A Scaleby on each side of the big pond...

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

Date: Tue, 15 Feb 2005 10:02:47 EST 
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org  View Contact Details  
Subject:  Re: "British extraction" & the Shenandoah
Division 
  
Frank,
 
Being of "British Extraction", indeed a lifelong
English resident, I was mildly surprised not to have
heard of the "English town of Scaleby". On looking it
up, I find that it is really only a village. Being
north of Carlisle it is only just English as well. For
a little more information, go to
www.stevebulman.f9.co.uk/cumbria/frames_home.html The
Gilpins are mentioned in passing.
 
I was very interested in the description of Scaleby
station, which seems to be a good description of the
passenger facilities at a typical British station of
the 19th century (when nearly all were originally
built). There would be a General Waiting Room and a
Ladies' Waiting Room, which would be the only way to
reach the ladies' lavatory. The gentlemen's lavatory
might be accessible from the General Waiting Room or
more often from the platform. Occasionally both routes
might be available. I assume the genlemens' lavatory
was available to the station staff: I have never
noticed seperate staff facilities on a plan. Before
WW1 such employees would have been exclusively male.

This sounds very much like Hattie Gilpin has attempted
to import the ways of their homeland which they view
as more genteel and "olde worlde" than the "uncouth"
manners of the locals. If anything they have gone over
the top: I have never heard of a "withdrawing room" in
any railway station either side of the Atlantic, but
ladies' room is clearly what it is.

The original Scaleby never seems to have had the
benefit of a station, but if it did I doubt it would
have been as grand as Hattie's.  At some larger
stations, facilities were further subdivided by class
as well as gender. This may seem rather excessive for
somewhere to wait for a train, but of course this is
just what we find in airports today.

There was never any attempt to segregate by race. No
doubt this was due to a distinct lack of non-whites in
the country at the time rather than any notions of
equality or freedom.

I hope this is of some help, or at least passing
interest.
 
Alistair Smith
 
Bedford, 
England


February 16, 2005

Good afternoon, Alistair:

Thank you for your observations.  This subject is one
that I seem to not only learn more about by the day,
but now by the minute.  I wanted to provide you and
others who are reading this thread about the Boyce N&W
station, a link to view the estate that is 1/4 mile
from the station.  To my surprise, it is now listed as
a property for sale.  This is the first glimpse I've
had of its interior.  Please go to:
http://www.sheridanmacmahon.com/scalby.htm

Regarding the station building, another notable
difference between Boyce and the Charles Town station
that was constructed a year later is that in Boyce's
former Black waiting room, there are no perimeter
lights around the ceiling which are present in the
former White waiting room.  At Charles Town, there is
such lighting in both waiting rooms.  While I downplay
the segregated facilities to most contemporary
visitors, I do think that there is a living history
lesson in the building that the concept of "separate
but equal" rarely was fulfilled.  Aside from being
smaller, the Black waiting room also lacked the
"Women's Retirement Room" (this term appears on the
Charles Town station construction floor plan, which is
in the N&WHS archival collection), plus the absence of
the lighting I've mentioned.

On a separate topic, I have a strong interest in
Traveling Post Offices (TPOs) that operated in Great
Britain until January 2004.  If you or others ever
want to discuss their operations, or those of USA
Railway Post Offices (RPOs), I invite you to contact
me directly at f_scheer at yahoo.com

Best wishes and thanks again for your insights.

Frank