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Thoughts on Box Railway Mystery John Froud
September 2017 John Froud wrote the definitive history of Box Railway Station thirty years ago, referred to extensively in articles on the website. Now he has made a terrific deduction about the building in the article Railway Station Remains which solves the mystery of the insignia "WRS Office" on the building. We are delighted that his expertise has contributed to our knowledge, as well as the kind words he made about contributors to Box's Community History website. Right: Building behind Northey Arms (courtesy Carol Payne) |
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Firstly, may I congratulate you on an excellent website. I cannot imagine a more extensive collection of in-depth articles being published for any other village. I’ve also been taken aback by the number of references to my own article on Box Station which appeared in Great Western Journal Special Edition No.2, published circa 1986. Having a particular interest in the railway sections I was delighted to read the extensive and excellent account of railway staff who worked at Box - an aspect I had always intended to cover so it’s great to see this now accomplished.
The Coal House referred being built in 1861 was situated close to the engine shed not the position of Station House. It is my view that Station House was not a building promoted by the railway company and not built until 1902.
If you refer to historic Ordnance Survey maps the building does not appear on a map revised in 1899, see below:
If you refer to historic Ordnance Survey maps the building does not appear on a map revised in 1899, see below:
Ordnance Survey Wiltshire XXV.SW revised 1899, published 1901 (Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland)
But it does appear on a Somerset map revised in 1902 and on later Gloucestershire maps, such as the one below revised in 1919 (the building is situated immediately above the ‘B’ in Box Station):
Ordnance survey map Gloucestershire LXXVIII.SW, revised 1919, published 1923 (Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland).
Hence my conclusion the Station House was built as per the engravings on the doors WRS 1902. The site is also shown off the railway demise I have seen on land ownership plans and I therefore conclude the building was built by an independent party.
This led me to wonder what WRS stood for. I looked up Kelly’s directory for the period (1903) and under the commercial entry for Box we find: Shewring, Walter R, Northey Arms, commercial & family hotel, & stone contractor. When you look up Shewring Northey Box on google you come back to the Box People and Places website and the entries relating to the Shewring Family. Whether the original use was related to stone contracting or to a coal business, as indicated on plans from later years, is not clear. It also strikes me from reading the two articles that it is fitting that a building that was commissioned by a proprietor of the Northey Arms has now been returned to their occupation.
Coincidentally, by the time of Kelly’s Directory for 1907 the Shewring, Northey reference has disappeared and in a later directory for 1911 under the heading Coal & Coke Merchants, we find: Radstock Coal Co. (A. E. Bacon, agent), 79 Fisherton st. Salisbury & Railway station, Box, Chippenham, so perhaps this company subsequently operated from the building.
This led me to wonder what WRS stood for. I looked up Kelly’s directory for the period (1903) and under the commercial entry for Box we find: Shewring, Walter R, Northey Arms, commercial & family hotel, & stone contractor. When you look up Shewring Northey Box on google you come back to the Box People and Places website and the entries relating to the Shewring Family. Whether the original use was related to stone contracting or to a coal business, as indicated on plans from later years, is not clear. It also strikes me from reading the two articles that it is fitting that a building that was commissioned by a proprietor of the Northey Arms has now been returned to their occupation.
Coincidentally, by the time of Kelly’s Directory for 1907 the Shewring, Northey reference has disappeared and in a later directory for 1911 under the heading Coal & Coke Merchants, we find: Radstock Coal Co. (A. E. Bacon, agent), 79 Fisherton st. Salisbury & Railway station, Box, Chippenham, so perhaps this company subsequently operated from the building.
Advert from 1915 Kelly’s Directory
John is a leading expert on the history of Box Station and we are indebted to his kindness in adding to the website. He has also made several suggestions on articles about Railway Buildings, Changes with Railways and Station Remains. Those interested in these subjects should pay the articles another visit.