GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Hockley Station: gwrhd685

View of Hockley Goods Depot's main offices and the cartage area leading to the North Gate entrance. The main office block, which has Goods Depot written on the veranda, was in fact a three storey building even though only two storeys are seen in this photograph. The slope of Pitsford Street towards Icknield Road underpass meant that a third storey had been constructed at street but below the level of the ground within the yard. This basement or lower ground floor storey housed the bonded store used to store tobacco and alcohol and was attended by a Customs and Revenue official. Only when the tobacco or alcohol left the store was duty required to be paid to the government. Frank Popplewell recorded that this was considered a plum posting for the GWR clerical assistant assigned to support the Customs and Revenue official.

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