Edwin Boston
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Edwin Richard Boston MA (Cantab
) (born Solihull
, 20 December 1924, died 1 April 1986), known as Teddy Boston, was a Church of England
clergyman and author. He built a narrow gauge railway in the grounds of his Rectory
at Cadeby
, Leicestershire
, and was immortalized as the "Fat Clergyman" in The Railway Series
children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry.
, Holt
, and Jesus College, Cambridge
, before training for the ministry
at Lincoln Theological College
.
of Wisbech
, Cambridgeshire
. He became Rector
of Cadeby
and Vicar
of Sutton Cheney
, both in Leicestershire, in 1960, remaining in post until his death in 1986. At the 2001 census
, Cadeby reported 177 inhabitants,
Sutton Cheney 545.
In the words of Peter Scott, "The story of the Cadeby Light Railway is really the story of one man - 'Teddy' Boston".
In May 1962, Boston bought a Bagnall saddle tank locomotive
number 2090, named 'Pixie', and set about building a light railway in the grounds of the Rectory at Cadeby. U-shaped, with a total length of 110 yards, the line opened on 7 April 1963 and carried its first passengers a month later.
In 1967, Boston bought from Lilleshall Hall
another narrow gauge locomotive, number 1695, which was an engine he had seen working a light railway at Lilleshall when he was young. After standing idle for twenty-seven years, it had been reported as 'rediscovered' in the Narrow Gauge News and was moved to Cadeby on 6 May 1967. There, 1695 was renamed 'The Terror', in reference to Psalm 91
, "The Terror that walketh in darkness", as the engine was so hard to start that it could be dark before it was going.
Situated in the grounds at Cadeby was a large wooden shed which housed a very extensive OO gauge
model railway
depicting the pre-war Great Western Railway
. It also contained a separate, smaller narrow gauge layout, a 4mm scale, 12mm gauge line based on the Isle of Man Railway
. Latterly Boston also owned a canal
narrowboat
which had an N gauge model railway on board, narrow boats being an interest of his wife, Audrey.
He was a close friend of the Rev. W. V. Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine
, a kindred spirit with whom he shared many railway holidays. In Small Railway Engines (1967), Awdry relies on a trip the two made together to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
, and they appear in the book as 'the Fat Clergyman' (Boston) and 'the Thin Clergyman' (Awdry).
Of his visits to Cadeby, Awdry wrote:
Boston's love of railways and collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock are celebrated in Susanna Johnston and Tim Beddow's book Collecting: The Passionate Pastime, together with Lady Diana Cooper
's love of unicorn
s.
Fiery Elias". In his foreword to Font to Footplate, W. V. Awdry wrote: "In thinking of our Teddy it is important to realise that despite the impression that this book may seem to give, he was a Parish Priest first and a steam enthusiast second. He never forced religion on anyone; but his sincere faith and devotion was there for all to see, coupled with his impish sense of humour."
Grass grew in the gutters of the Rectory, which was full of Boston's railway collections. The walls were covered with shelves bearing model railway locomotives and rolling stock. In every room, the collection overflowed onto the floor, and it continued up the stairs, including a comprehensive collection of railway films on celluloid.
When Boston died, he left a widow, Audrey, who was still living in 2008. She shared her husband's enthusiasm for steam and for many years continued to co-organize the Market Bosworth Steam Rally.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
) (born Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
, 20 December 1924, died 1 April 1986), known as Teddy Boston, was a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman and author. He built a narrow gauge railway in the grounds of his Rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
at Cadeby
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, and was immortalized as the "Fat Clergyman" in The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry.
Education
Boston was educated at Gresham's SchoolGresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, and Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, before training for the ministry
Christian ministry
In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by Christians to express or spread their faith. 2003's Encyclopedia of Christianity defines it as "carrying forth Christ's mission in the world", indicating that it is "conferred on each Christian in baptism." It is performed by all Christians...
at Lincoln Theological College
Lincoln Theological College
Lincoln Theological College was a theological college in Lincoln, United Kingdom.-History:It opened on 25 January 1874. It was also known as Scholae Cancellarii. The building on Drury Lane closed in 1995, after having its permit for ordination training withdrawn by the Church of England due to low...
.
Career
From 1949, Boston served as curateCurate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
of Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. He became Rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Cadeby
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
and Vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney
Sutton Cheney is a village in Leicestershire, England, close to the location of the Battle of Bosworth Field.Sutton Cheney Wharf on the Ashby Canal gives access to the battlefield and is a tourist destination in its own right...
, both in Leicestershire, in 1960, remaining in post until his death in 1986. At the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, Cadeby reported 177 inhabitants,
Sutton Cheney 545.
Steam enthusiast
In the words of Peter Scott, "The story of the Cadeby Light Railway is really the story of one man - 'Teddy' Boston".
In May 1962, Boston bought a Bagnall saddle tank locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
number 2090, named 'Pixie', and set about building a light railway in the grounds of the Rectory at Cadeby. U-shaped, with a total length of 110 yards, the line opened on 7 April 1963 and carried its first passengers a month later.
In 1967, Boston bought from Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...
another narrow gauge locomotive, number 1695, which was an engine he had seen working a light railway at Lilleshall when he was young. After standing idle for twenty-seven years, it had been reported as 'rediscovered' in the Narrow Gauge News and was moved to Cadeby on 6 May 1967. There, 1695 was renamed 'The Terror', in reference to Psalm 91
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, "The Terror that walketh in darkness", as the engine was so hard to start that it could be dark before it was going.
Situated in the grounds at Cadeby was a large wooden shed which housed a very extensive OO gauge
OO gauge
OO gauge or OO scale model railways are the most popular standard-gauge model railway tracks in the U.K. This track gauge is one of several 4mm-scale standards used, but it is the only one to be served by the major manufacturers...
model railway
Rail transport modelling
Railway modelling or model railroading is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale...
depicting the pre-war Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. It also contained a separate, smaller narrow gauge layout, a 4mm scale, 12mm gauge line based on the Isle of Man Railway
Isle of Man Railway
The Isle of Man Railway is a narrow gauge steam-operated railway connecting Douglas with Castletown and Port Erin in the Isle of Man. The line is built to gauge and is long...
. Latterly Boston also owned a canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
narrowboat
Narrowboat
A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
which had an N gauge model railway on board, narrow boats being an interest of his wife, Audrey.
He was a close friend of the Rev. W. V. Awdry, creator of Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
, a kindred spirit with whom he shared many railway holidays. In Small Railway Engines (1967), Awdry relies on a trip the two made together to the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
, and they appear in the book as 'the Fat Clergyman' (Boston) and 'the Thin Clergyman' (Awdry).
Of his visits to Cadeby, Awdry wrote:
Boston's love of railways and collection of steam locomotives and rolling stock are celebrated in Susanna Johnston and Tim Beddow's book Collecting: The Passionate Pastime, together with Lady Diana Cooper
Lady Diana Cooper
Lady Diana Cooper, Viscountess Norwich was an English socialite and actress.-Birth and youth:Born Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners, she was officially the youngest daughter of the 8th Duke of Rutland and his wife, the former Violet Lindsay, but Lady Diana's real father was widely supposed...
's love of unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s.
Market Bosworth Steam Rally
Boston liked to attend steam rallies, but found transporting heavy equipment expensive, and in 1964 he founded a new annual 'Market Bosworth Steam Rally'. He wrote:At home
Boston has been described as "a short, round, jolly man, much given to Anglo-Saxon language in times of stress, such as a close run race with his traction engineTraction engine
A traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
Fiery Elias". In his foreword to Font to Footplate, W. V. Awdry wrote: "In thinking of our Teddy it is important to realise that despite the impression that this book may seem to give, he was a Parish Priest first and a steam enthusiast second. He never forced religion on anyone; but his sincere faith and devotion was there for all to see, coupled with his impish sense of humour."
Grass grew in the gutters of the Rectory, which was full of Boston's railway collections. The walls were covered with shelves bearing model railway locomotives and rolling stock. In every room, the collection overflowed onto the floor, and it continued up the stairs, including a comprehensive collection of railway films on celluloid.
When Boston died, he left a widow, Audrey, who was still living in 2008. She shared her husband's enthusiasm for steam and for many years continued to co-organize the Market Bosworth Steam Rally.
Publications
- Boston, Rev. E. R., Rails Round the Rectory - The story of the Cadeby Light Railway (Loughborough: The Book House, 1973) ISBN 0-902520-03-2.
- Boston, Rev. E. R., Font to Footplate (Line One Publishing, 1986) ISBN 0-907036-23-6
External links
- The Fat Clergyman - photograph of Rev. Teddy Boston driving 'Pixie', online at geocities.com
- http://www.britishpathe.com/product_display.php?canisternumber=&sortnumber=&filmid=403.08&szin=&group=&decade=&date1=&date2=&date3=&datefrom=&dateto=&choice=all&description=Enter+search+word%28s%29+here&searchword=Enter+a+search+word+here&choice1=all&title=Enter+a+film+title+here&choice2=all&keywords=Enter+key+words+here&choice3=all&summary=Enter+a+summary+search+here&advanced.x=0&advanced.y=0Railway Vicar] - free download of 1967 feature about Rev. E. R. Boston by British PathéPathéPathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
- Teddy Boston drives a Pecket 0-4-0 - film clip at youtube.com of Boston on the footplate
- The Parson and the Cadeby Light Railway - a eulogyEulogyA eulogy is a speech or writing in praise of a person or thing, especially one recently deceased or retired. Eulogies may be given as part of funeral services. However, some denominations either discourage or do not permit eulogies at services to maintain respect for traditions...
from a friend and fellow steam enthusiast