Sandford and Banwell

[madhattie]

I've just updated the website with photos of Sandford and Banwell station that I took in 2019 and have realised that the outline of the building doesn't match the photo on the website taken in 2004 by Martin Potter.

Does anyone recognise Martin's photo? Is Martin still on here and can take a look? Is it perhaps a station masters house?

http://bristol-rail.co.uk/wiki/Sandford_and_Banwell

[the green mile]

I've had a chat with Lois and Neville Brenchley who run the Sandford Station Railway Heritage Centre. This is not a building they can relate to as part of the Sandford and Banwell site at any time. Their best guess, and it is purely a guess, is that it could be Puxton on the Bristol & Exeter main line which was originally called Banwell as it was the nearest station to the village. The name was changed when the Strawberry Line was opened which saw the creation of Sandford and Banwell station on the branch. I'm not an expert on the B&E by any stretch of the imagination but can anyone say if the style of architecture fits the bill?

While on the subject of Sandford and Banwell, the mark 1 coach in chocolate and cream which resides alongside the platform has an interesting history. There are a few tell tale features which show that it was part of a Southern Region 4TC push-pull set in a previous life. I'm not sure if it is operating at the moment but there is a gauge 1 model railway laid out along the platform. Tea and cakes aren't bad!

Roy

[railwest]

IMHO this is not B&ER architecture.

Although (allegedly) the SM's house at Puxton & Worle still survives, the only building that I can find there on Street View has no resemblance at all. AFAIK the station building at P&W was fairly small and single-storey, this structure seem quite large by comparison.

Note on the LH an advertising sign for what may have been commercial occupants at the time. The name appears to be CARGILL PLC. The logo bears considerable resemblance to one used currently by a firm of that name, but they do not list any offices in this area. Maybe send them the photo and see if they recognise it as a place that they used in the past?

[madhattie]

Thanks for looking, and thanks for asking the people who run the station site, appreciate that

I'll delete the photo from the relevant page but leave it on Martin's page in the hope someone will at some point recognise it. I also did the Google Maps thing of checking out the streets surrounding Puxton but also couldn't find anything that matches.

Thanks both.