History (Fiction)
Dimwych Vale
During the last Ice Age a glacier carved this wide, flat-bottomed trench. It left vast deposits of sand and gravel heaped along its sides, forming gentle fertile slopes. Ideal farmland, the district boasts many farms. The fertile valley floor is ideal grazing for cattle, while the upper slopes are peppered with sheep.
The wider open end of the valley commences at Dimchester, where the River Dim becomes deep enough to navigate. Naturally this eventually grew into a fair sized market town, farmers from the Vale bringing their produce to town each Wednesday.
Along its seven-mile length there are small hamlets with Teetering being
During the last Ice Age a glacier carved this wide, flat-
The wider open end of the valley commences at Dimchester, where the River Dim becomes deep enough to navigate. Naturally this eventually grew into a fair sized market town, farmers from the Vale bringing their produce to town each Wednesday.
Along its seven-
Bannister Hall
Bannister Hall, the family estate of Lord Codpiece, stands on the raised ground at the end of the Vale, overlooking the village of Teetering. Originally built by the Codpiece family during the 17th Century, it has been gradually rebuilt into the magnificent house you see today. The Codpiece family owns much of the land surrounding the estate, drawing rent from tenant farmers. The fortunes of the aristocracy have risen and fallen over the years and the Codpieces have at times had to tighten their purse strings.
The coming of the industrial revolution and the Victorian age, made it possible to improve the lot of the estate. The current owner's grandfather saw fit to build a railway on the estate. This was partly for pleasure but it did sterling work managing the estate.
Josiah Arkwright, a local industrialist, saw the potential in the sand and gravel beds and approached Lord Codpiece with a view to exploiting it. With others they formed a consortium and applied for a Light Railway Order. Their intention was to build a railway through the valley from Dimchester to the gravel beds at Bannister Hall. The order was granted in January 1895 and the railway was built from the lower, navigable section of the River Dim, just outside Dimchester, past the Bannister Estate to a terminus and works at Teetering. From Dimchester the gravel was shipped on barges. Later, with the coming of the main line railway to Dimchester in 1910, the DVR line was diverted to link with it. From then on the gravel went by rail.
At Bannister Hall, the old 15" gauge railway was extended to the gravel beds. The line skirts the edge of the estate, out of view from the house. It ends alongside and some thirty feet above the DVR line, where the train's contents are tipped down a chute, into hoppers from where it is loaded and shipped out. The business has had many peaks and troughs. The demand for sandbags during the Second World War, being one of the busiest periods. It is now 1951 and sand for building is in great demand.
The new money maker of the Estate is now the summer tourist business. The current Lord Codpiece has opened Bannister Hall to the public. As well as the House and its artwork, there is fishing in the gravel pits and the ornamental gardens. Around the grounds there runs a miniature railway that carries passengers on a tour of the grounds. The miniature steam locomotives wind their way past flowerbeds and provide a magnificent view across the Vale.
Bannister Hall, the family estate of Lord Codpiece, stands on the raised ground at the end of the Vale, overlooking the village of Teetering. Originally built by the Codpiece family during the 17th Century, it has been gradually rebuilt into the magnificent house you see today. The Codpiece family owns much of the land surrounding the estate, drawing rent from tenant farmers. The fortunes of the aristocracy have risen and fallen over the years and the Codpieces have at times had to tighten their purse strings.
The coming of the industrial revolution and the Victorian age, made it possible to improve the lot of the estate. The current owner's grandfather saw fit to build a railway on the estate. This was partly for pleasure but it did sterling work managing the estate.
Josiah Arkwright, a local industrialist, saw the potential in the sand and gravel beds and approached Lord Codpiece with a view to exploiting it. With others they formed a consortium and applied for a Light Railway Order. Their intention was to build a railway through the valley from Dimchester to the gravel beds at Bannister Hall. The order was granted in January 1895 and the railway was built from the lower, navigable section of the River Dim, just outside Dimchester, past the Bannister Estate to a terminus and works at Teetering. From Dimchester the gravel was shipped on barges. Later, with the coming of the main line railway to Dimchester in 1910, the DVR line was diverted to link with it. From then on the gravel went by rail.
At Bannister Hall, the old 15" gauge railway was extended to the gravel beds. The line skirts the edge of the estate, out of view from the house. It ends alongside and some thirty feet above the DVR line, where the train's contents are tipped down a chute, into hoppers from where it is loaded and shipped out. The business has had many peaks and troughs. The demand for sandbags during the Second World War, being one of the busiest periods. It is now 1951 and sand for building is in great demand.
The new money maker of the Estate is now the summer tourist business. The current Lord Codpiece has opened Bannister Hall to the public. As well as the House and its artwork, there is fishing in the gravel pits and the ornamental gardens. Around the grounds there runs a miniature railway that carries passengers on a tour of the grounds. The miniature steam locomotives wind their way past flowerbeds and provide a magnificent view across the Vale.
Dimwych Valley Railway
A 2'4" narrow gauge railway, it starts at Dimchester, where it links with the mainline, and winds its way along the valley floor, terminating at Teetering. Apart from the sand and gravel traffic, it carries much in the way of agricultural goods and farm produce. Lord Codpiece also keeps a horsebox near the station for taking his prize mounts to horse shows. Passenger traffic used to be fairly steady, taking kids to school and others to Dimchester Market. Nowadays the summer tourist traffic means many more trains. Teetering has learned to take this in its stride and quite a few shops have changed their businesses to accommodate this upswing.
The locomotives and rolling stock are a rich assortment gathered from various manufacturers and some from obsolete mines and quarries. Among these is the very strange, vertical boilered "Phoenix." Originally built for the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and named "Victoria", it was dumped after only a few months as being unworkable. Bought for a song, it has been tweaked, nurtured and repainted. Its main problem was its inability to take the steep slopes on the old Welsh Quarry Line. The Vale of Dimwych being almost flat has given the old girl a new lease of life.
The first passenger stock (two coaches) was built specially for the DVR. Subsequently all the remaining coaches have been purchased second hand from various sources. Most have kept their original livery, as having been bought to cope with the increased tourism; it was felt that they held more interest in their historic condition.
Goods traffic on the line is mixed. Incoming there is coal, naturally, for both the townspeople and the
A 2'4" narrow gauge railway, it starts at Dimchester, where it links with the mainline, and winds its way along the valley floor, terminating at Teetering. Apart from the sand and gravel traffic, it carries much in the way of agricultural goods and farm produce. Lord Codpiece also keeps a horsebox near the station for taking his prize mounts to horse shows. Passenger traffic used to be fairly steady, taking kids to school and others to Dimchester Market. Nowadays the summer tourist traffic means many more trains. Teetering has learned to take this in its stride and quite a few shops have changed their businesses to accommodate this upswing.
The locomotives and rolling stock are a rich assortment gathered from various manufacturers and some from obsolete mines and quarries. Among these is the very strange, vertical boilered "Phoenix." Originally built for the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway and named "Victoria", it was dumped after only a few months as being unworkable. Bought for a song, it has been tweaked, nurtured and repainted. Its main problem was its inability to take the steep slopes on the old Welsh Quarry Line. The Vale of Dimwych being almost flat has given the old girl a new lease of life.
The first passenger stock (two coaches) was built specially for the DVR. Subsequently all the remaining coaches have been purchased second hand from various sources. Most have kept their original livery, as having been bought to cope with the increased tourism; it was felt that they held more interest in their historic condition.
Goods traffic on the line is mixed. Incoming there is coal, naturally, for both the townspeople and the