Background information and incidental coincidences –
I am Robert Merlyn Farwell born in Bott La Lye 18/11/1946 to Samuel Dennis Farwell and Gladys Alison Farwell - Nee Locke my maternal grandparents being Arthur & Violet Locke. My first job on leaving school at 15 was tecka-in at Tudor Crystal Glass Works Junction Road Audnam. I have been a pioneering inventor for some 25 years with one brilliant medical device but it is seen as disruptive technology! For the last 6 years I have been involved in producing the most energy efficient studio glassmaking equipment. I have lived at 1 Parkfield Road Stourbridge for the last 30 years. I was invited and became one of the 5 glass making team for The Stourbridge 2012 Portland Vase Project (see www.stourbridgeportlandvase.com) and I am proud to say that the making team successfully completed phase one, the production of the Portland Vase blanks, on 24/9/2011. Seven blanks were made and seven came out fully annealed thanks to our state of the art hot glass technology and master Glassmaker Richard Golding’s skills and knowledge of glass chemistry see www.stationglass.com, unlike John Northwood’s Portland Vase blanks. In 1874, 40 blanks were made and only 2 survived, Joseph Locke made 30 Portland Vase blanks for the 1878 World Fair in Paris - 3 survived, one was carved and gained a Silver medal. Locke emigrated to USA and founded Locke Art Glass and as an Inventor filed many patents. (Note- possible Locke connection.)
Inspired by The Stourbridge 2012 Portland Vase Project and with a number of happy re-developments of Stourbridge over the years and with new infrastructure changes happening now, the time is ideal for the Stourbridge Lion and or Agenoria and Cameo Glass Plaque project to be implemented and must complete before July 2012 to take full advantage of Olympic year.
I can personally remember that 2 rail tracks ran from Stourbridge Junction to the town station and continued on via a bridge over Foster Street and another bridge over Birmingham Street down to large sidings and sheds where Stourbridge Trading Estate is now. A big level crossing on Lower High Street allowed access across to Foster & Rastrick Works where the Stourbridge Lion & Agenoria were built.
When the shortest ring road was built around Stourbridge Town, Foster St was cut in two and the rail track stopped at Stourbridge Town Station right on the edge of Foster Street and the bridge was removed. I can well remember the diesel loco crashing through the buffers and wall and left overhanging Foster Street with its front undercarriage below on the pavement, The old train station was then demolished and the track again shortened and bigger buffers installed leaving us with the shortest commercial rail line in the world. Then the old bus station, now the Mercedes showroom, moved out of its big building across Foster Street to use the station site. For the last 2 years a very modern energy efficient locally developed Parry People Mover has been highly effective in completely supplying the required capacity and important for this project it is light with its own little red buffer leaving a 41ft space for Agenoria or Lion 15ft 3in and accompanying tender 20ft.
Researching the history of early locos starting with what has become the more famous George Stephenson Rocket I find that Stourbridge Lion and Agenoria were built in February 1829 and Agenoria was working pulling coal from Ashwood Basin Kingswinford to Corbyns Hall Pensnett and continued for 30 years.
Rocket was made using the best technology in Stourbridge Lion, Agenoria and other static steam engines at that time and in October 1829 Rocket won Stephenson £500 in the Rainhill trials but more important to him, the contract to supply locos to run on the new Liverpool to
Manchester Railroad which opened 15 September 1830 with a Joseph Locke driving Rocket. Unfortunately on the day Locke was driving Rocket he had the first railroad accident and killed a serving Member of Parliament . Note- another possible Locke connection- spooky.
