Dymock and the Daffodil Line (General)

by slowhands , proud of his ancient Dean Forest roots, Monday, March 11, 2013, 00:05 (4277 days ago) @ jhopkins

Thanks paulp, and thanks again to Jefff. I too cannot get further back on the Beauchamps here than Katherine Mansfield's grandfather Arthur, who migrated to NZ from Australia as Jefff has noted.

I see that the original thread has been locked, so I won't pursue this any further in this forum - perhaps the mods feel we have strayed too far out of Forest affairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledbury_and_Gloucester_Railway

and

http://www.kempleytardis.org.uk/daff-display.php

Transport takes us neatly to the Great Western Railway Daffodil Line. Opened in 1885 it followed the bed of the old Gloucester Hereford Canal between Dymock and Over, where it linked with the Gloucester Line. The economic impact is obvious, local producers now had efficient, regular access to the major cities and the goods they needed came in on the returning trains. More than this, London Bristol and Birmingham were brought within reach. Read about the Dymock man who commuted to London between the wars taking no more time than the journey does today.

The romantic sounding Daffodil Line name arose from its role in carrying the local wild daffodils to markets in London and Birmingham. It also carried the Daffodil Girls as pickers, and the day-tripper tourist released from the Black Country toil and smog at Springtime. The daffodil fields as a tourist attraction were at the forefront of the Victorian and Edwardian love affair with the countryside. As an aside it should be noted that Ross-on-Wye as a base for exploring the Wye Valley and the Forest of Dean is generally regarded as the first railway fed tourist boom.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>