Insert Hilarious Title Here

An unintentional bit of Platform-Cattery happened on Tuesday. Thom and I went for a trip to Fort Paull, near Hull, to relive a bit of my childhood. When I was a wee bairn (?) I made several visits to the erstwhile Museum of Army Transport in Beverley, where the main attraction was a large grounded aeroplane - a Blackburn Beverley, no less - which one could go inside. It is now in the aforementioned Fort - a Tudor/Napoleonic/WW2 military establishment on the banks of the Humber - and one can still look inside. It hasn't changed, except I remember there being more headroom.

But anyway, train-wise, apart from a Military Transport Corps dining carriage, Fort Paull is a bit of a non-starter, having never been connected to any sort of railway network. It more than makes up for it in amusement value though. Another attraction from the time when I was a wee bairn (??) was the Friargate Wax Museum in York (also closed. Flippin' 'eck I'm getting old). If one ever wonders where old waxworks go when they die, then we have the answer - and that answer is Fort Paull!

Some of the waxworks make sense - Henry VIII is fairly relevant to a Tudor fort, obviously, and a tableaux featuring Queen Victoria can be fitted into the timeline, as can that little Austrian bloke with the bad hair and the funny
'tache. Some of the others however... Hmmm...

One of the rooms featured a model of Queen Henrietta Maria, which looked suspiciously like Princess Di in a drag outfit, and the wax model of a blacksmith making horseshoes may, or may not, have once worn a glittering shellsuit and lots of gold jewellery... Now then, now then...

But anyway, I digress. After the excitement of seeing a host of upcycled 1980s celebrities, we had a drive down to Holmpton, to the well-signposted Secret Underground Bunker, and in doing so, almost ran over a chicken while doing a thirteen point turn at Keyingham old station, enraged a massive dog at Ottringham station, and committed some minor acts of trespass at Patrington.

Keyingham

All three stations were once on the line from Hull to Withernsea, built by the Hull and Holderness Railway and opened in 1854. The last passenger train rain in 1964, with complete closure a year later in 1965. There was a further station between Ottringham and Patrington - namely Winestead - but as I was navigating using my Yellow 1930s Map we missed it completely, it having closed in 1904 and thus not being marked. Bugger. I suppose it's quite appropriate though as I'm off alcohol this month. One for a future visit...

Ottringham

Patrington

Anyway, the Secret Underground Bunker was shut, so we went to Hornsea and ate pies. A fine end to the adventure.