Rail history tracked down
ON a hot summer's day in 1976, a railway historian's eyes scoured a village river. On closer inspection, he saw glistening metal peering out of the water, and realised he had tracked down a piece of local history.
Rutland Railway Museum steam manager John Scholes, of Fen Road, Rippingale, had discovered a set of track wheels which belonged to Easton-on-the-Hill’s brief, but booming, ironstone production era.
It was a time spanning the latter half of the 19th century, through to the end of the First World War. A quarry in the village had minors picking and transporting stacks of ironstone.
Records for one month alone in 1908 show that 1,003 tons of the stuff was churned out of the area.
Train tracks are now covered in grassy land, and the quarry ceases to operate, but an exhibition at the village’s Priest’s House hopes to re-ignite awareness of this significant chapter in Easton’s history.
Stamford-based artist Vic Millington has painted evocative pictures, while Mr Scholes, now 62, has donated artefacts to help further illustrate the village’s history to a wider audience.
A former railwayman himself, Mr Harrington, 65, of Scotgate, used photos, literature and the great outdoors for illustrations.
Recalling a steam train system – which cut across the village and linked up with the main line between Oakham and Stamford – he tells me: “It was a primitive railway system, and it was not unusual for the trucks to crash into a pond.”
Easton-on-the-Hill’s ironstone boom can be traced to the opening of a quarry in 1873. The ironstone prised from the ground was carted off, first by horse and cart, and later by trucks on tracks and steam trains. The destination for the material included various hotspots located across the Midlands. Once there, it would be smelted and transformed into steel.
But, after the First World War, the quarry fizzled out. Demand sunk and other industries overtook Easton’s ironstone trade.
Exhibition curator Paul Way explains: “The ironstone was poor quality and there was no longer a need for it.”
Other artefacts on show include materials used in the ironstone quarry trade, such as fish plates, a dog spike and a horse shoe.
Another historical remnant is a 44-page essay on his village by 87-year-old former stonemason Harry Jackson in the 1950s.
Mr Jackson penned memories of the area for a newspaper competition and his opening is telling: “Easton is built on a stratum of ironstone.”
Digging into his deep memory banks, he recalls a time when brakes failed on a truck carrying ironstone away from the quarry. It then proceeded to smash into a telegraph line before landing on the main railway line.
That last recollection certainly explain Mr Scholes’ discovery of wheels left soaking in a pond over the course of time. These wheels, along with another set, are proudly paraded in the display.
The exhibition at the Priest’s House is running every Sunday afternoon throughout July and August, from 2pm to 4.30pm.
Visitors will also be able to see a display on the Collyweston slate industry upstairs. Entrance is free.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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