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Newton
Tramway
In May 1854 B.Fayle & Co opened a
railway from the clay pits at Newton to Goathorn Pier on South Deep in Poole Harbour.
The Admiralty had given permission for the building of the pier in 1852. The
opening was attended by Miss Charlotte Fayle, Rev Richard Fayle of Torquay, Dr.
Benjamin Guy Babington of Guys Hospital, Rev J. H. Evans of Corfe, Joseph
Willis, and 170 clay workers. They were all served a dinner of roast beef. After
the dinner many toasts were made including one to her Majesty the Queen. The
Rev. Richard Fayle (Benjamin's son) rose and addressed the workmen at
considerable length. His address was marked by a sympathy towards the workmen
and a just appreciation of the mutual interest of the employer and the employed,
such as was rarely witnessed at that time. (January 1854 had been a hard winter
and because the miners were unable to work as much as normal (they were paid
according to what they produced), B.Fayle and Co supplied them with 240 loaves a
week as long as the bad weather lasted.)
The railway
was initially horse worked and built at 3 foot gauge but was re-gauged to 3ft 9in
to take a Steam locomotive that was built by Stephen Lewin of Poole Foundry in
about 1870. The engine was named "Corfe" but was nicknamed "Tiny"
because of its size. The nickname became its real name. In 1905 the railway was
joined to Norden and part of it became the "Fayles Tramway" (press
Fayles Tramway button above for history after 1907)
The clay was
worked out by about 1937 and the clay workers cottages were eventually taken
over by the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War and used as target
practice by ships.
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