The deaths of twelve people from Radstock have been remembered by the unveiling of a display board commemorating the 1876 railway accident at Lower Writhlington.

Shoscombe Local History Group members, together with trustees from the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway Museum and representatives from Sustrans, met on the site of the accident on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway line, now the Collier’s Way cycle path, last Monday.

Cllr Neil Butters unveiled the board, which describes the events and aftermath of the disaster, and lists the names of those who lost their lives.

Prior to this, Cllr Butters had unveiled another history board at Single Hill. The board provides information on the Shoscombe and Single Hill Halt, from its opening in 1929, through to closure in 1966.

Cllr Butters performed the honours at the invitation of the History Group; this was a fitting tribute, as he provided the funding for this project through the Ward Councillor’s initiative, and Neil himself is a keen railway enthusiast. Material for the board was produced by the History Group; this is one of many projects the Group has undertaken since forming in 2012.

Both ceremonies were performed by Cllr Butters on the afternoon of 15th May. The board at Single Hill is on the roadside and adjacent to the site of the Halt. The board at lower Writhlington is at the location of the accident and on the Collier’s Way Cycle Path.

Both boards were produced by Shoscombe Local History Group, with funding from the Ward Councillor’s initiative.