Richard Stevens was born in Bath and educated at CBBS (now Beechen Cliff). Cross-country
runs from this school took him along "Watery Bottom" and Lyncombe vale, very close to the S&D, thus
the sight and smell of the trains was very common to him in the 1960s. He lived
at Combe Down until 18 years old and most nights was able to hear the trains pounding up the steep gradients to Combe Down Tunnel.. One wonders what views as well as sounds he would have enjoyed if his Grandparents (The Davis family), retiring from their shop-keeping business in Templecombe, had
actually bought Midford Castle as they had originally planned! Instead they settled
along Midford road. (The Grandmother's name for Midford station was "toytown station"). His first real taste of the S&D took place whilst on a Scout cycle ride to Midford where the thunderous roar of an Up 7F coming over the viaduct made a lasting impression on him. Later trips to Wellow confirmed his interest, although a Hornby/Tri-ang trainset was still his first love ..... until later.
After graduating at Sheffield he still returned home to see parents every month and one night in "The Packhorse" in Southstoke, something happened to re-kindle his affair with the S&D. He met an old friend who worked for Wessex Water whose job it was to search for tenders for the blowing-up of Tuckingmill Viaduct. He then resolved to fight this and started writing letters, including one to the S&D Trust. The denial of the scheme from the Water Board was a first lesson in political duplicity.
Mike Beale, then Chairman of the Trust was, perhaps understandably, concerned that an unknown newcomer was "muscling in" and met Richard in Bath to draw up a common pathway. He was allowed to be "Trackbed Steward", a post which he only relinquished in the last year owing to the great distance between where he works (as a teacher, now FE lecturer, in Sheffield) and Bath, interfering with the proper functioning of the post. Richard would like to thank Mike for all his support and stewardship.
Whilst Trackbed Steward Richard wrote to all the councils, MPs, MEPs and any interested parties he could think of, hoping to gain support. Some structures were certainly saved but Prestleigh Viaduct was a disaster, and he still partly blames himself for this. Surveys of the whole mainline were undertaken to a very high standard by individual stewards. (Especially the "Salisbury Group").These never appeared in the "Pines" so it is hoped to scan some of these for inclusion on the WWW soon. He wishes to believe that he in some way, perhaps with many others, set the seeds for the groundswell of support there now appears to be flourishing for the conservation and preservation of the old trackbed. Certainly the profile of trackbed conservation is now much higher and, with the present road system of the country approaching gridlock, with all the concomitant problems over pollution, it is his fervent hope that eventually the railways will make a come-back, at the very least as a walk/cycleway. His original model for the walk/cycleway theme for the trackbed was the excellent Tissington Trail in Derbyshire. If there why not the S&D?
Redundency threatens to mean a sooner-than-expected return to the Bath/Wellow area, where he would hope to strengthen his ties with all the preservation organisations especially the S&D and the Somersetshire Coal Canal Trust.
He is a Trustee of the S and D Trackbed Trust, now busy making headway at Midsomer Norton Station. He is keen that liaison is maintained between all the various interest groups along the line. He has offered to be the steward for the Combe Down to Radstock section under the guidance of the new Trackbed Steward (Andrew Collett)
Richard gained a M Sc in 1984. He was married (for the second time) to Jackie, a Maths
lecturer, a few years ago. The blessing service was in Wellow Church. He has an 11yr
old stepson.
He thinks that Apple Macs are wonderful and far superior to PCs