Another Special Welcome...

... to all you garden-geeks arriving from VegPlotting!

(NSW, Non-Steam Wife) is still clearly generating a lot of traffic to Sentinel 7109. So here's another little gem of a posting especially for you!

Midsomer Norton won many competitions for best kept station and particularly for its horticultural efforts. As well as the greenhouse, there was the 'Sun, Moon and Stars' astronomical garden creation between the station building and the roadway.

In this 1922 photo, the garden is clearly in good order.

Midsomer Norton Station 1922
(Courtesy Richard Dagger Collection)

However, at the start of 2002, the garden was in a very sorry state with the area only mapped-out and not seemingly too fertile!

1st Jan 2002

1st Jan 2002 again
Note the appropriate sign beyond the buffer stop!

By the middle of 2005, the garden had been put back in place creating a reasonably authentic reproduction of the original. (Note - when the Silver Street bridge was removed, the area for the Sun, Moon and Stars was also cut-off in its prime; hence the new garden is actually slightly smaller than it used to be - but that's progress!).

7th July 2005 has the garden in place
and a steamy thing inhabiting the background!

Jumping to 2011, the Sun, Moon and Stars are resplendent in bright colours and a credit to the volunteers who look after it.

30th August 2011 

30th August 2011 again

Keep up the good work!

A special welcome...

... to arrivals from VegPlotting.

(NSW, Non-Steam Wife) has clearly been generating a lot of traffic to Sentinel 7109. So here's a little posting especially for you!

2011 Greenhouse at Midsomer Norton Station

Sentinel 7109 lives at Midsomer Norton Station, near Radstock, Somerset, UK (BA3 2EY). This particular station was always characterised by its greenhouse which was situated next to the signal box. Station staff used it to cultivate all sorts of produce (which, in those more gentle 1950's days, there was time to do between trains).

1959 (Photo: Eric Rimmer (SDRT Collection)
from Alan Hammond's Heart of the Somerset & Dorset Railway)

The line was closed in 1966 and most of the station including the greenhouse was dismantled. In September 2003, the scene looked as in the picture below.

September 2003 wasteland

In 2005, work began to bring the signal box and greenhouse back to life.

October 2005

June 2006

January 2007 (with Graeme Mayes perched on the roof)

May 2007 (My name is on one of the roof-tiles as are many others
who sponsored the tiles at a pound a time)

June 2008 externally complete but no greenhouse

Magically stepping forward to 2011, the greenhouse is complete to accompany the signal box. Produce is being grown again and sold to raise funds for the project as a whole. So Garden Bloggers and all, do come and visit us at Midsomer Norton Station any Sunday and enjoy all the sights and sounds (and cake) that are on offer.

May 2011 Greenhouse and Signal box complete in all their glory