The Way We Were
Bath, 1976
‘Here, where steam ruled so well – all is gone. Tracks lifted, stations demolished – familiar locations now unfamiliar – for only the memories remain.’ So begins Raymond Lloyd’s poem on the Somerset and Dorset Railway, one of the best-loved and most-missed lines to fall under the Beeching Axe. This was Bath Green Park station, its northern terminus; opened in 1870 and closed to passenger traffic in March 1966. After the glory of the double-headed holiday trains between the north and Bournemouth – including the famous Pines Express – the last goods train ran from here in 1971, following which cars crowded in and the approaches became a parking area.
As decrepit as the Grade II-listed building looks, the construction of a supermarket here in 1982 revived the location. Small shops occupy the restored building and the concourse area now hosts market events.
In 1976, however, there’s not a single soul to be seen, despite all the cars. Occupying the space once roamed by steam locomotives, we start on the right with a 1973 Ford Cortina MkIII alongside an Austin Maxi from the same year. According to the badge on the Maxi’s grille, its owner is a member of the RAC – which was probably quite wise. We’ll assume its mostly-concealed neighbour is a Wolseley Hornet as there’s no Riley centre boot badge to denote an Elf.
A 1965 Cortina MkI is next, built when the S&D was still in operation. Its MkII successor occupies the adjacent spot, flanked by a 1972/73 Morris 1300 Traveller. It then looks like some rear-engined machines have huddled together for safety against the massed onslaught of front engines, with two Hillman Imp MkIIIs keeping a pre-1968 VW Beetle company. The visible line-up is completed by a Ford Escort MkI, Cortina MkIII, Triumph 1300 and a Hillman Hunter.
The row on the left begins with a facelift ADO17 ‘Landcrab’ MkII, with a 1969/70 Morris 1300 MkII parked alongside. British Leyland continues with a Triumph Spitfire MkIV and an Austin Maxi 1750. The car it was intended to supersede, a Morris Oxford in rather woebegone bigfinned Series V form, is its neighbour.
A group of Fords is having a gathering next, with two seemingly identical Capri MkIIs in vinyl-roofed Ghia spec meeting up with a Ford Anglia 123E Super. A Fiat 500 seems to have gatecrashed the party, though. Beyond the Anglia are a Morris Minor, another Capri MkII, a Vauxhall Viva HB and then assorted Escorts and Cortinas. We think the rear of the fivedoor estate poking out past the Viva, might belong to a Datsun 120Y.
Did you have to pay extra to get to park on the old platform, we wonder? Enjoying an elevated view are a BMC 250 JU, the forward control light van that started life as a Morris and Austin in 1967, was rebadged as BMC in 1968 (despite the formation of British Leyland that same year) and ended up as an Austin-Morris in 1970. Its much more successful and competent rival, a Ford Transit, sits smugly alongside. Load-lugging of a different sort is offered by the Volkswagen Type 2 bus. Also in the mix are a Riley Elf, Triumph Herald, Dolomite family member and a Ford Anglia 105E, with an Austin or Morris 1100 over on the extreme left, starting to look a bit frilly around its edges.
Bath Green Park station is now run in a way that tries to give something back to the local community. Which almost makes up for the trains that were taken away by Dr Richard Beeching.
Almost… but not quite.