Beyond the Trailway - Bailey Gate and Corfe Mullen

After completing what there currently is of the North Dorset Trailway, we thought we would see what there was of the S&D, further south, at Sturminster Marshall (aka Bailey Gate) and Corfe Mullen.

Well, sadly, the answer is very little at either location. 

The trackbed does still exist between Spetisbury and Sturminster Marshall, although it does cross three roads in the process. However, the station site itself has completely disappeared beneath a large industrial estate that has totally consumed both the station site and the adjacent milk factory.

What was Bridge Nº 220 has also disappeared and has been replaced by a roundabout at the entrance, although the road either side of said roundabout has been named Bridge Street in its memory!

The only other nods to the railway's existence in the village are thoroughfares named Station Road and Railway Drive.

As to why the S&D named the station Bailey Gate rather than Sturminster Marshall is simply to avoid confusion between here and the stations at Sturminster Newton and Charlton Marshall.

Moving on to Corfe Mullen, again, the trackbed between the two stations is largely extant but, as with Bailey Gate, nothing remains of the station site nor of Bridge Nº 235, which carried the Wimborne Road.

The cutting in which the halt was situated was filled in during the 1980s and subsequently developed to form Corfe Halt Close:

This was the location of the station, looking north:

And looking south:

Bridge Nº 236 at Lambs Green Lane does still exist, see below:

The cutting below the bridge is heavily overgrown but, if cleared, could still make an attractive pathway. However, there is a footpath to the side of this cutting which affords great views towards Wimborne:

Further along the trackbed is a little clearer but still inaccessible.

After walking alongside the trackbed for about a quarter of a mile, you can eventually access it as it becomes part of the Corfe Burrows Nature Park which, in turn, is linked to the Happy Bottom Nature Reserve.

From here until the start of the Broadstone Golf Course, which the S&D traversed but which is not, now, accessible, is a lovely, peaceful walk and all the more so because it was unexpected.

It included the three-arched Ashington Lane bridge as well as the odd railway remnant.

Photos of this stretch of line are extremely rare but I did find this black & white image by Ivo Peters, from his excellent and highly recommended book: 'The Somerset and Dorset - An English Cross Country Railway'.

This is rare indeed since Ivo tended to concentrate on the northern half of the line so to find this one in his book was a lovely surprise.

It shows quite nicely how much this cutting has been in-filled since closure.