2 Railway Carriages, Shelton

[Norman]

I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who might be able to shed some light on an apparently curious address "Railway Carriages, Shelton" in the 1861 census.

The reference is Folio 75; Page 35

My interest is in the family of Samuel Hughes at number 2:
Household schedule number 198

[Lindad]

Can't help, I'm afraid Norman. However, one of my families have their address listed on the 1901 census as 'Steam Engine, Crowland, Lincolnshire'.

I'm intrigued by that too!

[Ladkyis]

Lots of people lived in very strange "buildings" - upturned boats, straw bale houses, railway carriages - and the old railway carriages were well built sturdy things of iron and proper wood. My uncle and Aunt lived in a double decker bus in my grand mother's garden after WW2 and for that matter my father bought a Nissen hut and we lived in that for 10 years before he built our first real house. So I would think that someone bought the railway carriages when they had come to the end of their working life and had them put somewhere on a piece of land they owned or rented and then they lived in them.

There were no planning departments to tell you to move on and no electricity or internet links to maintain so while it might have been bitter cold in winter and meltingly hot in summer at least it was a roof over their heads. it might be worth asking the local studies library for the area if they have pictures of the railway carriages - you never know what might turn up.