One of the most memorable images from 1940s British cinema
is that of Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson gazing meaningfully into each other's
eyes in a station cafe in Brief Encounter.
Those who want to relive that romantic moment should head for Carnforth,
because it was the cafe at Carnforth Station, now known as the Brief Encounter Refreshment
Room, which was used in the film with the station acting as Milford
Junction. It is a fitting name, because
at that time Carnforth was a major junction in the railway system of the
north-west, and during the war thousands of servicemen passed through on the
way to their overseas destinations.
However, Carnforth was a victim of the Beeching rail cuts in the 1960s,
and the station was turned into a mere branch line station with a lot of the
buildings from its heyday falling derelict.
Recent restoration work has resulted in the opening of the Carnforth
Station Heritage Centre, incorporating that famous cafe. There was once a major ironworks in the town,
making use of the excellent railway links of the time, but this has now gone
and all that remains of the site is an industrial estate. One of the most popular leisure activities in
Carnforth is to take a stroll along the Lancaster Canal,
which passes through here.
Map of the area.
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| Carnforth Canal Basin - geograph.org.uk - 30083. Photo by David Medcalf, via Wikimedia Commons |
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