Hello…here’s your latest update from Kents Bank Station Library.
There’s lots going on this month. On Sunday June 7th it’s the annual Community Fete at the station, organised by Friends of Kents Bank Station and Foreshore, supported by the Station Library and Beach Hut Gallery. It starts at 13.00 (Library and Gallery open as usual from 11.00). The Sands Band will be performing, there will be stalls and teas/coffee served downstairs at the pop-up station buffet. Martin’s miniature traction engine will be puffing about. Try and get along!
On the same day (Sunday June 7th) it’s the annual plant and book sale at Boarbank Convent (Augustinian Sisters), Allithwaite. The plants are top quality and very affordable! Starts at 11.00 so you can easily do both.
On Wednesday June 10th it’s the monthly MIC (Mutual Improvement Class) at 14.00. We’re delighted to welcome Jo Kaye, chief executive of the Railway Benefit Fund, talking about the charity’s work in the railway industry for over a hundred and fifty years. It’s work is still verty relevant to today, as she will explain. Please let me know if you’re coming as space is limited.
We’ve had several large donations recently, including some real treasures. These include a bound volume of ‘The Railway Times’ from 1841, stamped ‘Manchester and Leeds Railway’. Come along and see what else we’ve got! We also have a growing number of good quality second-hand railway, tram and canal books at bargain prices – all funds go back into the Library. Nobody gets paid – we’re all volunteers.
…..And we couldn’t function without our excellent team of volunteers – if you’re interested in helping, even just a day a month, you’ll be very welcome. Let me know. The Beach Hut Gallery next door also needs more volunteers, so if your tastes are in the arts direction and you’d like to help, let us know. We also welcome ‘supporters’ who may be from further afield (ignore this if you’re already signed up). We ask for a minimum £25 annual donation which makes a big difference to what we can do – we’ve plans for new publications, events and of course we sometimes buy books if they fill an important gap. You can pay by BACS to ‘The Station Library CIC’ sort code 08-92-99 account 67423523.
We hope to see you at our lovely station, library, bookshop and gallery over the summer!
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Historic station bell restored after over a century
A traditional station bell has been restored at a historic station on the Furness Line between Lancaster and Barrow. Kents Bank station once had a bell which the station master used to warn passengers and crossing users of a train’s approach. It was removed towards the end of the 19th century, though the bell’s original position can still be seen.
After a gap of over 130 years a bell (not the original, sadly) has been re-instated by the volunteers who run the Station Library at Kents Bank.
“It’s great to have a station bell back at Kents Bank,” said Rick Worsey who installed the bell, which was acquired at an auction last year. “Not many stations still have a station bell and we’d love to hear from anyone who knows of other stations, in the UK or abroad, which still have them.”
Dr Paul Salveson, manager of the Station Library and owner of the Station House, is pleased to see an old tradition revived. “We have a photograph taken in the 1890s which shows the bell and its timber/slate housing, with station staff and passengers. It disappeared shortly after the photograph was taken. So it’s great that a bell has been put back, in the same position as the original.”
Station Library volunteer Philip Coates helped with the bell’s restoration. “As soon as it was re-erected we got several walkers and rail passengers commenting on how good it looks! It adds another dimension to the award-winning station, with its many historic features and lovely gardens.”
A station bell features in a short story ‘The Bell That Only Rang Once’, loosely based on Kents Bank, published in The Loco Vanishes, Northern Rail Mysteries, and written by Paul Salveson (Kents Bank Station Library, 2025).
The bell complements the station clock which has also been restored to its original position, using a replica timepiece.
The Station Library, staffed entirely by volunteers, is a community interest company managing a collection of over 10,000 railway and transport-related books. The library is open to the public and is free to use.