An historic commemorative plaque which had been lost to the midst of time can once again be seen by the community after clearance works carried out by Network Rail.
The Plympton and District Civic Society had a commemorative plaque put in situ at the old Plympton Railway Station back in 1998 to mark the historic importance of the site. It was unveiled at the time by then Stannator Margaret Easterbrook along with local historian John Boulden who was the Civic Society’s chairman.
However the passage of time and the accumulation of vegetation on the site over the ensuing two decades resulted in the plaque being lost from view in the overgrowth.
Now, following a project by Network Rail to significantly cut back growth on the perimeters of its track in the local area, the stone upon which the plaque was mounted has been re-discovered and it has been reset on a new plinth to make it more noticeable.
Stannator Andrew Hill along with members of the Plympton and District Civic Society and the Network Rail team involved in the resetting of the commemorative plaque attended a ceremony at the site on May 8.
500 or more empty alcohol bottles were removed along with a sofa, discarded drainpipes and other items of debris
During the clearance of the area alongside the parking bay in Boringdon Road where the plaque is now displayed a staggering 500 or more empty alcohol bottles were removed along with a sofa, discarded drainpipes and other items of debris.
Stannator Andrew Hill said:
“I commend the efforts of the Network Rail team in clearing up this area and setting off for all to see this important plaque which the Plympton Civic Society first put on this site some 20 years ago. With this clearance and repositioning happening just before the start of Plympton’s local history week the timing could not be better.”
The plaque was first erected 150 years after the first train came through Plympton and commemorated the operational years of the station from 1848 to 1959.
The stone on which the plaque is mounted was previously the base of a headstone and was donated back in 1998 by Plympton St Mary’s Church. Monumental Masons G F Triscott and Sons were involved in the inscription on the three hundredweight granite stone upon which the wording ‘Site of Plympton Railway Station 1948 – 1959’ is inset.
The revealing of the monument has sparked interest on the Plympton Podcast’s Facebook page and has led to renewed calls for the railway station to be re-opened.
Guy Alexander Bell posted:
“Someone should start up a campaign group to reopen it, I would think a lot of people would like it back open. It would drastically reduce traffic on Plymouth Road and Marsh Mills for a start!”
Glenn Woodall added:
“Now that Plympton is a lot bigger and forever growing with more houses and even Sherford on the doorstep why can’t we have our own train station? This would take some of the pressure off Plymouth.” (Story courtesy of the Plympton Podcast)
