Knutsford

The name of the town is derived from Canute’s ford. We stayed at an excellent hotel there - Cottons - which also has a good-sized swimming pool. The railway station is on the route between Manchester and Chester. It was opened in 1862 as part of the Cheshire Lines Committee’s network. The heritage centre had the Knutsford West signalbox board up on a wall in their garden. 

Merseyrail

Recently announced as the most punctual performer, we sampled Merseyrail on Tuesday on our way to watching Everton throw away, in time added on, what would otherwise have been a well-deserved win. After the match, we failed to get on to the first three-car train back to Central at Kirkdale station, which was packed out, but followed ten minutes later by a six-car unit which was comparatively empty, which seemed a strange arrangement and rather difficult to fathom - a bit like Everton, really. Pictured is the 17.36 from West Kirby.   

Time Travelling

We were in Nailsea near Bristol for relations’ birthday celebrations. The three cousins’ combined ages added up to nearly two hundred years, but the venue, the beautifully restored Nailsea tithe barn, goes much further back.

Backwell and Nailsea station lies between those two settlements and was opened by the Bristol and Exeter Railway in 1841, by which time the tithe barn was already 360 years old. As stations go, it’s a bit of a disappointment. The road connecting town and the village threads its way beneath a narrow bridge at this point - but it no doubt provided more than enough room for a horse and cart at the time. High above, the GWR crosses the valley on a substantial embankment.

Up the steps, the original station buildings survived until the 1970s to be replaced by cheap and flimsy-looking “bus shelters”. The authorities obviously did not have the same foresight as those who have kept a watchful eye on the tithe barn. All is not lost. The elder birthday boy is also a local councillor. I have a hunch that he may include the upgrading of the station facilities and improved road/rail links on his “to do” list. Tempus may well continue to fugit, but it is always reassuring to know that there are concerned members of the community on the look out to preserve the best of the past and at the same time cater properly for the future. Thanks for the tea party and happy birthday all round.