Edwin Boston

Last updated

The Reverend Edwin Richard Boston MA (Cantab) (died 1 April 1986 [1] ), known as Teddy Boston, was a Church of England clergyman and author. He built a narrow gauge railway in the grounds of his Rectory at Cadeby, Leicestershire, [2] and was immortalised as the "Fat Clergyman" in The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry. [3]

Contents

Education

Boston was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, and Jesus College, Cambridge, before training for the ministry of the Church of England at Lincoln Theological College. [4] [5]

Career

From 1949, Boston served as curate of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. [6] He became Rector of Cadeby and Vicar of Sutton Cheney, both in Leicestershire, in 1960, remaining in post until his death in 1986. [4] At the 2001 census, Cadeby reported 177 inhabitants, [7] Sutton Cheney 545. [8]

Steam enthusiast

Boston's Bagnall locomotive Pixie in 1981 PixieAtCadeby.jpg
Boston's Bagnall locomotive Pixie in 1981

In the words of Peter Scott, "The story of the Cadeby Light Railway is really the story of one man - 'Teddy' Boston". [4]

In May 1962, Boston bought a Bagnall saddle tank locomotive number 2090, named 'Pixie', and set about building a light railway in the grounds of the Rectory at Cadeby. U-shaped, with a total length of 110 yards, the line opened on 7 April 1963 and carried its first passengers a month later. [4]

In 1967, Boston bought from Lilleshall Hall another narrow gauge locomotive, number 1695, which was an engine he had seen working a light railway at Lilleshall when he was young. After standing idle for twenty-seven years, it had been reported as 'rediscovered' in the Narrow Gauge News and was moved to Cadeby on 6 May 1967. There, 1695 was renamed 'The Terror', in reference to Psalm 91, "The Terror that walketh in darkness", as the engine was so hard to start that it could be dark before it was going. [4]

Situated in the grounds at Cadeby was a large wooden shed which housed a very extensive OO gauge model railway depicting the pre-war Great Western Railway. It also contained a separate, smaller narrow gauge layout, a 4 mm scale, 12 mm gauge line based on the Isle of Man Railway. Latterly Boston also owned a canal narrowboat which had an N gauge model railway on board, narrow boats being an interest of his wife, Audrey. [4]

He was a close friend of the Rev. W. V. Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, a kindred spirit with whom he shared many railway holidays. In Small Railway Engines (1967), Awdry relies on a trip the two made together to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, and they appear in the book as 'the Fat Clergyman' (Boston) and 'the Thin Clergyman' (Awdry). [9] In 2017, 'the Fat Clergyman' was rendered in CGI for Thomas and Friends' twentieth series. He and 'the Thin Clergyman' appeared in the adaptation of Tit for Tat. They also appeared together in Series 21's Confused Coaches. 'The Fat Clergyman' also made cameos in The Great Race and Big World! Big Adventures!

Of his visits to Cadeby, Awdry wrote: [10]

We would go on shopping expeditions to Market Bosworth, using a steam-roller or traction-engine by way of transport, parking, as a matter of course, in the town centre.

Boston's love of railways and collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock are celebrated in Susanna Johnston and Tim Beddow's book Collecting: The Passionate Pastime, together with Lady Diana Cooper's love of unicorns. [11] [12]

Market Bosworth Steam Rally

Boston liked to attend steam rallies, but found transporting heavy equipment expensive, and in 1963 he founded a new annual 'Market Bosworth Steam Rally'. He wrote: [13] [14]

The idea then sprang to mind that if we could not get to a rally, why could a rally not come to us? Therefore in 1963 the Market Bosworth Steam Engine Rally was conceived and born, becoming a regular two-day annual event held at Cadeby in August. This has proved a great success and also a considerable help with parish funds.

At home

Boston has been described as "a short, round, jolly man, much given to Anglo-Saxon language in times of stress, such as a close run race with his traction engine Fiery Elias". [15] In his foreword to Font to Footplate, W. V. Awdry wrote: "In thinking of our Teddy it is important to realise that despite the impression that this book may seem to give, he was a Parish Priest first and a steam enthusiast second. He never forced religion on anyone; but his sincere faith and devotion was there for all to see, coupled with his impish sense of humour." [6]

Grass grew in the gutters of the Rectory, which was full of Boston's railway collections. The walls were covered with shelves bearing model railway locomotives and rolling stock. In every room, the collection overflowed onto the floor, and it continued up the stairs, including a comprehensive collection of railway films on celluloid. [15]

When Boston died, he left a widow, Audrey, who was still living in 2015. She shared her husband's enthusiasm for steam and for many years continued to co-organize the Market Bosworth Steam Rally. [13]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway</span> Heritage railway in Cumbria, England

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a 15 in minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The 7-mile (11.3 km) line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District. At Ravenglass the line ends at Ravenglass railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairlie locomotive</span> Type of articulated locomotive

A Fairlie locomotive is a type of articulated steam locomotive that has the driving wheels on bogies. The locomotive may be double-ended or single ended. Fairlies are most famously associated with the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilbert Awdry</span> British author and vicar (1911–1997)

Wilbert Vere Awdry, often credited as Rev. W. Awdry, was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He is best remembered as the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and several other characters who appeared in his Railway Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Cheney</span> Human settlement in England

Sutton Cheney is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Dadlington and Sutton Cheney, in the borough of Hinckley and Bosworth, in the county of Leicestershire, England, near the county border with Warwickshire. In addition to the village of Sutton Cheney itself, the civil parish also contains the villages of Dadlington and Shenton, a number of farms, and the location of the Battle of Bosworth. Its closest large towns are Nuneaton and Hinckley. Its closest market town is Market Bosworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nene Valley Railway</span> Heritage railway in Cambridgeshire, England

The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line is 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) in length. There are stations at each terminus, and three stops en route: Orton Mere, Ferry Meadows and Wansford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Lancashire Light Railway</span> Narrow gauge railway in Lancashire, England

The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a 2 ft narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is 430 yards (393 m), though track extends eastwards beyond Delph station on ledge above the old clay pit which is too narrow to contain a run round loop. An extension of up to 435 metres (1,427 ft), running along the north bank of the fishing lake has been proposed. The railway has seven steam locomotives, three of which are in operating condition; two are currently being rebuilt and another is on static display. There are also two electric locomotives and many IC locomotives.

The Moseley Railway Trust is a major British collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and other equipment. It originally had its base in south Manchester, but has relocated to the Apedale Community Country Park near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, where the Apedale Valley Light Railway and an important museum are being established next to the Apedale Heritage Centre.

<i>The Railway Series</i> British fictional book series about trains and railways

The Railway Series is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Twenty-six books were written by Awdry, the final one being written in October 1972. Sixteen more were written by his son, Christopher Awdry, between September 1983 and July 2011. The series features many anthropomorphic vehicles, including Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas became the most popular and famous character in the series and the titular character of the television series Thomas & Friends from 1984 to 2021. The children's television series originated as adaptations of these stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby the Tram Engine</span> Fictional antronomorphic tram

Toby is a fictional anthropomorphic tram locomotive in The Railway Series by the Reverend Wilbert Vere Awdry and his son, Christopher; he also appears in the television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its reboot, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go. Toby has cowcatchers and sideplates, and is the North Western Railway's number 7. He works on the same Ffarquhar branch line as Thomas the Tank Engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodor (fictional island)</span> Fictional island in The Railway Series books

The Island of Sodor is a fictional island that is the setting for The Railway Series books by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. It is also the setting of the Thomas & Friends television series, though it is significantly different from the island in the books. Sodor is depicted in the Irish Sea between the British Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man and the United Kingdom's English mainland, near Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadeby, Leicestershire</span> Human settlement in England

Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177, reducing to 169 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L&YR Class 28</span> Class of British 0-6-0 locomotives

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Class 28 was a class of 0-6-0 steam locomotive, designed by George Hughes for the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). It was a rebuild of Aspinall's Class 27, with the addition of a Belpaire firebox and the extension of the footplate and front sandboxes. It was similar, but had larger cylinders and a superheater. It had 5-foot-1-inch (1.549 m) wheels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadeby Light Railway</span>

The Cadeby Light Railway was a 2 ft narrow-gauge railway in the garden of the rectory in Cadeby, Leicestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pug (steam locomotive)</span>

'Pug' locomotives are small steam locomotives which were produced for light shunting work, usually at dockyards, factory sites, steelworks, collieries, and other similar locations. The name is derived from a common term in Scotland for a small industrial shunting engine, typically an 0-4-0 tank.

<i>Sir Haydn</i> (locomotive) Preserved British steam locomotive

Sir Haydn is a narrow gauge steam locomotive, built by Hughes's Locomotive & Tramway Engine Works, Loughborough in 1878. It operated on the Corris Railway in Wales, until closure in 1948, and since 1951 has operated on the nearby Talyllyn Railway. It has carried the operating number 3 under four successive owners.

<i>Douglas</i> (locomotive)

Douglas is a narrow gauge steam locomotive. It was built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. Ltd. in 1918. It was originally used by the Air Service Constructional Corps (RAF) then was bought in 1949 by Abelson & Co. (Engineers) Ltd. who then sold it to the Talyllyn Railway in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Class NG3 4-6-2T</span>

The South African Railways Class NG3 4-6-2T of 1907 was a narrow-gauge steam locomotive from the pre-Union era in the Colony of Natal.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/hinckley-times/20160330/282024736397507 . Retrieved 13 April 2022– via PressReader.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ "A Field Guide to the English Clergy' Butler-Gallie, F p19: London, Oneworld Publications, 2018 ISBN   9781786074416
  3. ↑ Sibley, Brian (1995). The Thomas the Tank Engine Man. Heinemann. p. 148. ISBN   0-434-96909-5.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scott, Peter, A History of the Alton Towers Railway: Including Other Railways & Transport Appendix Eight: Cadeby Light Railway online at books.google.co.uk (accessed 12 April 2008)
  5. ↑ Lidell, Charles Lawrence Scruton, Douglas, A. B., The History and Register of Gresham's School, 1555-1954 (Ipswich, 1955)
  6. 1 2 Awdry, W. V., Foreword to Font to Footplate, the autobiography of Rev. E. R. Boston (1986)
  7. ↑ Cadeby at leics.gov.uk (accessed 16 April 2008)
  8. ↑ Sutton Cheney at leics.gov.uk (accessed 16 April 2008)
  9. ↑ Wilcock, David, The Rev Wilbert Awdry - Thomas the Tank Engine's Creator - Dies at 85 Archived 10 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine , obituary in Steam Railway dated June 1997 online at pegnsean.net (accessed 13 April 2008)
  10. ↑ Dog-collars on the footplate [ dead link ] online at telegraph.co..uk (accessed 13 April 2008)
  11. ↑ Books of the Times at nytimes.com (accessed 12 April 2008)
  12. ↑ Collecting: The Passionate Pastime by Susanna Johnston and Tim Beddow (Harper & Row, 1984)
  13. 1 2 "CADEBY STEAM & COUNTRY FAYRE". self published. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Boston, Rev. E. R., Font to Footplate (1986)
  15. 1 2 Rooth, Mike, The Parson and the Cadeby Light Railway Archived 22 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine at ovlr.org (accessed 12 April 2008)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.