Events

Dudbridge Railway Station

by | 26th July 2026 | Events, History | 0 Comments

  I often walk the cycle track below Rodborough Hill, The old Midland Railway spur from Dudbridge, And I often cycle the track on to Nailsworth, Musing on the springs and watercourses, the ancient holloways, The Roman villa, medieval ridge and furrow, the woollen mills, The occasional mill chimney, still rising high into the Stroudwater sky. But, today, I stand at the blue brick retaining wall At the old Dudbridge railway station, Watching the cars career around the roundabout, Drivers mostly oblivious of the history of Dudbridge; But when I ignore the roar of the traffic, And I find my mind’s historical eye, I can see a medieval pilgrim crossing the bridge, A packhorse with Cotswold wool a mile behind. For here I stand by the confluence of two rivers. But also, at the junction of two railway lines: The interface of water power and steam power, The inexorable march of the industrial revolution: Foundries and forges and furnaces And cranes and pulleys and chains and smoke: A century-old pandemonium at Dudbridge, Where once there was an orchard and there is still a Meadow Lane. Carefully cross the road and study the information plaques On the wall at Sainsburys; the clothier’s 1646 doorway too; The inscription at REDLERS from 1910; The information board at Kimmins Mill, Then retrace your steps carefully back to the blue brick wall, And recite these words from T.S. Eliot to yourself: “And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first...
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Plymouth Strikers v Police 1926

by | Apr 5, 2026 | , | 0 Comments

Plymouth Strikers v Police 1926 Imagine the scene if you are able: A procession of some 4,000 people, With union banners and a brass band (The day after the same number of people Battled with police when ‘volunteers’ Attempted to break the General Strike, By taking...

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The Importance of Paddington

by | Apr 5, 2026 | , | 0 Comments

The government knew that if it were to defeat the unions and end the strike, it had to guarantee food supplies reaching the metropolis. The Docks were problematic from the government’s point of view: working-class, unionised and well picketed. But the Docks were...

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The Ghosts of Strikemas Past

by | Apr 5, 2026 | , | 0 Comments

The Ghosts of Strikers Past As a boy, I grew up with parents and aunts and uncles and grand parents periodically moaning about strikes on the railways. We were a Daily Express household. But I thought no-one goes on strike at the drop of a hat, and, as a teenager, I...

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Stroud Library and the General Strike

by | Apr 4, 2026 | , | 0 Comments

The Stroud Journal May 7 1926 The General Strike Jottings by Jonathan   The general strike hit Stroud Public Library a blow from which it will recover, but which for the moment has left it almost breathless, or speechless.   No more, do the out-of-work enter its...

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