Hookton and the Lipp Vale
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0-16.5 Narrow Gauge Inglenook
Layout under construction, Buildings placed for effect
Hookton and the Lipp Vale
History
Hookton is a small village on the South Coast of England in the County of Dorset. The Lipp is a stream that is almost a river which enters the sea across a shingle beach creating a hook shaped shingle bar from which the village gets its name.
During the Great Plague of 1665, Hookton could have easily become one of what we now call Plague Villages, just grass covered mounds where once there was life, but Hookton was lucky and refused to die.
There were limited opportunities for the folk of Hookton, you were either a fisherman, worked in the salt pits or if you were lucky worked on the Lords Estate. (*The Gasquet family came just after the Norman invasion of 1066 and where granted the estate by William the Conqueror).
After the Hurricane and storm surge of 1824, when the sea roared over the hook destroying several small boats, the need for a safe harbour became a priority, although in typical Hookton fashion it was a long time coming.
Hookton has, and I am sure that most will express surprise, a railway albeit a narrow gauge one. Started in 1875 and completed in 1877 by Sir Thomas Gasquet* who financed and promoted the line to put Hookton on the map and of course to turn a profit. The line follows the Lipp stream along its shallow valley, so construction was relatively easy with no major obstacles to overcome other than the need for a bridge over the Lipp.
From the harbour, a small collection of inshore boats fish for mackerel, crab, lobster, and shellfish and all is right with the world.
The village consists of the Harbour Office, The Anchor Inn (Palmers of Bridport), Saint Andrews Church, Post Office, Watkins and Potts Chandlery, Legg’s boats, Crumplers General Stores, and dwellings of the locals, namely John Higgins, Harry Bugler, Peter Wellman, and Francis Blake. As usual I have moved thing about such as The Anchor Inn is from Seatown (Bridport) and is in fact owned by Palmers brewing in Dorset since 1794.
In my usual style I have created the story first before commencing the modelling in 0-16.5. I have constructed the baseboard all 4ft x 3ft of it by mainly recycling the materials from my old layout New Level Mill and I have built and laid the trackwork to a simple inglenook design. All the track is code 100 rail soldered to copper clad sleepers, the two points are operated by Cobalt point motors and control is analogue. (So, the only chips will be with a nice steak, a piece of fish or maybe a pie. No fancy electrickery required.)
Foot note: The name Hookton and the Lipp appear in the first of the Grail Quest books by Bernard Cornwell who has kindly given me permission to use the names.
Last edit: by jelicoe 1914
'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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Douglas
(Twor Mee Neetha)
'You may share the labours of the great, but you will not share the spoil…' Aesop's Fables
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin
In the land of the slap-dash and implausible, mediocrity is king
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy" - Benjamin Franklin
In the land of the slap-dash and implausible, mediocrity is king
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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I look forward to seeing the layout in full.
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Last edit: by jelicoe 1914
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Like both Brendan and Doug, I'm looking forward to seeing more of it. I wonder which side the Gasquets were on in the Civil War ………………they seemed to have retained their lands.
You are spot on - I am surprised by the railway - why did he build it in the first place ? Not too much in the way of commercial traffic with just the odd inshore fishing boat……………….maybe it was built from his ancestral pile to the beach so he could nip in for a quick swim…..
'Petermac
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Last edit: by jelicoe 1914
'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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Last edit: by jelicoe 1914
'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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Michael
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Last edit: by jelicoe 1914
'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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That is how it is done.
Keep it coming.
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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.
'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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'Twor Mee Iday Doit' (Black Country Latin)
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'Petermac
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