The Old S&D - Henry Buckton

The words to the ‘Old S&D’ are written by Henry Buckton and the music by Rosie Evans. The title refers to the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway which once passed through the Avalon Marshes in Somerset, close to Henry’s home, which was the inspiration behind it. Previously it had been the Somerset Central Railway before that joined with the Dorset Central Railway to form the S&D. Now the tracks and stations have all gone but you can follow parts of the old route via footpaths. The line in question traversed the Somerset Levels from Glastonbury to Burnham-on-Sea, via Highbridge. In places the line goes along the side of the old Glastonbury Canal and through the Ham Wall National Nature Reserve run by the RSPB and Shapwick Heath National Nature Reserve run by Natural England, two fantastic spots for ornithologists to see some of the country’s rarest birds, including bittern, bearded tits and the murmeration of the starlings. Yet everywhere you can’t help but feel the presence of the long lost ghost railway.