Aylesford, 1856), and at Alston, the terminal station on the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway's branch from Haltwhistle (1852). Alston makes a particularly interesting comparison, because in common with Castle Aching, it features a train shed and through engine shed. The building is constructed using stone quoins infilled with local carstone rag. The overall effect is, in the words of Nikolaus Pevsner in volume 2 of his guide to Norfolk architecture, "not bad". Both the engine shed and the station buildings were extended in the 1870s. The style of the original structure was maintained, but brick quoins were used. The single platform has been extended, twice, to its present length; once in the 1870s, and again in the 1880s, the extensions being constructed of wood. There is a small goods shed and weighbridge office in the yard constructed in a style to match the station. There are three sidings to the yard. One serves end and side loading docks and the livestock pens. One serves the goods shed, there being cranes both in and outside the shed. The third generally handles coal, lime and feedstocks. The offices of several local traders occupy the yard, including Israel Turner, coal merchant, and a representative of the West Norfolk Farmers Association. The main running lines, including the loop lines, were all re-laid to bullhead in 1898. The sidings, however, retain the original vignoles rail, spiked directly to the sleepers. The WNR persists in the practice of laying fine ballast across the top of its sleepers in the station areas. As at Alston, the lines terminate with a turntable, with locomotives using the table to run around their trains. The original 40' turntable, supplied by Lloyds, Foster & Co, has been extended in order to accommodate small 4-4-0 locomotive types, such as the Midland & Great Northern C Class and the West Norfolk Railway's own Sharp Stewart bogie passenger class. At Castle Aching the platform, loop and shed roads all converge at the turntable. Tender engines employed on the mainline need to turn, so combining the turning and the running round of locomotives is efficient. The West Norfolk also turns its tank locomotives, such as those employed on the Achingham branch. The explanation, which may be apocryphal, traditionally given for this practice is that it was insisted upon by the wife of one of the Directors in the 1870s on the ground that locomotives travelling bunker-first offended her sense of propriety. Below, WNR Northern and Central Section Locomotives & Rolling Stock Locomotives of the West Norfolk Railway The WNR grew to require a substantial fleet of locomotives, though it never designed and built its own locomotives but relied in the main upon purchasing the designs of private locomotive builders, primarily those of Sharp, Stewart & Co, but also Neilson & Co and Beyer Peacock. Locomotives were, however, maintained and rebuilt by the West Norfolk at its Aching Constable works. Above, Sharp Stewart 2-4-0 of 1878, WNR No.6, thought to be seen here at Hillingham The WNRs earliest locomotives came from a variety of builders, including several from E B Wilson, but later the company tried to standardise its mainline classes using Sharp Stewart designs. These were not always available in the quantities required within the time the WNR needed them and recourse was made to Beyer Peacock on a number of occasions when Sharps could not supply. Branch line engines tended to be purchased ad hoc as need arose from a variety of sources and the brief financial crisis around the turn of the century led the company to cease to order new locomotives for a time and to have recourse instead to second-hand purchases. All this meant that, despite the emergence of three standard classes of which there were several examples, West Norfolk motive power remained pleasingly varied and characterful. Locomotives of the West Norfolk Railway - In service in 1905 (withdrawn locomotives in italics, followed by year withdrawn) - Listed by date entering service 1856: 2-2-2 E B Wilson of 1854, WNR No. 1 1877 1856: 2-4-0 E B Wilson of 1854, WNR No. 2 1877 1856 0-6-0 E B Wilson of 1854, WNR No. 3 1872 1856: 2-4-0WT E B Wilson of 1851,WNR No. 4 1878 1857: 0-6-0WT E B Wilson of 1850, WNR No. 5 1875 1857: 0-4-0ST Neilson & Co of 1856, WNR No. 6 1878 1857: 2-2-2WT W Fairbairn & Sons of 1850, No. 7 1867 1859: 0-4-2 Todd, Kitson & Laird of 1838, WNR No. 8 - 5' - stationary engine at Aching Constable 1872 - placed in working order and sold to the Norfolk Minerals Railway in 1883 1859: 0-4-2ST Sharp Stewart of 1859, WNR No. 9 - sold to the Norfolk Minerals Railway in 1897 1861 0-6-0 Thwaites & Carbutt of 1861, WNR No. 10 - 4’6” - leased to the Norfolk Minerals Railway in 1889, sold to the NMR in 1895 1861: 0-6-0 Sharp Stewart of 1861, WNR No. 11 - 4’6” - same type as Cambrian SGC and Furness D1 1861: 0-6-0 Sharp Stewart of 1861, WNR No. 12 - 4’6” - same type as Cambrian SGC and Furness D1 1862: 2-2-2T Neilson & Co of 1862, WNR No. 13 - 5’ - standard gauge version of loco supplied to the Dublin & Drogheda Ry 1863: 0-6-0 Sharp Stewart of 1863, WNR No. 14 - 4’6” - same type as Cambrian SGC and Furness D1 1863: 0-6-0 Sharp Stewart of 1863, WNR No. 15 - 4’6” - same type as Cambrian SGC and Furness D1 1864: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1864, WNR No. 16 – 5’6" - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1864: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1864, WNR No. 17 – 5’6" - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1867: 4-4-0, Neilson & Co of 1866, WNR No. 7 - 4’6½” - Smaller version of Cowan's GNoSR K Class 1872: 2-4-0T Vulcan Foundry of 1872, WNR No.8 – similar to that supplied to Japan 1872: 0-6-0T Sharp Stewart of 1872, WNR No. 3 - as also supplied to Furness and Wrexham, Mold & Connah's Quay Railways 1872: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1872, WNR No. 18 – 5’6" - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1872: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1872, WNR No. 19 – 5’6 " - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1874: 0-6-0 Beyer Peacock of 1874, WNR No. 20 – 4’9” - Ilfracombe Goods type 1875: 0-6-0 Sharp Stewart of 1874, WNR No. 4 - 4’6”- same type as Furness D1; ordered by FR, not purchased, went to WNR 1877: 0-4-2T, Neilson & Co/SW Johnson of 1877, WNR No. 1 - same as CV&HR GER T7 derivative 1877: 0-6-0ST Fox Walker of 1877, WNR No. 2 - same as supplied to Great Yarmouth & Stalham Lt Ry 1878: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1878, WNR No. 5 – 5’6" - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1878: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1878, WNR No. 6 – 5’6” - same type as Cambrian SPC and Furness E1 1878: 0-4-0ST Beyer Peacock of 1878, WNR No. 21 - similar BP's own Gorton works shunter 1880: 0-6-0 Beyer Peacock of 1880, WNR No. 22 – 5’ - standard BP similar to McDonnell 101 Class 1880: 4-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1880, WNR No. 23 - 5’ 6 ½” - same type as Cambrian SBC and Furness K1 1883: 2-4-0 Crewe Type of 1857, ex Lancaster & Carlisle, WNR No. 24 – 5’1” - 3 sold by LNWR, the other 2 went to the E&MR 1883: 4-4-0 Beyer Peacock of 1883, WNR No. 25 – 5’7” - similar to LSW Adams 380 Class 'Steamroller' 1887: 4-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1887, WNR No. 26 - 5’ 6 ½” - same type as Cambrian SBC and Furness K1 1887: 4-4-0 Sharp Stewart of 1887, WNR No. 27 - 5’ 6 ½” - same type as Cambrian SBC and Furness K1 1895: 2-4-0 Sharp Stewart/Melton Constable of 1874, ExCMR-E&MR, WNR No. 10 – 4’7” - Purchased from M&GN 1899: 0-6-0T Sharp Stewart of 1874, ExCMR-E&MR, WNR No. 9 - Purchased from M&GN 1901: 0-6-0T Brighton Works/W Stroudley A1 of 1874 (No. 65), WNR No. 28 - Purchased from LB&SC Coaching stock of the West Norfolk Railway WNR Coach Stock Development This subject may be conveniently divided into two periods, from the opening of the line, in 1855, to 1871, and, from 1872 to 1905. The reason for this is that 1872 marked the introduction of fresh stock on the WN’s expanding network, and coaches from this period are the oldest to remain in regular revenue earning service by 1905. New Stock, 1872-1881 These new coaches, known as “New Stock” by the West Norfolk, apparently regardless of how aged they became, were initially supplied by the Metropolitan Coach & Wagon Works. Noting the similarity with coaches supplied by the Metropolitan to other railway companies, G R Tweddle, the West Norfolk's leading rolling stock historian, surmises that they were built to the Metropolitan’s own designs. The Metropolitan certainly supplied similar coaches to other railways, including an 1871 composite and the 1872-3 block sets to the LSWR. The opening of carriage shops at Aching Constable in 1874, however, meant that, by and large, the WN would build its own coaches from then on, and they seem to have followed the Metropolitan’s designs to build more New Stock. New Stock was characterised by the vertical panels above the waist and quarter lights with square lower corners and large, or triple, radius tops. Door lights, however, were square in all 4 corners and door vents were rectangular. In these latter details they provided a contrast with contemporary GER stock, where the door lights also had curved tops, whereas the GER door vents of the day had curved ends and were of a particularly bulbous type. The waist was marked with rectangular beading, typical of the period. Over the years the New Stock was upgraded, including the provision of continuous upper foot boards, vents to the Third Class compartment doors, gas lighting and, of course, continuous vacuum braking. The years 1878-1881 saw little in the way of coach construction, as the earlier spurt of New Stock had largely satisfied the Line’s needs for the time being. The coaches that were constructed at Aching Constable over these years may be seen as something of a transition; body dimensions saw modest increases in length and height, and the WN modernised the design slightly by adding recessed waist panels in place of the square-cornered beading. In this it was ahead of the GE, which seems to have been remarkably conservative in its coach body styling, retaining raised beading until 1885. By 1905, sightings of New Stock on the mainline were few, though contemporary photographs do show some in use; a former all First, downgraded to a Second, and a former all Second, downgraded to a Third. Some were withdrawn and their bodies grounded and used for various purposes along the line. Several more remained in revenue earning service, cascaded down to branch line service and there formed into sets. The Achingham branch ran a 4-set of New Stock, the Fakeney branch had three. 1882 Stock A new generation of WN coaching stock was built at Aching Constable from 1882. These saw further increases in height and length and the introduction of 6-wheel stock, though the WNR continued to build 4-wheel mainline stock until 1904. New stock was needed for the WN’s expanding system, which saw lengthy extensions built during the 1880s, south to Bury St Edmunds and east even as far as Norwich. Furthermore, the ‘80s was the decade in which Birchoverham Next the Sea expanded considerably as a fashionable resort, even rivalling Cromer as the premier north coast resort. More and better coaches were needed. In style these continued the rounded tops to vertical panels and quarter lights, but initially retained square door lights. The waists had recessed panels. The door vents were changed to a more conventional rounded-end pattern. Coaches to this design were built 1882-1887, and constitute the majority built. These may be conveniently labelled ‘Type A’ to distinguish them from further coaches built in 1888-1892 (‘Type B’) to the same basic design, but introducing large or triple radius tops to the door lights. 1893 Stock As the 1890s dawned, traffic on the West Norfolk was growing heavier, and the decade would see significant investment in locomotives and stock, and in renewing the permanent way. Furthermore, the West Norfolk anticipated a significant addition source of passenger traffic as a result of its efforts to promote Wolfringham, on the west coast, as a second major resort on its system. The new coaches were built in two batches, 1893-1898 (1893 Type A) and 1902-1905 (1893 Type B), the hiatus representing a period of severe retrenchment due to the failure of the Wolfringham 'Shepherd's Port Scheme', and during which any coaches required were purchased second-hand, introducing a leavening of antique variety in a coaching fleet that was, by and large, to reasonably modern standards. The 1893 Type A coaches adopted essentially the same dimensions as the 1882-types. The main difference was a further update in body style, with a more modern style of small radius corners to all panels and lights above the waist, something that the GER did no adopt until 1896. When coach building resumed in 1902, the new style was essentially the same, but Type Bs saw an effort to standardise carriage lengths to just one for four-wheel and one for six. Agriculture and Industry in West Norfolk Agriculture The chocolate box, to modern eyes, countryside of West Norfolk belies the fact that this is the fertile land that saw the agricultural revolution yield the abundance of produce necessary to support England's industrial and urban growth. In the county Thomas William Coke, the first Earl of Leicester, promoted new farming methods such as crop rotation and soil nurturing in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, heralding a new dawn of agriculture combined with science. This made West Norfolk a rich, productive and prosperous agrarian economy in the Nineteenth Century and the railway arrived just in time to allow West Norfolk farmers to exploit new and distant markets. The area is a mix of arable and pasture, with the richness of the land attracting a seasonal migration of cattle herds from Scotland for fattening up, or finishing, prior to market. Norfolk short-horn sheep are reared locally, in addition to cattle. While most herds are for beef, some diary herds take advantage of the ability to move milk and other diary product swiftly by rail whilst still fresh. Among the crops cultivated in the Achings is lavender. To the east of the Achings is a land of abundant fruit orchards. Much of the fruit crop is able to take advantage of the Bishop's Lynn tramway to reach where it can be marshalled for rapid onward transport by rail to London or to the Midland conurbations. Egg production has seen a significant increase and there is now an egg dépôt serving as a collection point for local farmers for sale and onward distribution. The dépôt is to be found in the yard at Achingham railway station. Agricultural production was also boosted by developments in soil fertilisation. Initially the Achings supplied fertiliser from the local coprolite beds, which operations utilised a horse-worked tramway pre-dating the WNR, but latterly guano has been imported and processed at Bishop's Lynn by the Norfolk Fish Oil & Guano Company, which had secured the Heligoland Guano Concession. Such developments helped to spur the exploitation of areas hitherto regarded as unfit for cultivation, such as the Model Farms of the West Norfolk Soil Amendment Company on Birchoverham Heath, served by a narrow gauge railway that links the farms together and with the West Norfolk Railway. Industry The area is known for quarrying and aggregate extraction, including sand, gravel, carstone and chalk. Iron ore is also extracted and calcinated locally at kilns at Wolfringham Warren. Many of these activities, extraction and processing sites, are linked and served by the Norfolk Minerals Railway, which runs inland of the western coast, broadly parallel to it, before it turns to descend to the coast and link with the West Norfolk Railway at Wolfringham Staithe, where mineral product can be transhipped and coal supplies obtained. Subterranean sulphur argued for the presence of shale oil deposits, which led to the setting up, prospecting, drilling and processing of shale oil around the turn of the Century by Norfolk Oilfields Limited. Despite significant investment, no oil of a commercial quality was ever obtained and the scheme was subsequently exposed as a fraud upon its investors. The fish oil and guano processing plant at Bishop's Lynn has already been mentioned. More fragrant local manufactories include jam and the noted Royal Sandringham Lavender Biscuits (by appointment to HRH King Edward VII). There are a number of local foundries and agricultural engineers. A small such operation is found at Castle Aching. Finally we should not forget brewing. Castle Aching itself has a small brewery, located opposite the railway station, supplying local hostelries with its Aching Ales. At Achingham substantial rail-served maltings are found behind the railway goods yard. Certain bulk necessities are imported, most notably Baltic timber, via the port at Bishop's Lynn, and coal, which has two principal routes to West Norfolk; by rail, often from the South Yorkshire fields via the GER-GNR Joint Line, and by sea, brought from the Durham coalfield via collier brigs to Wolfingham Staithe and thence by rail to the points of consumption or distribution. Ecclesiatical History of West Norfolk Church Organisation The parish lies within the diocese of Norwich, which was extremely large and unwieldy, compromising over nine hundred parishes. The Bishop of Norwich for the years 1857-1893 was the Hon. John Pelham DD, third son of the Earl of Chichester and a product of Westminster School and Christ Church Oxford. He was content to preside over a diocese of this size. His main contribution to the story of the railways of West Norfolk was his absolute refusal to bow to evangelical pressure from within his church, or, indeed, from without it, to oppose the running of Sunday services by the West Norfolk Railway, whose Directors, also high-churchmen, were generally unsympathetic to the strictures of sabbatarians. Bishop Pelham's successor, John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich 1893-1910, a Cambridge man, was born in Belgravia the son of a Coventry clergyman, and educated at Coventry Grammar. He served a missionary in British Columbia in an attempt to bring God to the Canadians. He was doctrinally also High Church, but he exhibited a different approach to the running of the diocese. On his installation in Norwich, he was noted for his austere living arrangements and reforms. In terms of diocesan administration, he created new posts, taking advantage of the revival of suffragan sees that had begun in the 1870s to appoint assistant bishops. While Bishop Sheepshanks reserved much of the administration of the eastern part of the diocese to himself, north-west Norfolk, south Norfolk and west Suffolk, and east Suffolk were to benefit from suffragan appointees. Above left, Bishop Sheepshanks Above right, Revd. Horatio Coldwell, Suffragan Bishop of Aching & Lynn The diocese of Norwich had suffragan sees of Ipswich and of Thetford, which were created by the Suffragan Bishops Act 1534 but the sees had fallen into in abeyance after just one incumbent until Thetford was next filled in 1894 and Ipswich in 1899. Pursuant to the Suffragans Nomination Act 1888, it was possible to create new suffragan sees and that of Aching & Lynn was instituted in 1894. The parish fell within the archdeaconry of Lynn, which was created from those of Norwich and of Norfolk on 28 August 1894. Other denominations In Castle Aching, in addition to the church there are thriving Baptist, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels and one particular oddity in the form of the sole remaining congregation of the True and Justified Brethren of Memon, known as Memonites, a particularly obscure and unhygienic sect, long in decay. Military History of West Norfolk Birchoverham Heath is the site of the regimental dépôt of the West Norfolks, a regular army infantry regiment, whilst Castle Aching and Achingham have drill halls constructed for the use of volunteer troops who were later formed as volunteer battalions of the West Norfolk Regiment. The West Norfolk Regiment In the Nineteenth Century there were two county infantry regiments associated with Norfolk; the 9th (East Norfolk) Regiment of Foot and the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment. The latter Regiment was raised in Salisbury by John Campbell, 5th Duke of Argyll in 1755. The regiment was deployed to North America for service in the American Revolutionary War in 1776. In 1782 the regiment was designated the West Norfolk Regiment and given the number that would be carried by the regiment until the Childers Reforms of 1881, 54th. The regiment served in Flanders in 1794, against the forces of the French Republic. In May 1800 a second battalion was raised. Both battalions took part in the unsuccessful Ferrol Expedition in August 1800 and the subsequent equally unsuccessful attack on Cádiz in October 1800. Both battalions then embarked for Egypt for service in the French campaign in Egypt and Syria. The battalions amalgamated in 1802, no doubt the result of reductions in forces made following the Treaty of Amiens with Napoleonic France. Following the resumption of war, the second battalion was re-raised in 1803. The first battalion saw action in South America in 1807, before moving to Swedish Pomerania in 1810 and the Waterloo campaign in 1815, where its role was restricted to the capture of Cambrai in the aftermath of the battle. The second battalion saw extensive service in the Peninsular War before being stationed in Ireland. Throughout the Nineteenth Century both battalions of the regiment saw extensive overseas service including the Fifth Xhosa War in South Africa, the First Anglo-Burmese War, the Anglo-Sikh Wars, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny (where the fortunes of the first battalion reached their lowest ebb with the devastating fire on board the troop ship SS Sarah Sands), the Anglo-Zulu War, the Second Afghan War, the North-West Frontier, the Anglo-Egyptian War, the Sudan campaigns and the Second-Anglo-Boer War, in which the volunteer battalions also participated. As a result of the Childers Reforms, the regiment lost its number in 1881 and became the West Norfolk Regiment and barracks were provided for it on Birchoverham Heath. West Norfolk Militia & Volunteer Formations The drill halls of Castle Aching and Achingham were built to accommodate men of Volunteer Rifle movement in the 1860s. The volunteers were raised in 1859 in response to the perceived threat of a resurgent Third Empire France. The Volunteer Act of 1863 inter alia authorised volunteer units to acquire land for training. Often the land was gifted by a wealthy landowner and public subscription provided the means to construct a drill “shed” or “hall”. At Castle Aching the castle demesne has long-since passed into the hands of a wealthy Whig family, the Rokewoods, who had built a fine Palladian house in parkland abutting the village. In 1864 George William Rokewood, Lord Erstwhile, scion of this house and a founding director of the West Norfolk Railway, donated the land for the drill hall, which was built around the surviving tower of one of the castle's three bailey gates in 1865. The location was particularly convenient due to the railway, which allowed a unit of West Norfolk Rifle Volunteers to recruit from around the Achings district, and not least from the workforce of the West Norfolk’s own Works at Aching Constable. Above, the Drill Hall, Castle Aching, from an old postcard The Norfolk Militia was created at the time of the Seven Years war, and the first regiment raised pursuant to the Militia Act of 1757. By 1758 it comprised the 1st Battalion Western Regiment of the Norfolk Militia (West Norfolk Militia) and the 2nd Battalion Eastern Regiment of the Norfolk Militia (East Norfolk Militia). In 1797 a 3rd Battalion of the Norfolk Militia was raised, disbanded in 1798 but re-raised in 1803. In 1881 the West Norfolk Rifle Volunteers and the West Norfolk Militia combined to form the 3rd and 4th (Volunteer) Battalions of the West Norfolk Regiment. The 1st and 2nd battalions became the volunteer battalions of the East Norfolk Regiment (the former 9th of Foot). Above, Men of HQ Coy, 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, West Norfolk Regiment, 1905 West Norfolk Artillery Militia On the north-west coast, the West Norfolk Artillery Militia was formed in 1853, and a volunteer coastal artillery unit remained at Birchoverham next the Sea until well into the Twentieth Century. Above left, West Norfolk Artillery Militia Officers, c.1897. Right, drill at Birchoverham C Battery The King's Own Norfolk Yeomanry The last Yeomanry formation in Norfolk expired in 1849, with some mounted rifles partially filling the gap between 1861-67 in Norwich. There was, thus, a gap of some half a century without a county Yeomanry for Norfolk, during which time there was a Norfolk squadron of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars. This all changed in 1901, when Edward VII instituted the Norfolk (King's Own) Imperial Yeomanry. The Norfolk Yeomanry, thus, had a connection with the King (they were one of three Yeomanry units of which the King was Colonel), whose retreat was, of course, Sandringham. This Royal patronage meant that khaki was not adopted, despite the late date of its formation, and, indeed, it was the last Yeomanry formation to adopt khaki. As a new unit, instituted in 1901, its Commanding Officer, Major Barclay, suggested to the King that the corps adopt a khaki uniform. Khaki had been worn for many years overseas and the Imperial Yeomanry wore it in South Africa. Further, a darker khaki to replace the red and blue of the Victorian Home Service uniforms was to be instituted in January 1902. Nevertheless, Edward VII replied to Major Barclay's suggestion with an emphatic "No, none of that convict stuff for my regiment". The King produced his General Officer's pattern blue patrol jacket and that became the model. Yellow facings were adopted, though it will be seen that there were colonial and khaki uniform elements until 1905. Above left, Norfolk Yeomanry uniforms 1901-1914 Above right, the Yeomanry provides escort to visiting royalty, sometime after the introduction of the new uniform in 1905. A troop of C Squadron parades at Achingham. Some other local places Achingham, West Norfolk A well-built market town and parish situated in the shallow valley of the River Lesser Ache in West Norfolk, Achingham has a railway station at the terminal point of the West Norfolk Railway's Castle Aching to Achingham branch. The population in 1901 was 2,907. Above, the station, Achingham, around the turn of the century Above right, R J Sillet's Maltings ran along the side of Achingham's station yard History Achingham was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. King Henry III granted a Royal charter in 1250 and Achingham has been a market town ever since. The parish church of All Saints dates from the Fourteenth Century, and replaced the old Saxon church. Achingham has long been associated with two activities, printing and bell-founding. Fakenham's historic association with printing dates to 1803 when a Freeman of Norwich, Stewerley Chadderton, came to Fakenham and began a small printing business. Bell-founding has an even longer pedigree in the town, the business originating in the Fourteenth Century and carried on by the Tailor family since 1784. In June 1859 a public meeting was held in the Corn Hall for the formation of an Achingham Rifle Volunteer Corps. The Reverend Raleigh made a short speech urging people to join. About thirty men did, the eldest an elderly fat banker of 70 years, and the youngest a seventeen-year-old. They were kitted out in a grey uniform. The Corps met regularly for drill and exercise. In 1881 the Corps became part of the Third (Volunteer) Battalion of the West Norfolk Regiment, men of the battalion serving during the late war in South Africa. In more recent years (1901), our gracious monarch, King Edward VII, has re-formed the county Yeomanry, and the Achingham Troop of C Squadron of the Norfolk (King's Own) Yeomanry, Imperial Yeomanry, is located in the town. Several members of the troop transferred from the Norfolk Troop of the Loyal Suffolk Hussars, having seen service in South Africa. Purlew & Schlott This famous firm of Norfolk model engineers and toymakers was founded towards the end of the Nineteenth Century by Joseph Wensum Purlew and August William Schlott. The partners commenced business in 1894 in a shed at the back of Purlew’s house on Norwich Road, Achingham, West Norfolk, as a manufacturer of components for live steam model stationary and locomotive engines. They soon outgrew the shed and moved to a small purpose-built facility, Jubilee Works, in 1897, located on Station Road, Achingham. Above, left Jubilee Works, Station Road, Achingham, right, Purlew & Schlott WNR and GER items Public Establishments Achingham Cottage Hospital Achingham Rural District Council Achingham Union Workhouse Cemetery Corn Hall County Court, Corn Hall County Police Station Imperial Yeomanry Post Office Reading Room & Library, Corn Hall Volunteer Fire Engine House West Norfolk Regiment, volunteer battalion Economic Activity The town holds a livestock market on Tuesdays and a general market on Saturdays. Wednesday is early closing day. The town hosts a number of industries and other businesses, principal among which are: Achingham Argus, newspaper (published Fridays), Station Road Achingham Egg Consortium, station yard Achingham Gas Works J W Barrett, livestock auctioneer Capital & Counties Bank R W Dewing & Co, malsters, Station Road T R Goggs, flour & corn merchant and miller (steam & water), Bridge Street R J Sillett & Son, seed merchants and malsters, Station Road Joshua Tailor & Co, bell founders Wyke & Coxham, print works Purlew & Schlott, model engineers and toymakers, Station Road The Birchoverhams (Market, Town, Staithe, Next the Sea), West Norfolk The Birchoverhams are a group of towns and villages forming a district in West Norfolk that runs inland from the north Norfolk coast marking the course of the River Birch. Birchoverham Market A small town and the commercial and administrative centre of the Birchoverhams, Birchoverham Market is very pleasantly seated in a valley sheltered from the sea, in a rich agricultural district. The town lies in the parish of All Saints, the church being of flint and dressed stone dating from the Early English and Decorated periods. The living is held by a Rector and is a substantial one; it is in the gift of The college of scholars of the Holy Trinity of Norwich, in the University of Cambridge. There has been a market in the town since at least the Twelfth Century, though by the middle of the Nineteenth Century the fortunes of the town were in decline and it look set for a picturesque obscurity until the coming of the Birchoverhams & Achings Railway, later the West Norfolk Railway, led to the revival of its fortunes. Today the town is bustling and the population of the parish was recorded as 1,712 in 1901. Birchoverham Town Birchoverham Town has the distinction of being a village and home to the parish church of St Cuthbert, yet is in size a mere hamlet, smaller than Birchoverham Staithe, together with which it forms the civil parish of Birchoverham. The church of St Cuthbert dates from Norman times and is most unusual in having a central tower. Birchoverham Staithe A rather larger hamlet than Birchoverham Town, at about a mile distant from it and next to the creek-side harbour, comprising mainly modest cottages and quayside warehousing, boat-building and chandlery. ‘Staithe' is an Old English word meaning 'landing place'. The original settlement was Birchoverham Town, which lies a mile or so inland and was once a busy inland port situated on the navigable River Birch. Like many of the North Norfolk rivers, the Birch has since silted and declined. By the early Eighteenth Century, Birchoverham Town had faded into bucolic obscurity, while the Staithe continued to see significant coastal shipping traffic, which benefitted from connection with the Castle Aching and Birchoverhams Railway in the mid-1850s. As early as the 1860s, however, silting of the harbour area was preventing newer and larger vessels from entering the harbour. Today (1905), the Staithe still benefits from fishing and coastal shipping, but is restricted to the smaller sailing vessels that ply the trade. The fishing and trading folk of the Staithe benefit from a public house, the Fisherman’s Rest, the rather more commodious Viscount Nelson, an inn on the main coastal turnpike road. The parish of St Cuthbert maintains a chapel and a Reading room. Birchoverham Next the Sea Traditionally a fishing town, Birchoverham Next the Sea was first mentioned in the Doomesday Book. Today (1905) the Old Town clusters round a creek to the west of the low cliffs that house the modern town. There is still a very active fishing fleet based at the town and the town maintains a lifeboat station. There is a fisherman’s Institute, reading room and mission chapel. Blessed with fine beaches at the foot of the cliffs, by the 1860s, Birchoverham Next the Sea had begun to attract its first aristocratic and upper middle class tourists, no doubt due to the frequent visits of the Prince of Wales (now our blessed Sovereign, King Edward VII), who was instrumental in the development of the town’s golfing links. Having, in 1855, built a railway from Castle Aching to Birchoverham Market, the principal town in the district, and through it to the harbour at Birchoverham Staithe, the West Norfolk Railway obtained Parliamentary powers to build an extension by forming a junction north of Birchoverham Market station to the cliffs above the beaches, making it convenient for the burgeoning resort and leading to its considerable growth. The station was opened to passengers in 1875. The railway has brought visitors in significantly greater numbers. The town now enjoys a pier (1897), at the end of which is the Jubilee Pavilion, which attracts the finest performers in the worlds of light opera and music hall and holds frequent dances. In addition to the plethora of small and medium hotels, villas for rent and boarding houses, the town boasts the Grand Hotel, a large establishment offering the highest standards of comfort and refinement to an international clientele. A public horse-tram provides a convenient way to traverse the length of the resort and, together with numerous ‘cabs and the private horse ‘buses provided by the principal hotels, connects with the railway station. Birchoverham Heath A previously barren wasteland to the south of Birchoverham Market that the engineers of the Castle Aching & Birchoverhams Railway had to cross. The Birchoverham Turnpike was built across it in the Eighteenth Century and it became a haunt of highwaymen and footpads for a time. The area has since seen some development. To the north of the heath, in sight of the town, is the Jubilee Barracks, headquarters and barracks of the two regular battalions of the West Norfolk Regiment, opened by HRH the Prince of Wales in 1887. Above, a colourised view of Jubilee Barracks, Birchoverham Heath Extensive areas on the southern portion of the heath are now under the care of the West Norfolk Soil Amendment Company, which is in the process of bringing the land into production. The company's model farms are linked by a modest narrow gauge railway system with exchange sidings alongside the WNR mainline. Above, the model farm of the West Norfolk Soil Amendment Company, Birchoverham Heath Bishop's Lynn, West Norfolk Bishop's Lynn, or Len Espiscopi, is an English seaport and market town in West Norfolk, located on the east bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the outflow to The Wash. The town is concentrated between the Wooton Old Creek to the south and the River Great Ache to the north. It is closely associated with its immediate neighbour to the south, King's Lynn. History The Hanseatic League, a commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northwestern and Central Europe, had come to dominate Baltic maritime trade and by the Fourteenth Century Lynn was becoming rich on the Baltic or German trade, making it the busiest port in England at that time. Constricted between the Purfleet to the north and Mill Fleet to the south, the Mediaeval town was in need of expansion when, in 1422, Bishop Fordham of Ely established the "newe towne" between Wooton Old Creek and the river Great Ache to provide additional docks and warehouses. In 1481 Bishop Morton authorised a market and commissioned the church of St Audrey. Trade built up along the rivers and canals that stretched inland and the town expanded between the two waterways. When the Bishops of Ely lost jurisdiction over Lynn to King Henry VIII in 1537, the new town, a separate parish, was not included and remained within the possession of the Diocese, and it, alone, retained the name of Bishop's Lynn. Under separate jurisdiction, Bishop's Lynn was determined to hold its own against its larger neighbour to the south, an attitude that prevailed throughout the early modern period. In point of schools, colleges, guildhalls, hospitals, almshouses and churches, Bishop's Lynn proved itself determined to match King's Lynn. The ultimate expression of this policy of parity was when, in 1685, the architect, and former Mayor of King's Lynn, Henry Bell, was obliged to provide Bishop's Lynn with virtual duplicate of the Custom House he had designed for King's Lynn. Above, left the Customs House at Bishop's Lynn, and, right, one of a pair of Black Hawthorn tanks contributed by the WNR to the Bishop's Lynn Tramway Committee, heads with a train of tramcars towards Aching Constable By this time, however, the Lynns had declined in status as ports. From the Sixteenth Century they had suffered from the discovery of the Americas, which benefited the ports on the west coast of England, and the growth of the port of London. By the Seventeenth Century, Bishop Lynn's trade was primarily the export of wheat and the import of iron and timber. In addition, Bishop's Lynn had a share in the importation of wine from Spain, Portugal and France. There was also an important coastal trade, as bulk goods were more quickly and economically moved by sea than land. In the Eighteenth Century the increase in agricultural production resulting from the agrarian revolution in West Norfolk saw produce exported to London by sea. Later, the increased demand for coal created by industrialisation and urbanisation lead to coal from the Durham coalfields entering the port. Bishop's Lynn also developed a significant ship-building industry. Nevertheless, the port had ceased to grow and, while the nearby ports of Wisbech, Mereport and King's Lynn continued to prosper, it may be said that in the Eighteenth and for much of Nineteenth, Bishop's Lynn slept. When the railways came to King's Lynn in the 1840s (the Lynn & Dereham), Bishop's Lynn was neglected and, later, bypassed by the Lynn & Hunstanton Railway in 1862. Revival From the 1870s Bishop's Lynn began to benefit from an expansion of the railway network and, therefore, of trade, that was coming to the area. The opening of the Lynn and Sutton Bridge Railway (1864) increased traffic, as did the development of nearby Sandringham as a Royal estate. At King's Lynn the increase in traffic led the Great Eastern to replace the Lynn and Dereham's original wooden station of 1846 with a new one in 1871-2, and in 1875 it built a goods line north to the docks at Bishop's Lynn. Exports from further afield could now be embarked at Bishop's Lynn, while goods brought ashore there could be distributed more widely. The Bishop's Lynn Improvement Act of 1880 finally heralded the expansion of the town's docks to the north of the Great Ache and provided capacity for the new generation of coastal and ocean-going steam screw vessels, boosting the port's capacity and utility considerably. From the 1880s the Scottish Herring Fleet began to call at Bishop's Lynn on its annual autumnal migration down the east coast. A new import was established by the Norfolk Fish Oil and Guano Company which had purchased the Heliogland Guano Concession in 1882, which proved to be a shrewd move because the Imperial German government was obliged to honour this 50-year concession after the isle transferred to it in 1895. The company established a processing plant at Bishop's Lynn. In the meantime, a scheme had been proposed in the 1870s to improve access to market for fruit growers and farmers in the lands to the east and south east of Bishop's Lynn in order to militate the effects of the developing agricultural depression. This led to a proposal for a tramway, jointly owned and managed by the Great Eastern and West Norfolk Railways, to connect the district to the West Norfolk Railway's lines inland to the east, but also extending west to Bishop's Lynn. Authorisation to construct it was enshrined in the Great Eastern Railway Act 1881 and the line was opened in 1885. Bishop's Lynn was, at last, connected to the nation's railways in the sense of gaining the longed for passenger service and a railway as common carrier. Much seaborne trade continued to be handled by the GER harbour branch. The tramway facilitated the export of West Norfolk produce via the port and the importation and distribution of goods such as Baltic timber to the West Norfolk region. The population of the town in 1901 was 6,542. Norfolk Minerals Railway This rather antiquated line began life as a horse-drawn tramway. It did great business hauling coal off North-Eastern collier brigs from Wolfringham Staithe, though that trade greatly diminished following the opening of the GN-GE Joint Ry from 1883, and coprolite workings, though these are now defunct. The line endures, servicing other mineral activity, behind the strip of west coast, having developed by linking lines concerned with carstone and sand extraction, limestone quarrying and calcination. The line runs roughly north-south from the Paperhall Quarry to the calcining bank at Wolfringam Warren, where it strikes coastward to Wolfringham Staithe, at which latter place it connects with the WNR. Above left, map of the NMR by 'Nearholmer' Above right, NMR No.5, believed to be a rebuilt long-boiler tank engine The Norfolk Minerals Railway is made even more quaint than its rambling, ramshackle wanderings dictate by its eclectic assemblage of antiquated and second-hand stock. Acknowledgments In relation to this page, thanks go to Mr Phil Sutters of this parish, who made a smart, proper, version of my hand-drawn insignia for the West Norfolk Railway, to Shadow, also of this parish, for the most splendid poster, and to Nearholmer for his contribution of Wolfringham-Shepherd's Port lore. The contributors to the topic and to the layout are too numerous to mention and too important to summarise here, but emerge in the following pages. Thanks to them all. (c) 2019 James Hilsdon, all rights reserved. Material published on this web page is copyright James Hilsdon and may not be reproduced without permission. Copyright exists in all other original material published on the internet by James Hilsdon, either under that name or under the nom de plume 'Edwardian' Edited April 29, 2022 by Edwardian 35 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Edwardian Posted January 30, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 30, 2016 (edited) Castle Aching is, of course, fictional, and those familiar with the fair county of Norfolk will realise that it is a combination of the names Castle Acre and Castle Rising. So, now, there is not much to report, as yet. Work on the village is underway. A row of cottage backs were largely completed last year. These are to go towards the back of the layout and, so, are built at 90% of 4mm scale. I have just completed a second structure, at about HO, and these two elements will form the entrance to Bailey Street. The cottage backs are based loosely upon/inspired by, a similar row in Castle Acre, where they, like their miniature counterparts, abut the old castle gateway. The build chiefly used Scalescenes Aged Red-Brick, Flint and Pantiles. The right-hand structure is freelance. The rear brick-faced part of the structure used Mixed Brick from Wordsworth, and the long flint elevation used a scaled photograph of cottages in Castle Acre. The pantiles are again from Scalescenes and are found in their excellent Row of Cottages kit. Edited December 31, 2019 by Edwardian 47 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 It's worth watching eBay for used Peco track. I've bought some not perfect, but perfectly usable, track and points, and some that's as good as new, for a fair bit less than the new price. Most of what's available is code 100, which in my opinion could spoil the look of what you've done so far, especially on a minor line, but there is code 75 around too, and I've bought some of it. You can hide the rough bits, as well as the appalling sleepers, by ballasting over the sleepers, an advantage of modelling the 19th or early 20th century. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Edwardian Posted January 31, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted January 31, 2016 This project involves using up as many of those 'I'm sure that will come in handy one day' purchases made over the years as possible. First up are 2 K's white-metal wagons. I don't know what prototype they represent, but now they are among the more modern of the West Norfolk's modest fleet of goods wagons. I bought them built. They appear square and to run reasonably well. They have big blobs of metal inside at the joints and the builder used them as a soldering iron rest in a couple of places. At some point I will have to replace the HUGE brass coupling chains. All I have done is to paint over the gloss grey and black with acrylics and then dry-brushed. I think I will have to investigate home-made waterslide transfers and get them lettered as WNR. 30 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKPR Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 These K's kits are MR three plank opens, as per the later Slaters kit. The good thing is that the MR actively sold off old wagon and coaching stock to the smaller pre-group railways, so having some ex-MR stock on your line is actually very authentic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Northroader Posted January 31, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 31, 2016 Good luck with this venture, you're off to a flyer with the row of cottages. Watching this one with great interest. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaisyDots Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Have followed your buildings construction & will follow the layout construction with interest. And hopefully more building projects to come. Regards, Daisy. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Edwardian Posted February 1, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) A couple of shots of Castle Acre showing the area that 'inspired' the cottage backs and gateway: Edited February 1, 2016 by Edwardian 17 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 Will watch with interest ........ Might even drag the family to Norfolk again, on the strength of this. K Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted February 1, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2016 Ah the delightful Castle Acre, just up the road from me. I cant wait to see the layout unfold, especially to the standard that the buildings are being built to! Good luck!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Edwardian Posted February 1, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 1, 2016 Well then, Ian, they'll be no fooling you if I get any of the details wrong! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Edwardian Posted February 2, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 2, 2016 This is where I ask for your kind assistance. Normally I find myself with a strong mental image of what something should look like. Of course, it may well be beyond my abilities to achieve, but I know what it should look like. I had a strong mental picture of a shop and how it should look. I also quickly arrived at a firm view as to the name of its proprietor. What I have no sense of at all is what it should be selling! So, here below is the start I have made on the shop. It's the Edwardian period in a fair sized village, i.e. one that sustains several shops, but probably nothing non-essential. So, what is this fine fellow a purveyor of? Be he butcher, baker or candlestick maker? 20 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adams442T Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 This is where I ask for your kind assistance. Normally I find myself with a strong mental image of what something should look like. Of course, it may well be beyond my abilities to achieve, but I know what it should look like. I had a strong mental picture of a shop and how it should look. I also quickly arrived at a firm view as to the name of its proprietor. What I have no sense of at all is what it should be selling! So, here below is the start I have made on the shop. It's the Edwardian period in a fair sized village, i.e. one that sustains several shops, but probably nothing non-essential. So, what is this fine fellow a purveyor of? Be he butcher, baker or candlestick maker? It has the look of a very fine bookshop to me! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG John Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 (edited) With a name like that, he must be a purveyor of fine model railways to the local well to do. You could have a model of your village in the window, which of course will need a model of JH Ahern's shop displaying a model of the village in the window, with a model of JH Ahern's shop with.......... Edited February 2, 2016 by BG John 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted February 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2016 My first thought was an undertaker - but no side entrance for the hearse so that was ruled out. I therefore reckon a nice straightforward everyday grocer's or baker's shop. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 What about a pharmacist? This started with thoughts of madder, which led to dyestuffs in general, aniline (sp?) dyes, chemistry, and thereby pharmacist. Which, in turn, leads to that well known Norfolk folk song: "The sun had set behind the hill across the dreary moor, When sickly and lame a boy there came up to a doctor's door. Can you tell me where e'er there be one who can me assist To cure my ills, prescribe me pills, and be a pharmacist, And be a pharmacist ?" Anyone able to name both the artists, and the album from which this comes, is clearly a person of deep good taste. K 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornamuse Posted February 2, 2016 Share Posted February 2, 2016 Very Very nice work here - I look forward to seeing the progress! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted February 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 2, 2016 How about a military uniform outfitters ? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Metropolitan H Posted February 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 2, 2016 If we are talking the Edwardian period, it could be a Photographer's studio - remembering that was John Ahern's profession. Regards Chris H 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nearholmer Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Chris I was about to add the photographer suggestion myself, a pharmacist/photographer being a common combination in small towns. You could have his mobile studio caravan parked outside, being loaded. [edit: lots about a typical photographic business of the period, with pictures of their kit, here: http://tbmod.com/rm/Madder%20Valley%20MRJ%201994%20dec.pdf . My father used a lot of work from this firm in local history books that he wrote.] But, I thought Ahern was a lawyer by profession,mand a photographer by hobby ...... Am I getting mixed-up with someone else? [ Edit: He was an insurance broker ...... The excellent MRJ survey of his contribution to RM is on-line here http://tbmod.com/rm/Madder%20Valley%20MRJ%201994%20dec.pdf ] Kevin Edited February 3, 2016 by Nearholmer 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold ianLMS Posted February 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2016 Shop in a mid size deep Norfolk village would push me towards a butcher, hardware or general store. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Stubby47 Posted February 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2016 Deepest Norfolk ? Mountaineering equipment suppliers. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Edwardian Posted February 3, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2016 Taxidermist? No, didn't think so... Some great suggestions, thanks, already much to ponder on. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted February 3, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 3, 2016 Deepest Norfolk ? Mountaineering equipment suppliers. There a mountain warehouse shop in Holt! This looks an excellent project, I love the flint buildings which having built some myself are no mean feat. You have built an entire village Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Popular Post Edwardian Posted February 3, 2016 Author RMweb Gold Popular Post Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Thanks, Russ. Perhaps not a whole village, but, if I get to the end of the build, I reckon it will be fair to say I will have managed a good portion of one! From no inspiration on the subject of the shop, I now have too many good ideas from which to choose, for which, again, thanks. So: A butcher, baker, grocer, ironmonger's or general store would probably be among the likeliest to be there in 'reality'. Further along the row will be a Post Office and general store, so at least that option is dealt with. I like the idea of a bookseller and in my mind's eye I can really see that working in this shop. As Castle Acre, with its antiquities,has, thanks to the Railway, by the Edwardian era attracted a certain amount of tourist trade, a book shop I think could be justified. Mr Ahern was, after all, an accomplished author. Chemists - always a fun and attractive option with big glass jars and whatnot. Military outfitter - I love that idea - but, unless I wanted to make Castle Aching a garrison town, I do not think I could justify the choice. Of course, now I am thinking of a layout subject that could justify it! Mountaineering equipment - It would be amusing, though the idea that Norfolk is flat is entirely erroneous, and, I suspect, is a product of the era when no-one visited the county save to see the Broads. The Fens, they are the flat places, but that's really over the border in North Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, hence the Pidley Fen Mountain Rescue Team. Hopefully, the Castle Aching layout will abound in rolling contours (well, I said "hopefully"). Model railways - sadly too implausible; Undertakers - as mentioned, not really the right sort of premises. Anyway, I'd have to think of some other, quite awful name, such as M. Balm, Undertaker. Kevin, thank you for the link to the MRJ document. I had to put on my Brave Pants to read it, as armour against the feelings of futility and inferiority that this periodical generally induces! I have not yet had time to read it through, but I note that Mr Ahern's profession was insurance (not, I think, an option for a commercial premises in castle Aching), but that photography was, indeed, a major passion. I also noticed that Madder Valley boasts a chemist-c u m- (to foil the site's Automatic Prude) photographers, Holman & Hunt, presumably a reference to Holman Hunt, the Pre-Raphaelite. So, I think the are tending towards Chris H's suggestion, as seconded by Kevin. A photographer, or, possibly and chemist and photographer. Some pictures to get the feel of it. Edited February 1, 2019 by Edwardian 20 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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