Cyril Clumpfoot & Philbert Coppleshank

Monday morning at Polbrook Gurney, and Templecombe shed’s Midland 3F number 43216 restarts with the 7.35 Shepton Mallet to Frome pick up goods via the Nettlebridge valley, line having just dropped off a couple ex-private open wagons. 

Boatman Cyril Clumpfoot eases his coal carrying narrowboat away from the wharf with a fresh load of Mendip black gold. Little coal goes by the Dorset & Somerset canal these days, but there are a couple of nearby mills with no rail and limited road access served better by the canal. Cyril does this 2 days a week, though one of the mills will be going electric next year, but Cyril isn’t too bothered, for at the age of 80 he plans to retire before then. He’s always wanted to build a garden railway, also loves gnomes and has built up quite a collection over the years. 

The Standard Flying Twelve is owned by ‘the man from the brewery’, Philbert Coppleshank, who is on his weekly round checking out the pub estate. He’s always a little apprehensive about visiting The Pedant & Armchair, so tries to do his inspection outside pub opening hours, for he finds the regulars ‘slightly odd and rather scary’. 

And finally, today’s post was captured on Ilford XP2 b&w film using my Nikkormat, the negative was then scanned and popped through the pixel grinder - analogue meets digital, old school meets new school. 

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