Colonnade News

Gosport Railway Society 1977-2017

December 2018 No 161

15th September: Railway Alan Wallbank’s films in and around Hampshire	20th October: The Railways of Gosport taken from our own Archives	17th November: Photographic Competition followed by Vintage Films
15th December: The Annual Christmas Film Evening with Cold Buffet	16th December: Annual Christmas Dinner Venue:The Golden Bowler, Hillhead	17th January Winter Series Films of Rosie Newman colour film of Britain during WW2. She managed to get a stock of US 16mm colour film, the result is coverage of all three services as well as London and other locations
19th January 2018 The Seaton Tramway Clem Fellows	24th January Winter Series Britain in Colour in the 1930’s Southampton in Wartime They Take the High Road Dodging the Column 31st January         Winter Series The Rhythm of Film: Geoffrey Newman films. 10 short films covering  life  1950s to the 1970s. Industrial Revelations in Sweden	7th February Winter Series RN Cordite Factory. The history of the factory during WW1 and WW2 and later as an Admiralty research department for propellants.  14th February Winter Series Bygone Gosport & Lee on  the Solent  by Bob Harrop
16th February William Marriot, Engineer, Pioneer of Reinforced Concrete.             Alan Haywood	21st February Winter Series The Theatre Royal Haymarket, London Megastructures and Super Rigs	16th March Railways of the Isle of Sheppey  George Langdon

 

Magazine Index

Article	Page
Programme	2
Index	3
A New Job Part 1
Postal Crash	9
Archive Page	10
Fawley Hill	11
Angus Sinclair	15
Christmas Names	16
Clayton Tunnel	17
Violet Priscilla Lee	20
French Arrest	21
Starting out at Crewe Works	22
Old Oak Common Open Day	25
Railways immersed in Wartime Operations	27
Nottingham	30
Bells, Smells and Whistles	31
Danger on the Tracks	32
Bells, Smells and Whistles Answers	34

A New Job Part 1

The true story of railway life at St. Albans, and what it was really like to be a small part of a big system

Just before Easter 1938 Ray was sitting in school dividing his time between looking out of the window and day dreaming when the door opened and the Headmaster entered. “Attention,” he said, has anyone NOT got a job?”  Ray put his hand up then looked around him,  his was the only hand up. “OK, come with me.”  They went to his office.  “I’ve had a phone message from Currells Garage. They require a boy are you interested?” Ray immediately said yes, as he had unsuccessfully applied for many jobs. The only jobs in the area were for apprentices, and as such he would earn 4/- a week for four years and his family would have been expected to keep him through this time. He was allowed to go for the interview there and then.  He had only a few days to go before he left school so the odd days did not matter, pupils being allowed to leave on their 14^th birthday rather than waiting until the end of term. So, for the next 30 months Ray worked long days half a mile from home. The garage owner, old Mr Currell, also ran a fleet of lorries and every Saturday Ray would have to cart a huge bottle of distilled water down to the lorry yard clamber between the body and the battery box and check the fluid levels. All done without protective clothing but this was 1940 and there was a war on. The rest of the week, Ray would help with taking out engines, change tyres, grease cars and wash and polish anything with wheels. All this for 12/6 a week!

Another of Ray’s tasks was in the workshop, where they replaced the wooden flatbeds of the lorries, and to chop enough firewood to fill a large tea chest. This would be delivered to the nearby house of a Conservative councillor. Ray didn’t know what they did in that house but it sometimes took two chests of wood a day to do it.

The garage was run on by young Mr Currell, whose job training methods consisted mainly of ‘this is a petrol pump, USE IT’. And use it Ray did, although with varying degrees of success. Petrol in those days was 1/1d for premium and 1/3d for Shellmex. Car design was different, older cars did not have a petrol tank at the rear but had the fuel tank in front of the windscreen and relied on gravity.  One particular day Ray was filling a car with just such a tank, the driver had asked for a certain amount of premium so Ray had cranked the handle on the pump and the glass vessel on the pump had filled. Ray walked to the car and turned the tap on the hose’s end, but the tank had not been as empty as the driver had thought and fuel overflowed onto the hot engine, with much smoke and much panic from all present, but mercifully no flame!  On another occasion, Ray was happily pumping when he saw that petrol was spilling onto the forecourt. The hose in the car was the hose from the other pump.  The two pump handles were side by side, he had picked up the wrong one. By December 1940 the war was beginning to increase its appetite for manpower. It came as little surprise when Ray’s father told him, “They’re short of firemen they’ve all gone to war. and they’ve lowered the starting age to 16 ^3/₄: always used to be 18 my day. They need cleaners. I’ve told them you’ll be there on Saturday morning.” 

As Arthur, Ray’s father, was a driver, Ray knew his way around the yard. He had been taken often and Arthur would always introduce him to the footplate staff.  Arthur’s nickname was Jimmy, he took no criticism, did not suffer fools and was known as the hardest man for miles. Later, he was to retire with 47 years’ service to his credit.

Saturday came and Ray pedalled his old bicycle toward the railway. He went through the wicket gate that led past the old jail. The wall to his left was high and thick; to his right were allotments. Beyond these were the cattle dock and the open air ‘Way and Works’ stores: piles of rail, sleepers and chairs. He went past the three huts that housed the ambulance, the mess and other stores. He had just turned right before the coal stacks, and over the crossing made from sleepers.  At the turntable he stopped and leant his bike against the wall, just past the toilet. This cubicle was designed for speed and not comfort, it was small and was open to the sky. This masterpiece had a two-fold effect, firstly, in summer it collected more than its fair share of insects, secondly, in winter it was not uncommon to have to scrape the snow from the seat.

Ray entered the foreman’s office whose clerk saw him.  “Hello,” said the clerk, “can I help you?” Ray moved to his desk. “Yes,” he answered. “I’ve come for the job.” He paused “I’m Arthur Welch’s son, Ray.  Dad said you needed cleaners.” “Ah yes,” said the clerk. “Right when can you start?”  Ray had expected things to be more difficult. “I have to give a week’s notice, so I can start on the 16^th.”  Sensing the job was his, Ray’s confidence grew. “OK,” said the clerk “I’ve got to give you an eyesight test first.”  He stood up and moved to the door.  “Come on out we go.”  Ray went out first, followed by the clerk. “Can you move over there about five yards?” Ray moved. and turned. The clerk was holding up what appeared to be a table tennis bat, but with its edge towards him Ray could not be sure. “I want you to cover one eye and then read this,” said the clerk. Ray placed his hand over his eye and the chart was twisted through 90^o.  Ray could now see that it was about a foot high and 3 inches wide. It had on it a mixture of numbers and letters, all of about 1inch high.  Ray read the chart easily. “OK, you’ve passed, see you on the 16^th.”  With that the clerk went back into the office. Ray thought ‘It can’t be this easy.’ All the way home he wondered how to hand in his notice on Monday morning. He needn’t have bothered. “OK,” was all Mr Currell said. Ray got the impression that not only did they not mind, but could not have cared less. It is worthy of note that within a few years, the company did not exist.

On the morning of the 16^th Ray cycled to the ‘loco’ convinced that by Friday he would probably be driving something. The daydream kept the cold at bay in the event he found himself, with 6 others, sweeping the engine sheds and the yard. This carried on for most of the week. One morning the clerk gathered them together and told them that they were to go to Euston for a medical. The journey took on an atmosphere of a day out, not quite high spirits, but jovial none the less. A large building housed the medical facility and they were shown into a large office and were told to strip completely. This somewhat dampened the joviality.

Ray aged about 16

When the doctor came they were all lined up, looking like a row of white skittles in a bowling alley.  First came a ‘count your bits’ type of medical examination followed by the testing of a water sample.  Ray rapidly found himself dressed and taking a ‘proper’ eyesight test. The first test was to ascertain that he did not need spectacles: any driver that was found to need glasses was given instant dismissal so some drivers resorted to extreme and quite bizarre methods to hide their deficiency.The next test was for colour blindness; in a dark room Ray found himself with a small plate covering one eye staring at small coloured dots that grew progressively larger.  Green, red, amber. Then came the hearing test. The doctor sat Ray in a chair and bade him repeat that which he would shortly hear. The doctor then whispered into Ray’s left ear ‘12’. Ray repeated this.

Then in the right ear, ‘26’.  This Ray also repeated and that was that. The journey home was made by 6 subdued young men. Two days later Ray was surprised to find that three of his new-found friends had failed the medical and no longer worked ‘on the railway’.  Shortly, after yet another test, this time of his cleaning ability, Ray became a ‘passed cleaner’.  Normally an employee could only move up if there was a vacancy as this relied on someone leaving.  During the war the process was shortened to weeks or even days. Another effect was that, as there was a shortage of cleaning materials, Ray could rarely actually clean anything. The railway only took drivers from the ranks of cleaners. It was to ensure that those who drove had an adequate understanding of the mechanics of that which they were entrusted with.

Weeks passed and Ray would help with a variety of tasks and familiarised himself with the various types of locomotive.  Among those on shed were two shunting engines, numbers 1854 and 7261. Of these only 7261 could leave St Albans, as 1854 could only carry a small amount of coal and water. It was used for work in the yard. 7261 had a slightly greater capacity and provided it made the trip alone and provided the wind was behind it, could just about make Luton. It did this journey quite regularly and did a day’s shunting when it got there.

An engine had a code number on the side of the cab. This denoted its class and the type of work it was designed for and a fireman quickly learned that although two locomotives certainly could LOOK identical, no two locomotives would fire the same.  3901 was a willing work horse and lovely to fire, but 3245 was a beast, eating coal by the ton and returning very little steam. The grand old ladies were two aged Fowler 2.6.2. 3P’s numbers 24 and 39 and were among the longest serving passenger tank engines there.

Cricklewood was the main freight depot and Kentish Town was the main passenger depot.  Whereas the main centre for the overhaul and repair of locomotives was Derby, so when a St Albans engine returned from there it was not very long before it was spotted by a Kentish Town driver. The luckless engine would then be commandeered. It was well known that Kentish Town drivers had no respect for machinery.  When the engine came back it was usually in a worse state than it had been BEFORE its overhaul. Also at St Albans were three of the hated Stanier class 3 passenger tank engines, they were terrible steamers as the firebox was too small, the water tank was too small and a later version with a larger boiler only achieved a larger problem.  The only coal available in wartime was, at best, better than nothing but only just, so the poor fireman was fighting a losing battle. However, Staniers, 2504 and 2511, were three-cylinder engines and these were very good in all respects.

Another type at St Albans was the Fowler 2-6-4 4P.  Although it could pull twelve coaches comfortably, when travelling bunker first the visibility at night was nearly zero. There were two main reasons for this, firstly, with a full load of coal the rear cab windows were almost totally obscured, secondly, the blackout regulations insisted that a canvas curtain be affixed across the upper portion of the doorway. One story was that a driver who was approaching a tunnel was standing on the cab platform with his head stuck out of the top of the cab, as was his habit. He knew there was a signal close by and was looking for it. When the train emerged from the tunnel, the fireman was horrified to find his driver laying on the floor, dead. He had banged his head on the ironwork of a small footbridge. At the inquest, the fireman was asked if the two of them had been on good terms. Animosity between crews was not unknown.

After a few weeks of sweeping up and doing odd jobs, Ray started to get the occasional firing job. After his first short trip as fireman he was completely shattered. An average locomotive pulling an average train, will use up to a ton of coal an hour, all of which was put into the firebox by a single fireman.

During his first weeks, Ray had to learn many things. He had to try to memorise the rule book and it soon became clear that what appeared to be whole set of mumbo jumbo, was actually an accumulation of essential knowledge gained through bitter experience. He also had to learn hand signals. These were used trackside when guiding an engine, during shunting or moving around the yard for instance. They were simple but they were all universal throughout the country. Both hands raised above the head meant STOP, the right hand pumped up and down meant HIT THEM UP (ie ‘move the engine and set the rolling stock in motion’).  A slow clap in front of the face meant ‘move the engine slowly to squeeze the buffers’ and there were many more.

Postal Crash

In February 2014 an Irish postman had a truly amazing escape and he managed to walk away, almost unscathed, after his An Post (Post Office) delivery van was hit side on by an 84-tonne train travelling at over 100km an hour.

The postman was 41year old John Canning. He was from Ballyvary, Castlebar and a married man with a family. After the crash at the unmanned level crossing he was sent to Mayo General Hospital for a check-up. Official sources said the accident occurred at around 9.30am when the An Post van was hit and then dragged along the line for a short distance after being struck at Currane level crossing near Ballyvary. The An Post Volkswagen Caddy vehicle was pushed forward and then it tumbled from the tracks and ended up in an adjacent field. The van was a write-off, locals said.

The train, which had six passengers in its two carriages, came to a stop just north of the railway bridge on the Dublin to Westport road. Neither the train driver nor any of the passengers were injured. The passengers were transferred by road to Manulla Junction to connect with the Westport to Dublin train.

Locals rushed forward to help Mr Canning at the scene, before being joined by emergency services personnel. According to a statement released later by Iarnrod Eireann, the van was on the line when it was struck at the user-operated level crossing around two miles from Ballyvary. Local man Michael McHale, whose house overlooks the scene, said the van was “thrown to one side” by the train. The Ballina to Manulla Junction line remained closed for the rest of the day as the Railway Safety Commission and Iarnrod Eireann’s Rail Accident Investigation Unit probed the crash

Archive Page

36001 Leader at Eastleigh

About Fawley Hill

Sir William McAlpine's back garden.                                        

The Article is written by ‘Mr’ Bills wife ‘Lady McA’. 

Picture above Lady Judith ’Lady McA’ and Sir William McAlpine ‘Mr Bill’

Fawley Hill is our home: Built by Sir William in 1960 – so not the Georgian pile people think it is. It is, of course, off limits but can be seen from the field and from the train on operating days.

The railway began slowly and No. 31 came in its early days: It was McAlpine’s very last working engine but even she was to be sold for scrap: so Sir William paid her scrap value and said “Send her home.” The story of her progress across the fields to Fawley Hill made it into the national papers. So, as the terrible race to “modernise” gripped the country and historic buildings were pulled down and replaced with concrete boxes (admittedly many being built by McAlpines!) or worse and stations began to close, with so much being broken up, melted down, thrown away: Sir William kept saying “Send it home” and everything that came here was carefully preserved and lovingly placed in the garden or the museum which had started life as a home for his traction engines and the family car collection.  Eventually, of course, an entire station building was saved, sliced up, loaded onto lorries and brought here from Somersham to be reassembled and to play its part in the magic that is Fawley.  Often parked in the station is “GE 1″ the beautiful wooden private Saloon built for theChairman of the Great Eastern Railway.  Being Canadian, he had it built with a “balcony” on which, presumably, to smoke his cigars as he toured his empire. Two carriages from Royal Trains joined the collection: one Her Majesty’s private carriage and one the nursery coach for Prince Charles and Princess Anne. They are now permanently parked and provide occasional spare bedrooms.

The latest LARGE addition to the estate is “Ironhenge”.  Whilst we jokingly put up signs to explain that it is the site of ancient worship of one of the two Saints Pancras (there really are two).  It is in fact composed of columns which had to be removed from the undercroft at St. Pancras Station and of course they had to be carefully preserved.  So – there is a “wood-henge” and a ”stone-Henge”: so why not an Iron Henge??  We think both the Saints would have approved.

Now the whole station and museum complex and of course the trains are run by a dedicated band of enthusiastic volunteers.  They, rather confusingly, call themselves the Fawley Museum Society.  Without this happy, hard-working band, there would be no trains puffing up the hill.  It really IS the steepest standard gauge track in the world and keeping it in good order is no easy job.  

As many people are aware, Fawley Hill is also an Animal Sanctuary as accidental in its conception as was the railway. Sir William has been involved with ZSL (London & Whipsnade Zoos) for longer than he cares to remember.  He discovered very early on that while all the Zoos in the world constantly move animals around in order to prevent inbreeding and to conserve species which are dying out in the wild, there comes a point with most species where there is an imbalance: too many males usually (no, girls, you should not laugh! where would we be without them??)  This is where we come in.  Zoos cannot afford to keep “spare” men who just loaf about and need feeding: so they come to us.  Here they live virtually wild.  We feed each day and there are plenty of houses and shelters but none are allocated and no-one makes the animals “go to bed” at night.

Animals at Fawley tend to be found, when they die, to be among the longest-lived of their species ever recorded. This is because they are free, they have no predators and human interference is minimal. Naturally, over the years, we acquire girls to go with the boys and they breed and their offspring frequently go to zoos who need a new gene stream or who have a lonely singleton.

We also have a lot of residents who come from Tiggywinkles, the animal rescue centre.  When an animal cannot be released back into the wild, Fawley Hill is the next best place.  So, you may spot a small herd of three-legged deer: all survivors of road accidents, some now quite old, many of them have given birth to several children. They look awkward but clearly being an amputee doesn’t affect their sex lives!

We will take any animals who need a home but NO CARNIVORS!  That said: we have discovered that Emus ARE carnivores, but they don’t kill – they eat carrion, just like the kites: who wait respectfully for the emus to finish before they try to pick at a carcass or the remains of a hog roast.

Sir William began breeding red deer for the table: now we occasionally send one of our “boys” to help out a park owner with a herd of girls but heaven help anyone who contemplates eating any of our “children”!

There are over 20 varieties of animal here in varying numbers: some rare, some not: but all very happy!

We don’t approve of “cages” but some of our animals do need their own enclosures to prevent them pottering into Henley when they feel like it.  This is not a joke: the wallabies did: but now although they could, they don’t bother.  Some idiot once opened our gate, allowing our ancient Tapir to wander down to the Marlow road where, fortunately, she found a tub of pansies so stopped to eat them, enabling someone to call us and we were able to walk her back. The Capybaras spent two weeks in the centre of Henley before anyone noticed them, but they too seem now to be content here.  Two of our male coatis were chased out by the women and one has been seen at Frieth and one at Marlow! So we have made it harder for them to go walkabout.  But they all have far more land to call their own than a zoo could afford to give them.

One of the most wonderful experiences is to go out feeding early in the morning with our Estate Manager who is hugely knowledgeable and loves sharing his knowledge and “his” animals.  It is as close to being Dr. Doolittle as you will ever get.  To see so many different animals milling around you, being remarkably polite to each other and to you, is surreal.  We are members of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria and therefore have to pay for regular veterinary inspections and, of course, our “Dangerous Wild Animals” licence. We have been asked to list the animals who live here: so, starting with cats, dogs, a cockatoo, a multitude of hens, ducks and geese, a plethora of goats; we have red, fallow, roe, axis, sika and hog deer, sitatunga, addax, barasinga, wallabies, rheas, emus, peacocks, tapirs, capybaras, alpaca, guanaco, llamas, racoons, coatis, meerkats, porcupines, maras, chinchillas, rabbits, tortoises and lemurs.  Our old oryx and nilgai have died of extreme old age and we hope to have some more soon.  It is rumoured that there are wolves in the wood that surrounds the park … so don’t try climbing the fence! After several futile attempts, I have given up trying to align this text properly.  This programme has a mind of its own!  Lady McA

For the curious:-

sitatunga addax (Antelopes), barasinga (Indian Swamp Dear), capybaras (South American Rodents), guanaco (Wild Lama), coatis (South American Racoons), maras (South American Cavy a relative of the Guinea Pig).

                                          Angus Sinclair

Angus Sinclair was the publisher of the periodical Railway and Locomotive Engineering – A Practical Journal of Railway Motive Power and Rolling Stock.  He later published a book,  Development of the Locomotive Engine which was a compilation of many articles printed in the periodical.

He was born in Forfar in 1841 the first son of a railway section foreman, so it was natural that later he sought employment on the Scottish North Eastern Railway. He first became a telegraph operator, then on reaching manhood moved to the footplate as an engine driver.

However a brief period with the Customs Service prompted him to seek adventure abroad. He went to sea as a marine engineer, but returned to his first love, locomotives and he settled in the United States. After working a time on the Erie Railway, he went to Iowa to operate locomotives on the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad. But he grew weary of the limited prospect locomotive running offered and took a night course in chemistry, was promoted to roundhouse foreman and 'chemist' for the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railroad. An interest in fuel economy and smoke prevention, supported by years of experience in engine running and the newly acquired smattering of chemistry, led him to write for several trade papers. These writings came to the attention of the editors of the American Machinist and Sinclair was invited to New York in 1883 to join the American Machinist staff. At forty‑two, most men's working lives are fixed toward some foreseeable end, but Sinclair was entering a new career. He was a natural journalist with a clear and engaging style. This gift together with his practical mechanics background insured a receptive audience with the shop‑oriented engineers of the day. While still working for the Machinist he completed his first book, Locomotive Running and Management (1885). A simple textbook, aimed at the average mechanic, became an immensely popular work that went into twenty‑six editions. 

Sinclair's employer decided a specialty magazine on locomotives was required. Locomotive Engineering was established in 1887 with Sinclair as the assistant editor. His position was further strengthened during the same year by his appointment as Secretary of the American Railway Master Mechanics Association. He held this position until 1896. Four years later he was made treasurer of the association and continued in this office until his death. His close ties with the association's membership introduced him to every prominent locomotive builder and designer in the country.

In 1892 the managing editor of Locomotive Engineering joined Sinclair in buying the paper from American Machinist, Sinclair became sole proprietor five years later. He found time to produce several additional books: ‘Combustion in Locomotive Fireboxes’, ‘Railway Man's Catechism’, ‘Twentieth Century Locomotives’ and ‘The Development of the Locomotive Engine’. His contributions to railway literature were rewarded in 1908 by an Honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Purdue University. During the last years of his life he enjoyed the novelty of seeing one of his texts translated into Chinese. Death came in New York City on 1^st January,1919.

Sinclair's interest in locomotive history was undoubtedly stimulated by his association with many early locomotive engineers and builders who lived into the 1890's. Sinclair met these men at the meetings of the Master Mechanics organization and through the columns of Locomotive Engineering. Here were the men who built and operated the first American locomotives, developed these small, elementary 7 ton machines into thundering giants twenty times that weight.

                                    Christmas Names

A couple of years ago some of the London railway stations, during the week before Christmas, were given a festive makeover with a series of Christmas puns. South West Trains made the change to celebrate the coming of the Christmas holidays and to provide some much-needed cheer to long-suffering London commuters. Delighted passengers started sharing the new names on various types of social media. Some of the names that took the imagination were:- London Winterloo and Deck the Vauxhall, then there was Three Kingston, New Mald-wine and Raynesdeer Park. South West Trains said this Christmas makeover had been put together with suggestions from the railway staff. Take a look at the picture below and see how many you can spot!

Actress Elizabeth Hollingshead wrote that she was “So obsessed with Waterloo’s Christmassy departure boards ‘Basingstocking’ and ‘ Deck the Vauxhall’ are two of the best”.

                     The Haunting of Clayton Tunnel

Nestling in the foot of the beautiful South Downs, just to the north of Brighton, Clayton Tunnel North Portal is a truly unique building. Every day hundreds of trains hurtle under this Gothic folly whose imposing castellated towers protect the old tunnel keeper's cottage.  It was built in 1841, with the cottage added in 1849, but the exact origins of this Grade II listed building still remain a mystery.  Was it a monument to the 6000 men who, for three years, dug for a mile-and-a-quarter beneath 270 feet of chalk for 1 mile 499 yards (2065 metres) ? Was it built to reassure nervous Victorian passengers that they weren't entering into the darkness of Hell?  Or was it built to satisfy the local landowner, who would allow a tunnel on his property as long as it had a grand entrance? Nobody knows for sure. It certainly is one of a kind!

The portal's Gothic architecture is finished in white Caen stone and is a fitting testimonial to David Mocatta, the innovative Victorian architect who also designed the Ouse Valley viaduct further up the line. The little cottage perched between the towers, cool in the summer and cold in the winter, has been occupied by a number of railway families, many of whom raised six or seven children in this tiny dwelling. 

While it seems ordinary enough inside, the view through the living room window and the octagonal rooms tell you that this is no ordinary house. Despite the trains clattering below, it is surprisingly quiet and peaceful inside the cottage rather like being in the eye of a hurricane. The terraced gardens and woodland are home to a variety of plants, birds and wild animals -- birds of prey, foxes, deer, badgers, lizards, slow worms, glow worms and a lot of rabbits. 

"The Gothic, battlemented entrance looms with a kind of scowling picturesqueness, well suited to its dark history, continually vomiting steam and smoke, like a hell's mouth" -- Charles G. Harper, The Brighton Road, 1922 

A popular landmark for tourists and train spotters alike, the portal was also the inspiration for Charles Dicken’s classic ghost story "The Signalman" owing to a serious accident in the tunnel in 1861. Little surprise, then, that the cottage is reputed to be haunted. You can hear strange sounds at night, but that could equally be the local wildlife trying to get in or a sudden subterranean draft echoing through the portal's long-forgotten secret passage and hidden chambers. The North Portal is now privately owned but is opened during the Brighton & Hove Open Door Event which is held each September. 

The owners also give a lively "behind the scenes" presentation to interested groups and societies. For most people this secluded building remains a mystery. What are its historical origins? What lies behind the commanding battlements?

And what's it like having trains running right beneath your living room? This presentation answers all these questions and more, featuring bold Victorian engineers, plucky railway families, all manner of flora and fauna, home-made jam and wine, railway disasters, secret passages and a few ghosts as the tunnel was the site of an early form of "automatic" signal invented by CF Whitworth. Far from being automatic in operation, this was merely a signal that was operated by the signalman on duty but that returned to 'danger' once the train had passed, by means of a treadle. Clayton Tunnel had such a signal at each end, and it was the failure of the signalman to ensure that the signal had returned to danger that led to the worst ever accident on that line on 25^th  August 1861.

Three trains left Brighton within a very short time. Having signalled one train correctly, the signalman at the southern portal manually returned the signal to danger too late for the second train, but was unaware that his attempts to alert its driver by waving a flag had been successful. The second train stopped well inside the tunnel, and as it was slowly reversing towards him he misunderstood a 'tunnel clear' message from the north box as indicating the second train had cleared the tunnel when it in fact referred to the first. He then allowed a third to enter and collide with the reversing second train with the loss of twenty three lives with one hundred and seventy six injured.

 Violet Priscilla Lee

During the war Violet got a job as a train passenger guard – a position usually only available to men who'd spent 30 years working up through the grades. She says, “when the war started and the my father asked me if I’d like to go on the railway – I hadn’t got a clue what it was. Not a clue. My first husband was a regular soldier and I’m going to be a little bit crude, if I may, I will not swear – he didn’t want me – I was madly in love at the age of 17, we got married very, very young in those days – and he said to me, 'You’re not going in the ATS. You’re not going in the Women’s Services. You will only become an officer’s groundsheet.'"

When my father asked me to be a guard, I grasped the opportunity otherwise I would have had to have go the forces, or work in an aircraft factory. I had to go to Northcott Mansions, the regional office, which was in London Road, Gloucester. It was a large, imposing building, full of grand staircases. If my memory serves me right it was painted in the GWR colours. One person interviewed me, I remember him asking me if I was colour blind. The answer was no. I was asked numerous questions but after 60 years part that remains clear was his remarks, 'Well, you are a tall young lady!' “ I was five foot seven and a half”. 'And you look robust but due to your family connections with the railway, we will employ you.'"

Three days later, I was training to become a passenger guard. For my training I was put in charge of a senior link passenger guard, Mr Charles Marchant – you can imagine what an elderly gent he looked to me, a mere 17-year-old girl. I often wondered what he thought at all these young ladies coming to work on the railways – there were seven of us.

He was a very smart man, his serge suit was always well-pressed, his brass buttons were well-polished, his boots shone, and all his equipment was immaculate. I can still see him in my mind’s eye now, with his very wide grey wax moustache, which seemed to stretch from ear to ear.

I was given a uniform which consisted of a round hat with ‘Guard’ in gold braid across the front. We had the choice of skirts or trousers, a brass button tunic top, and a very large pocket watch with Great Western on its face. They gave me a whistle, which was very loud and shrill, a guard’s lamp which was lighted by wick and paraffin. Ooh they were smelly things, we had to clean our own. You flicked the handle round to change the lenses – it had three glasses, green, red and clear - two flags, one green and one red. I was given a second-hand leather bag, it had two straps stitched on the outside to hold the flags. It also held packets of detonators, notices and speed restrictions – these had to be checked at the office at the start of duty, and you signed to say you were aware of the notices – no excuses!" I must have been the youngest passenger guard ever, and I loved it. I still think with pride that I was involved with one of Britain’s great successes in the world of railway engineering. I still think back to those years, deriving a sense of pride for the years of my girlhood on the railways, many of which we have lost.

My thoughts also turn to the men and women who, brave and loyal, kept the railways running, despite the bombing and the machine-gunning. Many nights we listened to the enemy planes flying overhead to bomb some city or town. The engine fireboxes had to be screened. Stations were dimly lit. When the railway got a pre-alert air-raid, the station lights had to be put out. Each gas light had to be individually extinguished. During an air-raid you had to stay with the train, as did the footplate men and the signalman had to stay in the signal box to keep the railways running. Troop trains, trainloads of tanks, heavy artillery, all the paraphernalia of war had to be kept moving."

If I have made my work as a guard sound rosy, it was not, not on reflection for me it was exciting times. Whilst this being my personal story, it also reflects the stories of thousands of other women railway workers, especially during the war years. While other women war workers are rightfully recognised, surely the role of women on railways should also be.

French Arrest

In June a French actor who locked himself in a train toilet to rehearse for an audition was arrested after being mistaken for a terrorist. He was taken into police custody after the conductor heard him shout the words “gun” and “weapon”. The man, who was on board a TGV train from Marseille to Paris was learning his lines for an audition. He had chosen to practise in the toilet so as not to disturb other passengers in his carriage. Bearing in mind the high terrorist threat, the conductor wanted to avoid any risk or doubt and had the person questioned a SNCF spokesperson said. The man, a 35-year-old actor from Paris whose identity was not revealed could be heard speaking loudly in both French and Dutch. The train conductor decided to alert his bosses and call the police after he heard the man – who had been inside the toilet for a suspiciously long period of time – talk about weapons. The TGV made an emergency stop at Valance, where police were waiting to arrest him. 

After questioning he was let go that same afternoon after police realised he was not carrying a weapon and was not a jihadist. He did, however, end up missing his train home.                          

Starting Out At Crewe Works

by a Railway Blogger

I had been interested railways since I was frightened by an A4 Pacific as it stormed through Stevenage station. I was a small child sitting in my pushchair on the Up platform.

We were travelling to London to visit relatives. I had an interest in engineering although, as a youngster, this simply came across as a desire to dismantle things and put them back together properly.  When I was 16, my father gave me his old Honda 50 moped because he had bought a new one. One day the engine in my moped failed. I had been helping a friend’s brother rebuild a BSA 350cc motorbike so I felt confident enough to strip the engine down on my moped, find out the problem and rebuild it. Fortunately I found it was only a burnt out exhaust valve. I remember my father returned home from work and saw parts on all over the garage floor. In my defence, they were arranged neatly! He was amazed and pleased when a few days later I had reassembled the engine and got it working again. He said I should have a career in engineering.

My brother, Paul, worked for British Aircraft Corporation in Stevenage in an engineering role. However, I wanted to combine my interest in engineering with that of railways. Father thought I should join the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, that was not for me.

I had just completed my final school exams and the teachers were trying to get me to do A levels. Although I could study Physics and Maths I felt there must be something more that would lead me into a career in engineering although I have to say that engineering has large elements of Physics and Maths. Father discovered that British Rail Engineering Ltd took on apprentices at their main Works. Only two were taken on at each Works. This seemed an excellent way forward as it would combine both of my primary interests. The entry qualifications were 5 ‘O’ levels which had to be Maths, English, a Science subject and two other weighty subjects. I had studied Physics and Economics so I decided I would apply once my results came out in August.

In the meantime I worked at Harper Engines in Stevenage as an operator of two milling machines. Castings for part of the hinges of the tip-up cabs on lorries had to be machined across the top by one machine and placed in the second machine for the sides to be faced off. Prior to this, I had had a paper round which paid a princely sum of £1.37½p per week. The wage for the machine operators job was a lot more especially when I worked on Saturday mornings as well.

My exam results came out and on the same day I submitted applications to Doncaster and Swindon works. Doncaster rejected my application on the basis that I was too far out of their catchment area. I found this surprising as I lived on the East Coast Main Line. Swindon works wrote apologising but they had already filled their two allocated places. They also pointed out that applications had been submitted earlier in the year and conditional offers had been made on the basis of exam results. However, they forwarded my application to Crewe Works. A short time after, I received an invitation for an interview at the General Offices in Crewe along with a free ticket to travel there by train.

On Monday the 16th September 1974, I left our house and travelled into King’s Cross, I walked down the Euston Road to Euston station and caught the 10:00am to Bangor and just over two hours later set foot on Crewe Station. I was in good time for my interview but decided to go and find out where the General Offices (GO) were. I walked towards the town centre, crossing over the Chester line before I came to another railway bridge. The building adjoining this bridge were the GO for Crewe Works. I discovered later that the original Chester line once went past the works offices but was diverted when the works were expanded. The original route was used as an access point for locomotives to and from the works. The GO were built on a curve that mirrored that of the old line. For many years, newly built locomotives were positioned here for formal photographs. Some even featured the GO as a backdrop. It is sad that this magnificent building is no more!

After a brief lunch, I reported to the GO and went into an office and was introduced to Dave Looker and Geoff Ollier who were to interview me. It was explained that the recruitment for engineering apprentices had been undertaken early in the year offers had been conditional on applicants achieving the required exam results. One of the applicants had failed and this resulted in the vacancy. I can’t remember how long the interview lasted but at the end I was asked if I would step outside. Eventually I was invited back in and Dave Looker said that they were able to offer me the position and apologized for the wait this was because they had been arranging my lodging arrangements. The apprentice training had already commenced so I would have to start the following Monday. They asked if I needed any monetary assistance as an interest free loan to pay for my lodgings. Due to my job at Harper Engines, I had amassed sufficient funds. I was told that during the first year of training, I would attend day release plus three night classes at College. This was to study for an ONC in engineering before going on to HNC. I was given a staff pass giving me free travel between Stevenage and Crewe. I was also given a free pass for my bicycle.

The staff pass was between Stevenage and Crewe Works. It is not well known that Crewe works had its own station. It was on a spur that went into the electric traction depot adjacent to the Chester line. There was a service to and from Stoke on Trent that was extended from Crewe station to the Works station. This service was for rail employees. I used the service on frosty or snowy days when cycling was more hazardous.On my arrival home I tried looking sad and dejected but my parents were having none of it. They both said ‘when do you start?’! Unable to contain my eagerness any longer I said ‘In a week’s time!’. My family and I were thrilled but at just 16 ^1/₂ some would find it a daunting prospect to live and work during the week a long distance from home. My enthusiasm for the position though would see me through. On the 23rd September 1974, I started work on British Railways. And, so my railway adventure began  

 Old Oak Common Open Day 2017.

                 Mike Schmidt

Great Western Railway (GWR) organised an open day at Old Oak Common depot on the first Saturday of September 2017 which would be the last ever as shortly the whole area is to be raised to the ground to make way for a new depot for the class 800 and 801 stock, HS2, and a new station to accommodate all those services. This 111 year old depot is wedged between the new and almost complete Crossrail depot (subject of an article in no 161 of Colonnade News) and Heathrow Express depot. The depot was opened in 1906 and was the iconic London depot for the Great Western maintaining locomotives in the days of steam and throughout the age of diesel. It was an ideal location at Acton just south of the Grand Union canal and to the north of the Great Western main lone. Designed by George J. Churchward it took 4 years to build with four 65ft turntables and a shed which covered 360sq.ft. There was a large coal stage at the approach to the shed as well as water tanks which held 290,000 gallons and sand was supplied from a separate furnace. All this including the turntables has long gone. In March 1964 it was decided to relocate steam to Southhall and Old Oak Common was converted to a diesel depot. In the 1960’s British Railways built a storage depot for the Blue Pullman trains and that became known as Coronation Carriage sidings. South of this and right next to the Great Western main line, the Inter City 125 depot was built and that is as it is today for this grand open day.

Currently the depot maintains Class 43 HST’s, Class 180 ‘Adelante’ diesel DMU’s, the class 57 locomotives and Night Riviera sleeper carriages. The new class 800/801 Hitachi stock will be maintained across the Great Western tracks at the former North Pole depot once occupied by Euro Star. The new 800 class boast 24% more seats than the HST’s and in all 785 new carriages will be up and running by 2019. In the interim the Class 387’s have been in service from 2016 between Paddington and Hayes and were extended to Maidenhead on May 2017. As the 387s operation reaches Didcot and Reading, then more Turbos will be introduced over the next 18 months on the lines around Bristol, Gloucester, Cardiff and Taunton.  So, this is really a generation change throughout the operating area covered GWR. 

There was a grand arrangement of stock and locomotives at the Open Day. On the steam side, there was King Edward II in distinctive blue, Foremarke Castle, 1501, 6430, Oliver Cromwell and Tornado all in steam. Steam motor rail car 93 from Didcot was running trips in the yard and the queue seemed never ending to board it.

Teddy Bear D9516 originally from Corby steel works was prominent in the yard as was D821 Greyhound, one of two preserved Warship class built at Swindon. 47828 built at Crewe works in 1965 was close by with upgraded class 57’s which haul the Night Riviera sleeper service from London to Cornwall. Not to be forgotten was D7017 Hymek which is one of 4 in preservation and Western Champion, built in 1963 abs withdrawn in 1976. In the centre of the yard was a whole array of class 50’s and very fitting too as its 50 years since these first entered service.

The Intercity Expresses were well represented with 41001, the forerunner of the class 43 in the maintenance shed, and 43002 and 43185 outsidegleaming in the sun. The 121 Bubble Car unit 121034 was on display having only been withdrawn from service in May 2017 and this was complemented by 08 shunter 08483 ‘Scousey’ named after a long serving depot railwayman. The very last of the class 66’s 66779 named ‘ Evening Star ‘was also on display, this name follows on from the last steam locomotive produced for BR.

Moving in to the modern era, the following were on display; class 180 ‘Adelantes, but these diesel units will be leaving GWR from the end of 2017. Next were the class 387 electric units which are already operating on part of the network as above and will increase in number with time. And finally, the very new class 800 with 800 003 officially name by the Queen on 13^th June 2017 and gleaming in the new vinyls 175 years after Queen Victoria became the first British Monarch to travel by train.

In all a good day out with plenty to see, both heritage and modern but sad to know that the Old Oak Common depot will soon be no more with major developments afoot with plans for 25,000 houses, and 65,000 new jobs through the new depots and new rail connections to come, all managed by the Old Oak Common and Park Royal Development Corporation.

Railways immersed in wartime operations

During the first four or five months of war we had seen Axis forces move towards the French coast, in sight of Dover just over 20 miles away.The railways had been quietly preparing for war for a couple of years by September 1939 but by the start of 1940, the UK really was on a war footing with the very real threat of invasion across the Channel. Military operations were given priority over ordinary rail operations and the railways, by necessity, changed at this time. Comprehensive evacuation plans had been prepared before September 1939 so when war broke out, the railways knew what they had to do. At the onset of war, they were immediately placed under central government command with representatives of each major railway taking a place at the General Managers’ Conference as it was called. This was part of Railway Executive set up by the Minister of Transport and any two members of the Executive could sign an order to be valid rather than all six members.

The railways were subjected to a financial formula so far as receipts were concerned. The LMS was allocated 34% of receipts, the LNER 23%, the GWR and SR each 16% and London Transport Passenger Board, 11%. The first thing to remember that was different to the First World War so far as the railways were concerned was that aerial bombardment was a new angle on warfare. Therefore the use of lights had to be limited in railway operations after dark creating a dangerous working conditions for staff. And for locomotive crews, light sheets had to placed between the cab roof and the tender creating horrendous working conditions. 

The UK rail network operated the World’s largest dock and hotel network so the importance of these at wartime cannot be understated. Southampton Docks had been modernised a few years earlier and was the largest in the World and very strategically placed.

The official rail usage statistics make interesting reading compared with today as there were 1,158,318,000 passenger journeys made in 1939.These were made on trains that covered 284,946,000 miles while freight trains moved 254,496,000 tons running 133,440,000 miles. For the record, 90,556,000 parcels were also moved by rail in 1939 and there were 42,575 carriages with 2,513,000 seats in service then.

At the start of 1940, Britain’s railways used 19,577 steam locomotives, 2002 railmotor vehicles, 130 steamships and 11,163 horses! The year before, the seventy-six railway owned docks, wharves and harbours exported 49,342,000 tons of goods while imports totalled 15,886,000 tons. These goods were carried in many of the 646,479 wagons and 18,224 parcel and mail vans and horse trucks. Freight services used 3,946 mechanical horses!

Why do these statistics make interesting reading? Because 1940 started off with 50,555 miles of track on a route mileage of 19,131, about double that of today. There were 6,698 passenger stations, 6,908 goods stations and 581,401 staff employed by the rail industry and many of these lived in the 49,774 railway owned houses. They earned £105 million in 1939 in rent payments.

Britain’s railways were the biggest household removal organisation at this time moving more furniture than anyone else. The contents of farms and factories were relocated in whole trainloads. The UK railways grossed just under £1.1 billion in 1939 but spent £1,180 billion and this was because of capital investment and the shortfall was met from pension funds and savings accounts, probably not allowed today!

Despite trains making extra stops and taking longer for their journeys, cheap return tickets were still available at the start of 1940 after being temporarily withdrawn in September 1939. In fact, it was still possible to send luggage in advance – even to the Channel Islands. Sleeper trains and restaurant cars were re-instated and telegrams could also be sent from some services via the on-board staff.

Many freight services were switched to running in daytime because of the blackout restrictions and experiments made with blue bulbs and emergency lighting installed in carriages. Master switches were installed in carriages so if an air raid warning was given, one switch would plunge a train into darkness. Station lamps had shades put on them to stop the light going upwards. Platform edges were painted white as were station pillars and kiosks to help passengers avoid them in the dark. Preparing for war, the railways had recently built many high capacity wagons, the largest of which had 56 wheels and could carry 150 tons. Refrigerated transport was also available for perishables.

Railway stations were the base for a huge catering business and hundreds of thousands of military personnel were fed at special prices as refreshment rooms stayed open for long hours. Menus had to be carefully arranged so as not to overcome difficulties of rationing.

The railways in Britain kept hundreds of thousands of people in work – apart from its own workforce. They used 14,724,000 tons of coal, 9,273,000 tons of timber, 257,000 tons of rails and 1,334,000 cubic yards of ballast. Other random statistics were the 21,121,000 bricks and 10,000tons of paint and varnish purchased annually. Fuel use accounted for 31,169,000 gallons and 6,973,000 gallons of lubricating oil were consumed. This all cost over £40 million a year, a massive spend at the time. All railway assets had been turned over to the war effort by the start of 1940 with many staff joining up and the shipping fleet often utilised for military purposes. The many railway works became huge military factories and everyone was urged to make the best use of every piece of coal and every gallon of fuel.

Thousands of railway staff (10%) received Air Raid Precautions training and toured the network with specially equipped instruction trains. The railway telephone system was integrated with the Post Office to ensure continuity when bomb damage happened and control offices duplicated for the same reason and new ones built were made bomb proof – as were many signal boxes. Strategic materials were stockpiled at key locations around the railway network so that war damage could be repaired quickly. Emergency repair trains and cranes were deployed around the network for the same reason. Five million sandbags were provided as were many air-raid shelters and protective clothing for staff.

Ambulance trains had been built by the start of 1940 for use by civilian and military casualties. These carried huge red crosses on the roof and carriage sides. In the first four months of the war, 8,000 special troop trains operated and railway communications were linked directly with the war office. Every 24 hours on one railway, 500 extra freight trains ran every day at this time. This experience was to be used in good stead when the evacuation from Dunkirk was needed later in 1940.      

Nottingham is named as the worst Railway Station in the UK 

Nottingham station has been named as the worst railway station in the country by a new study. Rail watchdog Passenger Focus asked 30,000 train passengers across the UK to rate their overall satisfaction with the stations they used and Nottingham came in bottom for cleanliness and facilities. Less than one in five passengers said they were satisfied with the shops and cafes in the station and only around half they were happy with its upkeep.

To be fair Nottingham station is undergoing a £100 million pound revamp, which was scheduled to finish sometime this spring but passengers have had to contend with disruption since Autumn 2012. A spokesman for East Midland Trains, which operates the station, told the local news service: We know that the work taking place to rebuild Nottingham Station has had an unfortunate impact on the most recent survey results." However, he went on to say. he was optimistic that the new design will completely transform the building.

Birmingham New Street, which is also undergoing a multi million pound refurbishment, came second to bottom in the list. The highest performers were Liverpool station and London St Pancras.

Bells, Smells and Whistles 

By David Booker 

I was drawn to the similarity of this term which is well known to the so-called High Church in the Anglo-Catholic body, to the title of a book I came across. The book features famous “named” trains of the ‘big four’ before nationalisation. I thought that it would be interesting to look at the Cathedrals along the routes of each train and to add a bit more interest, to quiz you to name the Patron to which each Anglican Cathedral is dedicated. I will number each Cathedral and the answers will be found elsewhere in the “Colonnade News”.

Starting with the Southern Railway. There were two titled trains for this Company – first the Golden Arrow, which ran from Victoria to Dover, with connections onward to Paris. The route of this famous train passed:-
1) ROCHESTER, and then
2) CANTERBURY.The Brighton Belle, ran non-stop from Victoria to Brighton. Although having been awarded City status, there is no Cathedral in Brighton but those who know of St. Bartholomew’s, which is supposedly built to the dimensions of Noah’s Ark but inverted, alongside Brighton station with the very high roof, might possibly be considered in time.

Leaving Paddington in a western direction, the Cornish Rivera passes
3) SALISBURY,
4) BRISTOL,
5)  TRURO,
6) PLYMOUTH on its way to Penzance.

Now the London, Midland & Scottish the route now followed by the Caledonian Sleeper, leaving Euston on most nights.

7) CARLISLE on the way.

Finally the London & North Eastern from Kings Cross to Edinburgh, the route of the Flying Scotsman.  Here, we are spoilt for choice, starting with
8)  PETERBOROUGH,
9) YORK,
Next follows
10) DURHAM, situated on a hill beside the river Wear & the railway line.
11) NEWCASTLE comes next before crossing into Scotland.

So there you are, you just need to find the eleven Patron Saints – there are no prizes for getting them all right, but it is just for the fun of stretching the brain.  SO GOOD LUCK.

Danger on the Tracks:  A Programme for Schools 
“Danger on the tracks” is a collection of real life story videos that can download from the Secondary School Resources Network Rail as part of their Rail Life ongoing programme of trying to reduce illegal trespass on the railway by using the examples of real events. Here are some of the events that are highlighted, all feature death or injury.

Nathan.  He was electrocuted while playing near the overhead power line. He suffered severe shock and burns, and was very lucky to survive.

Leighton and Sammy. Leighton tells the story of his girlfriend Sammy who died in his arms after she tripped and fell onto the electrified rail while they were taking a shortcut across the railway.

Richard. Richard drove over a level crossing when the lights were flashing and the alarm sounding, crashing into a train. He survived but his two friends died in the car.

Railway staff talk about what happens on the tracks. Train drivers and a mobile operations manager give the lowdown and dangers on the risks.

News reports of the real-life incidents and news reports. Reports of these real-life incidents can be viewed on the internet links which are provided.

Trespass and vandalism. A video illustrates the dangers of trespassing on or near the railway.

The dangers of the electrified rail. This includes a BBC news story about deaths caused by the third rail and points out that Britain’s railways are one of the world’s busies. Trespassing can have tragic consequences.

Perspectives. This is a video about the impact of a death on the railway from the point of view of some of the railway staff that have to get involved as well as the members of the British Transport Police

The pupils watching these videos are urged to consider the following:-

The Characters involved and the situation what was the occasion? For example, was it dark, cold or rainy making it hard to see what was happening, or was it a clear and sunny day when you’d expect to know well in advance if a train was coming.

What was the reason for ending up on the track? Possibly a shortcut returning home from seeing friends or school? A game? A regular journey home from school or work? Rescuing an animal, a ball or a model aircraft? Even placing coins on the line to be flattened.

What happened?  There are a number of scenarios to choose from, including trespassing on the tracks illegally, or messing around on a level crossing,

Why did it happen? A combination of factors may have caused the incident: what were they? What was the motivation for taking a risk, e.g. a bad decision due to time pressures; a desire to rescue someone or something; a game which has gone wrong; a mistake or misunderstanding; confusion due to emotional upset; bad influences such as friends or alcohol.   

Actual causes of harm, e.g. slipping and becoming trapped; injury; coming into contact with electrified rails, touching overhead lines; being hit by a train; unable to run away and make it to safety. What was the impact of the incident on the people around, the railway staff and mostly the victims family? • What range of thoughts and emotions might different people be experiencing? What would happen in the next few hours, days and weeks as a result of the incident? It must be stressed that railway electricity is 100 times more powerful than electricity in the home. But however hard the authorities try to warn of the dangers of trespassing on the line they are still having to fight stupidity.

Please see the picture above.

 Bells, Smells and Whistles Answers

1) ROCHESTER, The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary,
2) CANTERBURY. The Cathedral Church of Christ at Canterbury.
3) SALISBURY, The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 4) BRISTOL, The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
 5)  TRURO, The Cathedral Church of St. Mary
 6) PLYMOUTH, The Cathedral Church of St. Mary and St. Boniface
 7) CARLISLE. The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity,
 8)  PETERBOROUGH, The Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew  
 9) YORK, The Cathedral Church of St. Peter in York,
10) DURHAM, The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St. Cuthbert of Durham, 
11) NEWCASTLE, The Cathedral Church of St. Nichol