Solving The Railway Children mystery . . .

AS A fan, I was hoping to be at the celebration of the year with Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins lined up for a reunion to mark the 50th anniversary of the classic film The Railway Children. It was to take place around the worth Valley Railway and Oakworth Station in west Yorkshire where it was filmed. Many of the surviving cast members had agreed to attend, but it had been cancelled owing to coronavirus. I had visited the area the previous year to wander around some of the film’s locations, including Oakworth Station and the embankment where the children, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis, waved to the Old Gentleman. However, I hadn’t managed to find the children’s home, Three Chimneys. Despite the event being cancelled, it was a time when we were allowed to travel and I had already booked a hotel room in Keighley. At least, I could have another go at finding the elusive Three Chimneys and look for the locations where the children asked the villagers for presents to mark station porter Albert Perks’s birthday. Searching maps and railway documents for the house had not helped nor had watching the film a few times. The house with a valley in front of it gave no clues to recognising any of the landmarks. Eventually, an internet search revealed the house was in Oxenhope. The first outing took me to Haworth, known not only for The Railway Children film, but also home to the Bronte sisters. Oxenhope is a short distance away. Parking in a lane, it was a short walk until the valley came into view. Three Chimneys was on the other side of the valley halfway up, visible with the sun shining on the front. I was in heaven. Further on, there’s a footpath that bends round to a stile at the base of the valley where there’s the single railway line and a stream. Over the stile and across the line and stream, I felt like the Old Gentleman. Soon I was on the other side of the wall from Three Chimneys. I had completed my very own 50-year celebration.