Victoria Station

[Texas]

Here's a little gem that my late Grandfather left us, it is an unsharpened LNER indelible pencil.

 

Any Offers?

 

Unless you've got more memorabilia from your Grandad, I'd keep the pencil. That's a sad picture of the old Victoria Station.

[Texas]

Moving down the line a bit, to Woodhead Tunnel. Does anyone remember when they built the NEW Woodhead Tunnel? It must've been around the early 50's, I had a mate who worked on the first fixing side of the construction. That is, the shuttering for the concrete. And has anybody ever read Terry Coleman's ''The Railway Navvies''. It's an old book now, and probably costs a fortune on Ebay, but well worth getting. There's a lot about Woodhead. In fact there's a whole chapter, all the history you'll ever need about the tunnel/tunnels at Woodhead and the building of the railways in Britain.

[Lostrider]

An excellent book. Got mine off ebay after seing the musical play "The Navvies Wife". by Mick Ryan" which is based on the book. If you get the chance, go and see it. You won't regret it.

 

The Navvies Wife

 

"A musical drama written by Mick Ryan which gives voice to those whose lives were shaped by the great drive to carve out Britain’s canals, railways and roads.

 

Narrative

Thousands were caught up in the migration of able-bodied men to the vast scars of construction that have now softened into our landscape. Bonds forged by kinship, friendship, love and economic necessity helped them all survive the brutal realities of the hard life the men were drawn to. This itinerant way of life conferred hardship and uncertainty on the women caught up in it but of these mothers, lovers, wives and widows the newspapers had very little to say; of their longings, sorrows, hopes and joys they said nothing, nothing at all … "

 

My Grandad came from Ireland and worked as a navvy on the Woodhead tunnel before moving on to the Stavely Tunnel.

[Texas]

I've just had a look at my copy, (1968, the work was originally published in '67) it cost 7/6.

[hillsbro]

Moving down the line a bit, to Woodhead Tunnel. Does anyone remember when they built the NEW Woodhead Tunnel?

The new tunnel opened in 1954; there's an interesting Wikipedia article here.

[darylslinn]

I've noticed in recent weeks on my drive in to work that a fair bit of tree and bush clearing seems to be taking place around the old Victoria Station site, has anyone got any idea what's going on ?

[poppins]

I think one of my sisters had her wedding reception at Victoria staion, didn't they have a posh restaurant and hall ?

[Locksley]

I think one of my sisters had her wedding reception at Victoria staion, didn't they have a posh restaurant and hall ?

 

I imagine it was at the Victoria Hotel next to the station!

[poppins]

I imagine it was at the Victoria Hotel next to the station!

 

Yes, that was it, Victoria hall.

[Texas]

Just had a look at the Wickipedia article, hillsbro, sounds about right. Woodhead has always been there in the back of my mind since I was a kid. My Grandfather worked thro' the OLD tunnels a lot, being a driver from Bridgehouses and later Darnall, he would regail me with tales of getting stuck for steam and it being so wet the sands were on all the time. There was the minimum of clearance, and when we went toward Manchester on our way to Cheshire in the 40's, if I got the chance, I'd drop the window to see if there was any unfortunate platelayer in one of the 'boltholes'. It was always pleasant to come out of the tunnel at Woodhead and look across the reservoirs toward the moors. I wonder if anybody has ever visited the little cemetary on the moor to the north of Woodhead, dedicated to the 'navvies' who died while working on the tunnells. I did once.