As the coronavirus surges around the world, it all makes for a different few months for me, with travel cancelled, LDWA and Ramblers events cancelled and pubs likely closing throughout the country. Hopefully everyone I know (and those I don’t) can stay safe and at least it’s a chance for me to post some photos that I never quite round to……
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York – National Railway Museum (Shrub Hill Road Level Crossing)
And another from the stores of the National Railway Museum.
This handy and overly complex sign was once at Shrub Hill Road level crossing, which I think was in Worcester. I can’t see where this would have been located, as the crossings at this railway station now go under the tracks. They also went under the tracks though in the 1880s, although this sign could have been earlier, but the NRM don’t know the date of it. But in any event, it does require some reading to understand when it would have been safe to cross.
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York – National Railway Museum (Interactive Display)
Another item from the National Railway Museum’s store.
This is a broken machine, or at least it is no longer switched on, but I am delighted that the museum has kept it. That’s proper curatorship, because this type of item could easily be discarded by an idiot.
The machine was on display in the Main Hall at the museum between 1975 and 1988. It would have engaged and delighted a generation (and I’m fairly sure I visited the museum during this time, so I would have likely seen it), a few of whom might remember it today. The above photo isn’t very clear, but it’s a map of the UK which lit up to show the growth of the network between 1830 and 1860. This is the type of exhibit that it would be easy to throw out, but it is in itself part of the museum’s history.
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York – National Railway Museum (Last Cheeseburger)
As I mentioned elsewhere, the Collections Store at the National Railway Museum is my favourite part of the institution.
Not least because of exciting displays such as this, a little piece of culinary history. It’s the last microwaved burger container that was served on the Great North Eastern Railway line, the end of an era on 31 May 1999. Sounds rather nice (although I’m sure it wasn’t), a beef burger with cheese, Chinese leaf, dill pickle, onion, mustard and tomato sauce in a sesame seed bun.
The decision to give this to the National Railway Museum did make the news at the time, it was a bit of a PR stunt to advertise GNER’s new deli range. It was such a success two years later there was an announcement, GNER said that the burger was back. This time though, they didn’t microwave it, although I’m unsure how they did cook it. The York Press reported that the new premium burger and a can of coke would cost £3.50…… I don’t know how it went, but GNER lost their franchise a few years later, one of the few rail companies who had really focused on the culinary offering.
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York – National Railway Museum (Collections Store)
I’ve been to the National Railway Museum on numerous occasions, but this is always my favourite section, which is the open store. The trains themselves are of course interesting and impressive, but the stories that come from these smaller items can be just as engaging. So, more about some of these items in future posts…..
Firstly though, some photos of the store:
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Cross Country : Sheffield to York
The image above is of the beautiful York railway station, it’s always a delight to arrive into this glorious location. This was the second part of my trip from Chesterfield, having changed at Sheffield. The service was the 11:29 from Sheffield into York on Cross Country, a trip which was going on to Newcastle.
This is the train after it arrived into York. I had a reserved seat but I, and others as I could hear the confusion, were struggling to work out which of the five coaches was which. There is an electronic display on the side of each carriage, but it’s hard to read and I have no idea why Cross Country don’t just have a clear sheet of paper at least in each carriage. This incompetence moderately annoys me, is it not beyond the wit of any Cross Country manager to change this situation, rather than have tens of people standing confused at the platform? This was the second Cross Country service of the day where I had experienced this problem, so I can’t imagine it’s an isolated incident.
Fortunately my seat was waiting for me, with no-one in it most importantly, and was the table seat that I had requested. There was a power point at the table which worked fine and although a staff member did come through collecting rubbish, the carriage could have been cleaner. But, the train was on time, the staff member was happy and helpful with everything so I wasn’t displeased with the experience. Especially since it had cost around £5.
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York – Brigantes
I’ve walked by this pub on many occasions in the past (well, obviously not in the future), but I don’t recall ever going in, but since it’s in the Good Beer Guide I had a moral duty to change that. It was all very comfortable and relaxed when I visited in the afternoon, a nice separate area for diners and a friendly barman who was keen to engage about the selection of dark beers. It’s operated by Market Town Taverns, a small local chain who specialise in pubs with a strong food offering.
A decent selection covering various beer types, with the prices being reasonable. Although it’s clear that there is a food orientation to this pub, well – bistro, they still seem very welcoming to drinkers and there are seats at the bar to cater for this.
My half pint of the Brass Castle Bad Kitty beer, which doesn’t have huge initial flavours but there are some pleasant afternotes of vanilla and chocolate. I liked it, especially as it’s a local beer to here, with Brass Castle being located at Malton.
The reviews of this bar are positive, other than when the chef forgot to put someone’s chicken burger in the, well, chicken burger meal. No doubt a genuine mistake, but the reviewer rushed to give them a 1/5 rating because of it. Mind you, one person left a 1/5 rating with the review:
“There were no pies. At 7:30pm. Enough said.”
It’s not exactly the fall of the Roman Empire is it?
Or this review, which I copy in its entirety:
“I have no idea why they are so slow with bangers and mash but I have been waiting for 50 mins now with no explanation. It is appalling.”
How do people possibly cope with such trauma?
Anyway, I didn’t order any food here, but I’m confident that it would have been of a decent quality. The staff were friendly and I liked that I was thanked when I was leaving, always nice to get some form of acknowledgement. I’d say that this is a very deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide.
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Chesterfield – George Stephenson Statue
This bronze statue of the father of the railways, who is buried at Holy Trinity Church in the town, was placed outside Chesterfield railway station in 2005. It was designed by Stephen Hicklin, a sculptor incidentally who had his studios in Saxmundham, Suffolk vandalised last year.
The sculpture reads “Discovery, Vision and Invention” in the centre, and “George Stephenson 1781-1848. Locomotion, the conquest over space and time” around the outside.
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Chesterfield – Greenery
I wasn’t entirely impressed at the green wall at the rear of McDonald’s in Chesterfield, it looks like my attempts at horticulture….
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Chesterfield – Holy Trinity Church
This church is a short walk from the centre of Chesterfield town centre and is nearly always shut, which is rather unfortunate. From reading reviews though, this appears to be for the security of the building than out of any desire to keep people out.
The church was built between 1837 and 1838, being designed by Thomas Johnson and, to be honest, it’s not a particularly innovative building, especially how bits have been shoved onto it. But it still felt dignified in the afternoon sun, with the churchyard appearing well kept.
There’s a memorial outside which is to the family of George Stevenson, not to be confused with George Stephenson, the father of the UK railway network who lived nearby at Tapton House.
This is an unfortunate coincidence, as the great George Stephenson is buried inside the church, with a very simple tomb just with the initials GS. The confusion about his burial location isn’t recent, as in 1876 a reader wrote to the Derbyshire Courier questioning an article which had mentioned that he was laid to rest in the churchyard. The reader wrote:
“For those who are interested in local worthies, I beg to state that I attended George Stephenson’s funeral and his remains are deposited on the right hand side of the communion table, inside the rails of Trinity Church”.
Stephenson died in August 1848 and the relatively basic burial was deliberate, a newspaper at the time mentioned “it is in keeping with his life”. On the day of the burial the shops in the town were closed and the streets were busy with people, wanting to see the funeral cortege of the great man.
The inside of the church would have had box pews when it opened, although these were removed during the late nineteenth century. There is stained glass in the east window which was placed there by his son, Robert Stephenson in his father’s memory. Much in the church is original, not that I got to see it, such as the 1838 font and pulpit. It’s a shame that there isn’t a way for the church to open a little more frequently though.
