Clutton Station, 1873-1968.... 2004-

[nineflover]

If anyone is interested, Clutton station is being restored to its 1939 condition exactly as it was with double track, waiting shelter, signalbox and fabulous 63' william clarke flat canopy station building, with chocolate and cream buffet mk1, lamps, seating, pole route, enamels and flower beds in a long term project.

there is also 8000 feet of open ballast, north to ball inn farm infill near chelwood bridge roundabout

progress to date has seen major cutting back and grading works, (ú1200)the restoration of missing waiting shelter plinth/abutment stonework (ú600) and rebuilding of 6 out of 39 down platform paling fence panels, each 8'9". (ú300)

all of the 7 coach down platform top will be exposed soon revealing the 1930 rebuilt concrete face. the 1890 box locking room will also be dug out along with resetting of surviving 1930 concrete fence uprights.

outline planning for a ú50K teenage playground/skate park on the lower yard/frys bottom trackbed next to the 1981 built youth club will free up the 4500 ton infilled and grassed over 'tween platforms in a quarter acre "land swap" to be able to be dug out with weedproof matting and track following, this area being the only current "leisure area"

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[madhattie]

If anyone is interested, Clutton station is being restored to its 1939 condition exactly as it was with double track, waiting shelter, signalbox and fabulous 63' william clarke flat canopy station building, with chocolate and cream buffet mk1, lamps, seating, pole route, enamels and flower beds in a long term project.

Excellent news

Is the restoration being done by anyone/group in particular?

[James]

Uh...this is a total rebuild rather than a restoration isn't it?

[nineflover]

I am the founder working member from Midsomer Norton, and after ten years, and steam returned to the S&D some of us haved moved on, for the usual political reasons, but with great village interest, local younger volunteers and free heavy plant and materials use, and parish council support, we are making a go of it, but no formal society....just yet.

if there were nothing left, i would call it a rebuild, but the following exist:-

both 452' platforms
foundation walls of station/gents
whitewashed flower border rockery stones
up siding dock wall and fence uprights
brick base of corrugated platform hut
mainline undercreep with 14 and a quarter triangular wooden milepost
frys bottom daisy bridge
stumps of lamp brackets
abutment of down shelter
locking room of box
concrete fence uprights
rail in lower yard
concrete beam and brick loading dock
complete weighbridge hut, to be relocated

[madhattie]

I was suprised during my visit to Clutton just how much is left. I walked the trackbed north for a little way, and took loads of pics both of the station site and the colliery branch. (all of which I lost in a harddrive failure )

The guys on site during my visit (both ARM and the guys in the garage) were very friendly. Kept me chatting for ages, and I can only imagine they're quietly excited at seeing the station rebuilt.

I shall deffinately have to revisit sooner rather than later, it's going to make for some great 'before and after' type shots.

[nineflover]

the station/youth projects are totally separate from the lower yard/hauliers/sleeper business, which site owner jeff bromilow has been trying the get housing on for a while.

[James]

Since you're an S&D fan, wouldn't this be a more worthwhile project?

http://www.digitalfox.co.uk/shillingstonestation/

Or maybe the Stourpaine & Durweston halt a short distance to the south...the two projects could then work towards each other.

http://www.nevard.com/sdjr/stourpaine.htm

[nineflover]

ian lives in the village and im only 10 mins away. we both left norton, and he already ran the youth club and had the adventure park on the cards a year before he had any idea that the youth club sub leased a whole gwr station site from the parish, right under our feet.

his son in law haulier moves locos around the country, his friend part owns a mk1 coach in clutton goods yard and we have free heavy plant and material access, and the parish council would like to see the station as a centrepiece of the village. we have contacts in network rail.

we have 38 years preservation experience between us and the radstock-frome section is sadly in tatters, so this is an opportunity not to be thrown away on the bristol frome branch.

[James]

Ok that sounds a bit better...the initial impression was of an expensive personal flight of fancy

There's not much of the original left though, do you have access to original plans, and how closely will you follow them with regards to construction methods?

[nineflover]

we have about 50 photos, plus theres the william clarke privately restored stations at fencote and rowden mill, which do blow you away with the quality and attention to detail. these will be used for building material research

we hope to get permission to fully measure hallatrow (a mirror image of clutton) but in stone.

we hope to gain access to pantyfynnon box on the swansea valleys line for measurements as its cross section is identical but one window pane longer.

we hope to liase with friends of kidderminster museum who have contacts for redundant platform furniture, signalling, edging slabs etc and have access to many typical gwr plans and ongoing restoration of quality projects.

we go for maximum attention to detail, after all, whats the point of doing something, if you dont do it right with the research freely available?

[Rockers]

Wow I cant believe I'm reading this, what excellent news.
What days do you organise work parties, would love to come down and have a look, only live in Farrington.

Hi all btw.

[nineflover]

we work odd sats or suns on and off at moment, but are going to organise proper working parties from the spring, meanwhile the jcb keeps coming back, working wonders. work has started on outline planning for 1939 condition GWR station, half mile footpath to one side of the trackbed north, and youth adventure park.