Railway navvies and the indelible mark they left

The county underwent a profound transformation, as a dedicated band of labourers came to the area and worked in extremely difficult conditions.

Dubbed the “railway navvies’’, these tough men made an indelible mark on their surroundings, cutting through the earth to create paths and laying tracks that would pave the way for steam travel around West Hampshire - as Bournemouth was a part of back then.

The nickname ‘Navvies’ is derived from the term ‘navigators’, which originally referred to 18th-century canal builders that were stationed across Scotland, Ireland, Yorkshire and Lancashire.

They were well paid by the standards of the day, but their work was hard and often very dangerous.

These workers originally constructed sea defences around the coast.

Railway navvies standing proudly by a complete piece of track. (Image: Submitted)

As the railway network expanded throughout Britain, navvies took on a new role; they followed the work and moved with the tracks as they stretched out across the land.

In 1840, a rail line connecting Waterloo to the city of Southampton was built.

In the following years, a railway connection named Castleman’s Corkscrew was established, carrying passengers through Holmesley, Ringwood and Wimborne to Dorchester.

Even nowadays with state-of-the-art machinery such as bulldozers, trucks, diggers and cranes, this endeavour would be an immense undertaking.

It’s remarkable to think that over 150 years ago, the navvies used no more than their own strength and a few tools such as picks, shovels and wheelbarrows to shape the landscape.

The navvies stopped for a quick and rare break to pose for a picture. (Image: Submitted)

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, two branch lines were constructed to provide better access to Bournemouth.

The first line was built in the 1860s, running from Ringwood to Christchurch and later to Bournemouth East. The latter was constructed in the 1870s between Wimborne to Broadstone and Hamworthy before extending to Bournemouth West.

However, there was no direct line between Bournemouth and London for another decade.

In response to the unmet needs of citizens, an effort began in the 1880s to bridge Lymington Junction and Christchurch. The project was initiated to create transportation links between these two locations.

For all these building projects, railway navvies came to town to perform the manual labour, and even local labourers were eager to join for the good wages on offer.

Railway navvies getting a rare bit of help from a horse. (Image: Submitted)

But, the construction hit a few snags along the way.

Not only did the original contractor go into liquidation, but the workmen were forced to deal with hideously gooey clay when they cut into the Sway bank.

At day’s end, many of the labourers were said to appear as though they’d been “wading through treacle”. This gave rise to the term ‘Sway treacle mines’, a moniker that endured until well into the mid-20th century.

Donald Featherstone, a late Hampshire historian of great repute, wrote: “The work they did was tough and dangerous, blasting, cutting, excavating, and tunnelling.

“They view death and injury with detachment and increased the risk by their own recklessness.

The railway navvies often had to lay a temporary track so they could move the huge amounts of earth needed to be cleared before laying the actual track. (Image: Submitted)

“The ordinary labourer who filled the trucks and did the menial jobs, was out-worked, out-drank, outfought, and out-ate by these remarkable men who could even drink like horses.’’ The diet of two pounds of beef and a gallon of beer was commonplace for the navvies who were known to speak with a type of Cockney rhyming slang.

Working attire consisted of moleskin trousers, canvas shirts, hobnailed boots, vibrantly coloured handkerchiefs and white felt hats.

Wherever they worked, trackside shanty-towns sprung up to house around 3,000 men.

The majority lived alone but some had wives or girlfriends in attendance. Taking care of these labourers were several elderly women providing essential services such as cooking meals, preparing beds and washing or mending clothes.

It’s hardly surprising that, on the whole, navvies passed away before they were 40 years old. But those who did survive seemed to age beyond their years.

Often using just picks and shovels, the railway navvies were forced to move thousands of tons of earth. (Image: Submitted)

In the event of a man being killed or passing away, contractors provided £5 for his widow and children; however, the navvies would start a collection which often amounted to around £80.

Funerals often led to excessive alcohol consumption and it wasn’t unheard of for drunken mourners to fall into the grave itself. Wakes could even last for an extensive period of seven days.

By the end of the 1870s the old-style navvy was fast disappearing, decimated by “excessively high wages, excessive work, excessive drinking, indifferent lodgings which caused great demoralisation and gave him his death blow.”

But some would say that the old-school navvy’s spirit lives on in the age-old idiom, “Work hard, play hard!”