LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Bedworth Station: lnwrb3269

Bedworth's station master and draymen from the Goods Shed pose for a publicity photograph with a large delivery of Ale. The photograph is of interest as it appears to show the same station master as seen in image 'lnwrb3267' and an office which has nearly doubled in size to that seen in image 'lnwrb3258'. Peter Lee writes in his book 'Nuneaton, Coventry & Leamington Railway' that the consignment of beer has been unloaded, in barrels and bottles, to be distributed to the many pubs in Bedworth to 'slake the thirst of hard working colliers'. He notes too that the yard held thirty-eight wagons in total.

Reg Instone of the LNWR Society writes, 'These must be later than images 'lnwrb3258' and 'lnwrb3260' due to the extension of the delivery office. The Station Master now has the more modern type of peaked hat (even though it's the same Station Master), and the 'LNWR' ovals on the junior men's lapels may have gone, although none of them are in these photos! Assuming that the extension was completed in 1911, the Station Master who was there before and after must have been A Faulks. His d.o.b. was 13 May 1880 and d.e.s. was 27th October 1894. It would easily be possible to trace his career history if required. Reference to the 1911 census shows that he was Alfred Faulks, born 1880 in Earls Shilton, Station Master in Bedworth. He was 30, married to Elizabeth Mary with a 2 year old daughter'.

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