The Ivo Peters Collection

If you are familiar with the Somerset & Dorset railway, then you probably know the name Ivo Peters. Of the many photographers who recorded the line when in operation, Ivo is perhaps the best known, and his superb black & white still images and colour cine film cover most aspects of the line. Although Ivo never actually visited Spetisbury station as far as we can tell, he did take photographs nearby and we are grateful to his son Julian Peters for allowing us to reproduce a selection of images from The Ivo Peters Collection, most of which have not been published before. Click here to view all six images plus others in our photographic archive.

work party 1st October

Well here we are into October but the first work party of the month was a bit of a wash out due to the wet weather, although despite this there was a steady stream of walkers, runners and horse-riders passing through on the North Dorset Trailway. Instead the team took the opportunity to discuss plans for the coming winter and next year. Apart from the ongoing task of keeping the site neat and tidy, we hope to improve the station signage and provide better information panels around the site. We also plan to clear the site of the signal box which has become rather overgrown and neglected again. New hedging to protect nearly residents’ privacy and more benches are also in the pipeline.

Progress on the proposed café and information kiosk has unfortunately stalled whilst we await approval for a licence from Dorset County Council. Likewise, work by DCC on the improved Trailway access at the station site has stalled as reported previously, due to higher than expected costs. We shall continue to try and persuade DCC to resolve both of these issues as soon as possible.