Chapter 39

Abby drove Mr. Brasher down to the station the next day, leaving him to wander around at his own pace. It was some time before he returned to her with a smile on his face.

"I always get emotional when I see a place such as this. It looks so forlorn and neglected now, its purpose forgotten. But it was once an essential part of an economy that boosted this Country's wealth and Social standards to be the envy of the World. Knowing that it will be restored is a source of great happiness for me." Abby agreed with him, but her emotion stemmed from a different source.

"For me it is all about my Family. Even though they are all dead, I come here and connect with them. My emotion is finding a family when I grew up not having any." Mr. Brasher was understanding of her emotions.

"I had a family, but rarely saw them. My father was a Diplomat, the scion of an old family, always away somewhere in the Empire. My mother consigned me to a Nanny from an early age, then to Boarding school, then to Cambridge. I think that in all those early years I never saw my mother for more than ten minutes at a time some half a dozen times a year. I doubt that she saw my father much more than that. I saw less of him than her. They were both killed in a bombing raid in nineteen forty-one. Ironic really, after being apart for most of their lives, they were together when the bomb fell." These few words convinced Abby of her suspicion that Mr. Brasher came from a privileged background. However it would seem that all that privilege had given him less affection than she. No wonder he had become an eccentric, without warmth in his life, just a fascination for this railway.

The arrival of George Walker in his van spared them further embarrassment. Abby introduced them. Immediately after the introductions George cast about with a worried look.

"Is she not here yet? Typical of her, I have never known her to be on time anywhere." his complaining was cut short as Ms. Eaton drove into the yard the very next minute. Mr. Brasher reverted to his previous uncomfortable mode, and produced the photographs, which Ms. Eaton and the builder examined carefully. She seemed to be relieved as they showed so much detail, and declared that as far as she was concerned this was the specification she wanted. George was a little more diffident. The photos showed Barge boards on the gables carved in a very ornate fretted style. These were no longer present, obviously as some time being replaced by plain boarding.

"I can't do that without proper drawings." He declared. Mr. Brasher rummaged in his bag and produced diagrams that showed them exactly. George examined them, nodding his head and humming all the while.

"Yes, I know a Carpenter who can do that." He said finally. Abby opened the doors to the booking office and waiting room. Pleased that she had mastered the knack that Reg had demonstrated. Ms. Eaton looked around fussily, and made various demands of George Walker. He told her that he had already made an inspection and let her know that he would be removing the Plaster, but would re-plaster with Lime.

She then demanded that the place was re-painted with colours as they saw. Mr. Brasher who had also come in coughed. They looked at him.

"I don't believe these are the original colours. It had been changed at some time." George looked exasperated then turned to Mr. Brasher.

"You seem to be well-informed. Can you tell me about colours they used?' Mr. Brasher again delved into his bag.

"All woodwork was painted Brown and the walls a dull cream.' He was flicking through papers as he spoke, then lifted two up, looked briefly at them and pulled them out completely. "Here is a photo-copy showing the scheme, and here," he sounded triumphant, "is the names of paint manufacturers who have the original recipes for the colours." George fell upon these with delight.

"Well that will save us a lot of time." Ms. Eaton was even happier. All her problems were resolved it would seem without her having to do the research herself. She was prepared to leave it all in other's hands. However Abby did not want her to get away so easily. Reminding herself of what Mr. Brasher had said last night. She took Ms. Eaton out onto the platform and asked about Grants towards the cost of restoration.

Ms. Eaton's face blanched. She hadn't expected this.

"Well I would have to look into this. It's not as if it was a Public Building is it?"

"I was not aware that it had to be. The station is a listed building and isn't being restored as a home. The intention is to create an area, where people can see how the station worked, what the station master and porters were expected to do, and how the station was a part of the local economy. We are going to place old photos and explanatory notices, so that people can come here and understand."

"Oh I see. An educational site. Best thing you can do is let me have a full costing when Mr. Walker can work it all out. Then we can have a meeting with the Museum and Heritage committee, and the Education Department. They will be interested too. Have you thought about putting in an application to the Heritage Fund of the National Lottery?" Abby hadn't even thought about that, but wasn't about to let Ms. Eaton of the hook.