Nailsea and Backwell station: buildings demolished in error?

[BasildonBob]

During my school days, my local station was Nailsea and Backwell, situated 12 miles west of Temple Meads on the Bristol to Exeter line. By the time I first visited in the early 1970s, it was already a shadow of its former self, having lost its sidings, signal box and platform buildings. I recently saw a discussion on a Nailsea local history Facebook group lamenting the loss of the station buildings, with two posters suggesting that the demolition might have been an error and that the crews were supposed to have demolished buildings at a different station - possibly Flax Bourton, the next station towards Bristol.

Now, this all sounds a bit far-fetched to me but it is a little odd that Nailsea and Backwell's stone buildings were completely eradicated, whereas those at Yatton survive to this day. Can any ex-WR staff shed any light on this?

 

[MadMac]

Not wishing to drift too far from the topic, but a station building at Drem was demolished in error due to a misplaced comma on a demolition warrant!

 

[BasildonBob]

Not wishing to drift too far from the topic, but a station building at Drem was demolished in error due to a misplaced comma on a demolition warrant!

I'm intrigued! Can you share any more details?

 

[Ashley Hill]

demolition might have been an error and that the crews were supposed to have demolished buildings at a different station - possibly Flax Bourton, the next station towards Bristol.

And yet Flax Bourtons upside building survives derelict to this day.
Could it be that being on an embankment led to the demolition of the upside stone buildings after de-staffing? The wooden downside shelter lasted well into the 1990s.

 

[MadMac]

I'm intrigued! Can you share any more details?

I was just reading about this recently. Apparently the order should have said, among other things, “Drem Station Footbridge“ but ended up as “Drem Station, Footbridge“. The most expensive comma in BR history…..

 

[patrick.hearn3]

During my school days, my local station was Nailsea and Backwell, situated 12 miles west of Temple Meads on the Bristol to Exeter line.

It's my local station

 

[Gloster]

I would think that this is just local village wishful thinking/wanting to feel hard done/if only they hadn’t... The building was up on an embankment and somewhat ancient; I have always understood that the Bristol & Exeter did not build the most solid buildings. Furthermore, I think that Flax Bourbon remained in staff use for quite a bit longer, so wouldn’t have been marked for demolition.

 

[BasildonBob]

It's my local station

Small world!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Mar 2022 ==

I would think that this is just local village wishful thinking/wanting to feel hard done/if only they hadn’t... The building was up on an embankment and somewhat ancient; I have always understood that the Bristol & Exeter did not build the most solid buildings. Furthermore, I think that Flax Bourbon remained in staff use for quite a bit longer, so wouldn’t have been marked for demolition.

I suspect you're right. The 'foundations', which can still be seen, are a series of brick pillars reaching all the way down to the road level, so the buildings must have been somewhat precariously poised. Given the economic climate of the early 70s, they probably took the opportunity to limit future maintenance liabilities by completely removing the buildings.

 

[Dai Corner]

Small world!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Mar 2022 ==


I suspect you're right. The 'foundations', which can still be seen, are a series of brick pillars reaching all the way down to the road level, so the buildings must have been somewhat precariously poised. Given the economic climate of the early 70s, they probably took the opportunity to limit future maintenance liabilities by completely removing the buildings.

It was my local station in the 1970s and 80s. I went to Backwell School, woke up to the sound of HSTs accelerating away from it and commuted to Temple Meads.

My vague recollection is that the Up side building was said to be unsafe and demolished in favour of bus shelters and a cabin for the ticket seller who attended for a couple of hours Monday-Friday mornings.

 

[BasildonBob]

It was my local station in the 1970s and 80s. I went to Backwell School, woke up to the sound of HSTs accelerating away from it and commuted to Temple Meads.

My vague recollection is that the Up side building was said to be unsafe and demolished in favour of bus shelters and a cabin for the ticket seller who attended for a couple of hours Monday-Friday mornings.

It was quite a sight to see an HST stopping at such a small station. I remember being amazed at the contrast between the then brand new HSTs and the rather basic class 101 DMUs which sounded distinctly bus-like.

 

[Revilo]

Ironically they have just demolished the replacement ‘bus stop’ shelters and ticket kiosk.

 

[Taunton]

The Western Region in the 1960s-70s did have a notable Scorched Earth policy to redundant structures, which unlike elsewhere were completely reduced to ground level, every redundant siding and points removed, reduced to just the minimal plain running line, and the entire area covered over with wagonloads of ballast. If the station had closed it included the platforms etc, obviously not here. The branches from Taunton to Minehead and Barnstaple suffered this at many points apart from the few remaining passing loops. All the old buildings, typically from when the line was built, went. I recall Durston, along the line from Nailsea, which rather curiously had been a notable junction, was completely eliminated like this after closure as if it had never existed, and others too.

 

[Merle Haggard]

The Western Region in the 1960s-70s did have a notable Scorched Earth policy to redundant structures, which unlike elsewhere were completely reduced to ground level, every redundant siding and points removed, reduced to just the minimal plain running line, and the entire area covered over with wagonloads of ballast. If the station had closed it included the platforms etc, obviously not here. The branches from Taunton to Minehead and Barnstaple suffered this at many points apart from the few remaining passing loops. All the old buildings, typically from when the line was built, went. I recall Durston, along the line from Nailsea, which rather curiously had been a notable junction, was completely eliminated like this after closure as if it had never existed, and others too.

Other areas had the same, or possibly more, scorched earth.

On the lines North of Nottingham, particularly the ex G.C. and G.N. ones, not only were the stations demolished but also cuttings were filled in and embankments removed. I'm not sure what the reasons were, but as any traces of collieries were removed at the same time perhaps it was to re-write history by removing every trace of the coal mining industry.

It also made re-opening Nottingham to Worksop much more difficult and expensive, of course.

 

[Gloster]

I doubt if British Rail would have done drastic demolition, infilling, etc. without a financial reason: it just didn’t have the money to spare for unnecessary expenditure. It was most likely a mixture of ridding itself of the ongoing maintenance costs of redundant assets and avoiding future liabilities. BR did not have the money to retain something just in case a future generation might want to reverse the change: not that anyone was thinking that way.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I doubt if British Rail would have done drastic demolition, infilling, etc. without a financial reason: it just didn’t have the money to spare for unnecessary expenditure. It was most likely a mixture of ridding itself of the ongoing maintenance costs of redundant assets and avoiding future liabilities. BR did not have the money to retain something just in case a future generation might want to reverse the change: not that anyone was thinking that way.

A lot of station footbridges lost their roofs in the late '60's - early '70's and my understanding within B.R. was that, with roofs, rates had to be paid, so there was a financial saving; but I'm not sure if that was true. Equally, there were arguments about railway offices distant from B.R. operational land on the basis that rates ought to be paid, implying that buildings on B.R. operational land did not attract rates anyway.

The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire 'landscaping' was, I think, done by the County Councils possibly using some sort of Government grant. It just seemed odd compared to, say, Stoke Bruern station building which still stands; it was only open for 4 months 130 years ago.

Edited for more accurate detail

 

[WesternLancer]

Other areas had the same, or possibly more, scorched earth.

On the lines North of Nottingham, particularly the ex G.C. and G.N. ones, not only were the stations demolished but also cuttings were filled in and embankments removed. I'm not sure what the reasons were, but as any traces of collieries were removed at the same time perhaps it was to re-write history by removing every trace of the coal mining industry.

It also made re-opening Nottingham to Worksop much more difficult and expensive, of course.

I thought a key reason for the infilling of those cuttings etc was that they were a useful location for colliery spoil to be dumped in. There were plenty of active collieries up the ex GC / GN axis until the late 1980s at least - and during the 70s they would have needed places for the spoil from those so it was probably handy to use the space.

I seem to recall I got this from reading 'The Great Central - Then and Now' - with pictures that show part of the route totally landscaped over - exactly as you say. Unless I have misunderstood it and it is that they wanted to landscape it, and colliery spoil was a handy thing to use for the purpose?

 

[Merle Haggard]

I thought a key reason for the infilling of those cuttings etc was that they were a useful location for colliery spoil to be dumped in. There were plenty of active collieries up the ex GC / GN axis until the late 1980s at least - and during the 70s they would have needed places for the spoil from those so it was probably handy to use the space.

I seem to recall I got this from reading 'The Great Central - Then and Now' - with pictures that show part of the route totally landscaped over - exactly as you say. Unless I have misunderstood it and it is that they wanted to landscape it, and colliery spoil was a handy thing to use for the purpose?

I am not sure. The existing colliery spoil tips disappeared as well, though. The countryside seems un-natural now, the contour just don't look right in my opinion and there's no features just a bland artificial looking unevenness. It's odd that it was only done in that one area.

A former work colleague became involved with the scheme to re-activate the Great Central for freight (remember that?). They flew by helicopter along the alignment, fairly easy to trace from Calvert until they got beyond Leicestershire when it just disappeared completely.

 

[WesternLancer]

I am not sure. The existing colliery spoil tips disappeared as well, though. The countryside seems un-natural now, the contour just don't look right in my opinion and there's no features just a bland artificial looking unevenness. It's odd that it was only done in that one area.

A former work colleague became involved with the scheme to re-activate the Great Central for freight (remember that?). They flew by helicopter along the alignment, fairly easy to trace from Calvert until they got beyond Leicestershire when it just disappeared completely.

the contour just don't look right in my opinion and there's no features just a bland artificial looking unevenness.

I do agree with you about that look.

The existing colliery spoil tips disappeared as well, though

I guess it depends - not long ago I walked up Linby pit tip near Hucknall, and it's landscaped as a country park type thing - but obv still very much a 'hill', but that is on a site to the west of the MR lines and east of the GC lines (ie between them) and the GC route is still sort of logical / visible - but the space to tip was quite large, and I suspect had been the tip before say 1970 anyway - and in any case this is simply one location.

But not far north - as you get towards Annesley sheds site / Newstead - the GC just dissapears on the ground - as you say - with no trace.

 

[Taunton]

I doubt if British Rail would have done drastic demolition, infilling, etc. without a financial reason: it just didn’t have the money to spare for unnecessary expenditure. It was most likely a mixture of ridding itself of the ongoing maintenance costs of redundant assets and avoiding future liabilities. BR did not have the money to retain something just in case a future generation might want to reverse the change: not that anyone was thinking that way.

There was a specific financial reason. The government introduced "Surplus Capacity Grants" in one of the Transport Acts, direct payments for the physical removal of anything redundant on the railway. It was a sort of recognition that surplus land could not be readily sold off because the cost of initial removal of all the railway structures was such that it rendered the land having negative value, so things would just be left as they were to moulder.

Apparently quite generously given out.