The golden age of steam will be remembered next week as a talk that’s a century in the making will be held in a village near Petersfield.

Mike Attrill and Doug Jones have just the ticket for train enthusiasts as the pair will give a talk about Buriton’s Railway History.

Next Wednesday’s talk in the village hall will focus on the first 100 years of the direct line between London Waterloo and Portsmouth.

The line opened in 1859 with construction starting six years beforehand with a grand ceremony on the hillside above Buriton church.

The talk takes place a year before the 200th anniversary of the first journey by a passenger-carrying steam train in County Durham.

Mr Attrill is well-placed to talk about Buriton’s railway heritage as his father, Cedric, was the last signalman to work in the signal box which stood above the recreation ground until 1971.

The talk will include stories and pictures from Buriton’s Heritage Bank shedding light on the construction of the line and its challenging tunnel to the south of the village.

Mike’s knowledge of Buriton’s social history will also be illustrated in a fascinating talk about the villagers who worked on the railway, where they lived and what implications it had for the area.

The talk will begin at 7.30pm next Wednesday, September 25, in the village hall. Free entry with retiring collection, all welcome.

For more details about the heritage bank and its wealth of information about Buriton’s past visit www.buriton.info