Mike Clement

Nestled on the South Devon coast, the neighbouring settlements of Seaton and Axmouth have an enviable geographical setting and a special community spirit. In Ted Gosling and Mike Clement’s new book we are treated to a fascinating snapshot of days gone by. Featured here are chapters on the community, schools, seashore, high days and holidays and local events. This is sure to be a wonderful addition to The History Press’s Britain in Old Photographs series.

During the great age of steam, most railways in Dorset were operated by the Southern Railway and the Great Western Railway. These Dorset railway companies and daily life on the branch lines during this era and beyond are recorded here amid a wealth of informatively captioned photographs collected by authors Ted Gosling and Mike Clement. Bygone railway stations are affectionately recalled, together with the open cattle trucks and luxurious Pullman coaches that served our great –grandfathers’ generation. This book is a tribute to the men who worked on the demanding coal-fired locomotives of this age for they were truly the unsung heroes of Dorset’s railways.

No-one could have imagined what a revolutionary change the dawning of the railway age would have on the British countryside and its inhabitants. Somerset was no exception: the Great Western Railway, the London and South Western Railway, and the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway operated many services throughout this beautiful county. In the age of steam and in later days these companies gave communities employment and security; their stations, crossing and engine sheds transformed the landscape and their locomotives were objects of admiration. This book aims to give the reader a chance to look back at scenes and locations that were once so common over a wonderful railway network. Stations such as Chard Junction, Milborne Port, Wellow, Chilcompton and Binegar are depicted. Somerset Railways also examines the countless trains that passed by in the age of steam: the Devon Belle and the Pines Express. Enriched by a wealth of photographs of staff from all walks of railway life, this book is a tribute to those railway workers and to the vibrant Somerset railway system that they served.

For countless holiday-makers, a trip to the seaside resorts of the West Country used to mean travelling on the network of lines operated by the Great Western and the London and South Western railways. Before the reshaping of British Railways following the Beeching Report in 1963, a wide variety of trains operated in Devon. This book chronicles these trains during a period of dramatic change, as lines were closed down, steam traction was phased out and the thundering express and the hard-working tank disappeared. A wealth of these lost images can be found within this evocative collection of over 200 photographs. Comprising the work of both amateurs and professionals, the book also reveals glimpses of the stations, the people who worked on the lines, and of the high days and disasters. Brought together here as a collection, they pay homage to the great days of steam.

The village of Axmouth has a very special community spirit which has built up over the years. No doubt the rich history and heritage that Axmouth has is the reason why its inhabitants are so justifiably proud of the place in which they live. With its idyllic setting beside the sea and the stunning countryside around and about, Axmouth must surely rank as one of the most beautiful villages on the Devon coast. Featured here are chapters on the village itself, the community, schools, the river and harbour, high days and holidays and local events.