Uddens Crossing

Why, I don't know, but from the first time I heard the name, " Uddens Crossing " this place has fascinated me! The railways of Britain were littered with these crossings where men would monitor and control the traffic, both on the railway and the road, and live close-by. There were several on this stretch of railway - to the west there were two before Wimborne (at Canford), and to the east, the crossings at Ameysford & West Moors itself.
When the railway first came to this part of Dorset, Uddens House was owned by the Greathed (or Greathead) family, in particular the 'military' branch of same. Edward Greathead is listed as one of the principal shareholders of the Southampton & Dorchester Railway - see more on the family below.

This is an extract from the Ordnance Survey map of the 1920s that shows the site of Uddens Crossing in the days when it would have been a truly busy place! Note that on this map, Uddens House is still marked: it was apparently demolished in 1955. Other interesting bits and pieces: Fern Down (note two words) is but a shadow of things to come, and the station at Wimborne Minster lies on the outskirts of the town.

In this extract from the modern 'Landranger' series of maps, Uddens Crossing is circled (red), and the site of Uddens House is shown by the red letters: " UH ". Note the huge swathes of 'plantation' trees (mainly coniferous) compared with the 1920s version - then much of this area would have consisted of scrubby heathland: much as present-day New Forest looks as you cross it via the A31.

This photograph (1964) is taken looking towards Wimborne (i.e. westward), showing the level-crossing box. This crossing was roughly half-way between West Moors Junction & Wimborne Minster. As well as the siding serving the adjacent abbatoir (left-hand side in this picture), there was an 'estate' siding [ see right-hand side ], to service the Uddens Estate. The abattoir siding was originally laid out in 1943 to serve a WD depot, and was then used for the abattoir between 1953 & 1965. Uddens Crossing controlled its own 'block' working on the railway: to the east, it worked with West Moors (Junction) Box; to the west with Wimborne (Station) box, though there was a 'block cutout' at Canford Crossing to the west which could be switched in or out as required to shorten that block. I believe that the frame, levers & gatewheel from this box were recovered and used on a preserved railway - details to follow.

Uddens House was built in 1747 by (instruction from) Nathaniel Gundry (a leading member of the judiciary, an M.P., and eventually, a knight of the realm!). Nathaniel died in 1754, so he only had a few years to enjoy the house and estate. The estate was sold to Edward Greathed in 1795 (not sure by whom), and the house was remodelled [ as so many were at this time ], in 1810. The estate must have been extensive, as there are records of 'shoots' on same. The Greatheds were one of the significant 'military' families of the country - Edward's son, also called Edward, was a significant figure in the Army of India, before coming home to command the eastern district of England in the mid-to-late 1870s. He was eventually knighted (Commander of the Order of the Bath being conferred in 1858, then knighted within the same order in 1865), and was also a deputy Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1859. The house was eventually demolished in 1955.

Uddens House - picture taken circa 1938: as published in "Ferndown, A Pictorial History", by Roger Guttridge & Audrey Greenhalgh: published by Phillimore, West Sussex.

This picture of the lodge house at the Wimborne Road entrance to the Estate is undated, but it looks as if it could date from before the Great War (1914-1918) to judge by the state of the road. As well as controlling access to the Estate (and therefore the house), there are a number of small hamlets within the Estate bounds, and farms, whose access to the main Wimborne - Ringwood turnpike would be through this gate. It is interesting, however, to note that on some early maps I have seen, the main access to the House is from the north, not via this gate: was this effectively the 'tradesmens' entrance?

The Greathed (or Greathead) family

At the time of the building of the Southampton & Dorchester railway [ which brought about the building of Uddens Crossing - on the estate ], the house / estate was owned by the Greathed (alt.sp. Greathead) family, though it isn't clear if they were actually living there in 1847. The eldest male relative was one Edward Harris Greathed. I have found a reference to it being occupied, presumably rented / leased, to a G. T. Sullivan in 1853. It may be that, as Edward Harris Greathed was a serving Army officer in India, and his mother (the joint executor of his father's will) was living in London, that at this date at least the house was let out).

The Greatheds were a military family, with three brothers of the same name being in India - Uddens House was their family seat.

For more on the Greathed / Greathead family, see this site:- http://www.greathead.org/

The house and grounds (heavily wooded, presumably planted) were said to form a "pleasant contrast with the barren heath beyond." Presumably a condition of the railway being allowed to intersect the main access to the estate was that a fully-functioning crossing-box was provided to control traffic.

I find it interesting that the railway line tends to 'bow away' from the site of Uddens House - offline from a natural route between West Moors and Wimborne Minster; was this to take the railway away from the 'home park' of the estate? However, it could easily be argued that the alignment was simply the easiest passage taking into account the terrain, also avoiding Colehill &c. It's tempting to speculate whether in the early days (i.e. mid-19th century) the trains were stopped at the Crossing for the convenience of the family; it would have been a simple enough procedure given that the Crossing was fully manned.

Uddens! Where does that come from?

It is thought that the name derives from a Saxon family, possibly by the name of 'Uddings' around the 10th century.