March 2, 2010
Just a few more weeks now to get tickets for our Grand Easter Draw – we’re offering three sets of Eurostar tickets to Paris, a month’s peak membership for two at ‘theclub’ at Cadbury House, a pair of return tickets anywhere on the First Great Western network, and a number of other great prizes.
This is where you can pick up tickets over the next few weeks:
- Saturday 6th March: Yatton Somerfields (all morning), Kingston Seymour Village Market (Village Hall, 10-12)
- Saturday 13th March: Yatton Village Market (Village Hall, 10-12)
- Saturday 20th March: Claverham Village Market (Village Hall, 10-12)
We’ll also be selling tickets at Yatton Railway Station at various times in March, so look out for us there too. And if you can help by selling a few tickets yourself to family, friends or colleagues, just let us know at info@strawberrylinecafe.co.uk.
March 2, 2010
The Impulsoria on the Bridge Inn Sign
Following up on our post from a few days ago, we’re delighted to report that Lucy Evans from the British Library has been able to track down a picture of the elusive Bridge Inn sign showing the even more elusive Impulsoria – and here it is!
Lucy was sent the photo by the ex-Landlord of the Bridge Inn, who now runs the Golden Lion in Wrington. Lucy says “You can imagine that I am over the moon to have this. It is a different and more accurate picture than the only other one in existence and is dated 1850, when the Impulsoria was trialled at Nine Elms.” So the story has a happy ending, and Lucy can get on with writing her book…
February 26, 2010
The organisers of this month’s ‘curry nite’ on Sunday 28th February at Cleeve Village Hall are kindly donating proceeds to the Strawberry Line Cafe Project – many thanks to them for their support! All are welcome, proceedings start at 3.30pm with drinks and ‘therapy tasters’, with curry served from 4pm to 7pm by Udderley Good 4 U of Yatton. Call 01934 876344 for more details.
February 11, 2010
That’s a headline you won’t see often, but the story behind it is as follows. We’ve been asked for help by Lucy Evans, Serials Processing Manager at the British Library. She says:
‘… I am writing a biography of an inventor and librarian, Andrea Crestadoro, 1808-1879. I understand that once upon a time the sign for the Bridge Inn, Yatton, was of his machine – the Impulsoria. This was a sort of mobile, horse-powered treadmill, that ran in England at the Nine Elms station, London, in 1850 and also appeared at the Crystal Palace Exhibition in 1851. It disappeared after that, though versions of it still crop up – ecological and kind to horses!
As there is only one other known illustration in existence (of its appearance at Nine Elms) I was very excited to come across the reference to the Bridge Inn sign in the “Wordsworth Dictionary of Pub Names”. Yatton Library have found out from a resident that the sign was there until relatively recently, but the thought it might have been destroyed is really upsetting!
I wonder if you know of any pictures or photographs of this sign? It would be fascinating to know why the Yatton Bridge Inn chose the Impulsoria for the sign – maybe someone saw it at the Crystal Palace Exhibition?’
If you think you can help Lucy, please contact her direct at Lucy.Evans@bl.uk, and let us know too at info@strawberrylinecafe.co.uk. We’ll let you know if the mystery is solved…
February 10, 2010
Our latest update poster has just been published and is available here, with news of fundraising, events and progress.
February 5, 2010
At our third Steam Evening, held at Horsecastle Chapel, project director Ann Ramsey was presented with a cheque for £750 by local retired railwayman Colin Forse. This represents the proceeds so far from Colin’s book, A Life on the Railway, written with the help of Faith Moulin, secretary of the project. Colin has made this kind donation to the project as he has a great interest in the Strawberry Line, having spent his early years driving and firing steam engines along it.
- Colin Forse presents the cheque
The ‘Steam in Colour’ slide show, organised by Warwich Hulme, was enjoyed by over a hundred people, and included slides shown by Paul Gregory of the Weston Clevedon and Portishead Railway Society, and film clips shown by Dave Aylesbury of historic railway subjects of local interest. The evening itself raised £286 for the cafe project.
Many thanks to all those who have contributed to both these fundraising efforts, and don’t forget that the Strawberry Line Cafe Project is currently running an Easter Draw with great railway-related prizes! If you would like to support the project by buying tickets, please ring Faith Moulin on 01934 834282 or email info@strawberrylinecafe.co.uk.
January 29, 2010
Well of course there isn’t one, but if you want to find out about a time when there was, don’t miss our next evening of railway enlightenment and refreshments on 2nd February at Horsecastle Chapel, Yatton at 7.30pm, for just £2.50. In the meantime, click the link for more details of the Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Light Railway.
January 18, 2010
As part of the ‘Great British Railway Journeys’ series on BBC2, Michael Portillo is on the Yatton to Weston-super-Mare section of the Great Western Railway on Tuesday 19th Jan at 6.30pm (and now on BBC iPlayer). According to the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qbnd5), he samples the local strawberries and visits Weston pier, so tune in to see if he bemoans the lack of a cappucino and blueberry muffin at Yatton station… [he didn't]
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