The Bradford on Avon station woodland project
An eco-friendly woodland area is being created alongside the Bath-bound platform by the Friends of Bradford on Avon Station. John Baxter recounts the story behind the scheme.
The Preservation Trust has had a long-standing association with its Victorian Brunellian station and recently we were fortunate to receive £500 from Trust funds towards an exciting eco-friendly community project, hidden away somewhat from the sight of the general public, but which the volunteers who work on the Bath-bound platform hope to open up shortly.
The old signalbox. The allotment area was just beyond the small hut on the far left
This is on former railway allotment land that we lease (at no cost) from Network Rail. British Railways had an historic association with allotments, allocated solely to porters and signalmen. The pride with which these men (apart from the war years it was predominantly a male- based profession) tilled the soil was often reflected in a keen rivalry between stations for the Best Kept Station Awards run by the Western Region.
Today, with a booking office only open from early morning to around 13.30, it is hard to believe that a station like Bradford on Avon would have boasted three signalmen working three eight-hour shifts, possibly with a junior signalman during daylight hours whose task was to note in the register the passing times of every train. In addition, it probably had three porters dealing with everything passing through the goods shed (only part of its wall still exists), plus a stationmaster, a couple of booking office clerks who would have issued tickets morning to evening, and two or three helpful porters dealing with stopping passenger and goods trains with myriad items passing through. All swept away in the name of progress and the closure of goods yards, parcel services and subsequently the signal box itself.
The downgrading of stations is still a threat and we are fighting the current government’s proposals to shut our booking office, given they see no value whatsoever in providing a personal service to passengers, instead expecting them to use the internet and fend for themselves in buying tickets.
The decline of the station was something that the late David Walden, de facto stationmaster for many years, wanted to arrest, and he originally approached both the Preservation Trust and the then Regional Railways to help fund a set of newly formed gardens. The plaque commemorating that first association is pictured here, with the names of Trust members Mary Ashton and the late Bob Allen appearing alongside that of Dave Walden.
The current gardening team stems from David’s fine vision and we have two memorial seats at the station, both recently restored and repainted that commemorate Dave’s untimely death from cancer some years ago, but not before he appeared in one of Michael Portillo’s fleeting visits in his Great British Railways series.
For a long time two of Dave’s successors, Tony Green – a lifelong railwayman – and myself, have had a vision to try and extend the gardens by the creation of a bluebell wood but, until a fence was built to prevent egress to the running line, we had to content ourselves with a small area where we built compost heaps and some wild areas for insects. We erected some bird feeders but these were promptly demolished by some resident squirrels! We also planted more than 700 British bluebells but have had quite a job relocating the Spanish variety to prevent cross contamination – we may still not succeed.
Then the misfortune of ash dieback hit us quite hard and on one sad morning in early 2022, Network Rail’s environmental team had to fell 18 trees to make the area safe – for us as much as anyone else. The good news was that the squirrels went to pastures new and we are trying to make it difficult for them to return by cutting out selected overhanging branches.
This has created a blank sheet for us to consider and we came up with a scheme that will see many more bluebells planted this autumn, an enhanced bird feeding station area, disabled access via pathways, a small community orchard (not quite as large as the Hens’ Orchard by the Tithe Barn), a children’s play area using felled trees and a rose bower using the felled branches, an area which will have insect and bee-friendly bushes (these will need to be in accordance with Network Rail’s approved species on to the track area) and finally a homage, in old railway sleepers, to the former allotments.
We will have opened up the area to the public at the two Secret Gardens weekends this year – on 28 May and 25 June – and we will then work hard for a full opening this coming autumn, wherever we have got to and within what funding we have been able to attract.
Working in a place like this is very cathartic and excellent for one’s mental health and we are looking for more volunteers over the next few months – perchance to
look after the allotment area, the orchard and the bower (this is three people’s worth not one!). We welcome anyone who can commit to one or two mornings a week (normally Tuesdays and Thursdays on the Bath platform but also on Mondays on the Westbury one – our team there will show you the ropes) and we will give some essential training in railway safety.
The current financial problems have seen the cost of raw materials rocket. For example, £100 of wooden borders three years ago now costs £200. We are therefore seeking more grant aid, alongside that which we have to bid for from Great Western Railway, to complete the project. Thus far we have spent around £1,500 specifically
on this area and we anticipate further expenditure of around £5000 to cover what we need to open the area permanently to the community. The Trust’s £500 is thus a real investment in the future and we are very grateful for their valuable contribution to this local project.
