Brendam (RWS)

Brendam is a seaside town located at the extreme south of the western shore of Suddery Bay with a population of 4,500 and is home to Brendam Docks. It is the top station for Edward's Branch Line and an important harbour for the export of China Clay.

History

The "white mountains" visible some two to three miles to the northwest of Brendam are spoil heaps of quartz and sand from the china clay pits. The clay is used in making porcelain, paper, paint, plastics, medicines and cosmetics. It is shipped from Brendam all over the world.

This is a recent development. Until 1949, Brendam was a quiet fishing village where apparently nothing much ever happened. In 1904 the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway extended to Brendam, with the intention to set up a port here but after a few years, they abandoned the project and transferred to Tidmouth in 1912.

The village had grown up around the mouth of a small river. St. Brendan's Church (the only church on the island dedicated to the sixth century missionary), though small, has a conspicuous fifteenth century tower standing slightly apart from the main building. It was erected as a landmark to guide boats along the only safe channel by which to enter the harbour.

Now the pattern of life has changed. Fishing has declined and the majority of the (now) 4,500 inhabitants are employed in one way or another by the Sodor China Clay Company. The clay beds were discovered in 1948 and the Company was formed to work them. A new harbour, capable of accommodating ocean-going vessels, was built some one and a half miles south of the old one and a private railway laid down to link the Workings with the harbour and the North Western Railway. This line is worked by the Clay Company's own locomotives, Bill and Ben.

There has naturally been considerable housing development, not only round the harbour area but also on the hillside above the old village. Great care has been taken to ensure that the new buildings shall harmonise with the old. The Clay Company and their architects have succeeded admirably in this. Much more difficult has been the establishment of a harmonious relationship between the two communities - "the Villagers and the Clayboys", the old inhabitants and the new; but now after over fifty years there are welcome signs that the two communities are at last fusing into one. There has been a Girl's School in the hills above Brendam since 1873.^[1]

Landmarks

• Brendam Station - the main station for the town of Brendam.
• Brendam Docks - a small harbour situated along the southern coast of Brendam Bay.
• Sodor China Clay Company - a clay mine north-west of the town of Brendam, which is home to Bill and Ben.
• "The Drain" - a hollow in the land along the line leading to the China Clay workings where rainwater sometimes collects.
• St. Brendan's Church - the town church, located in the hills overlooking the town from the north.
• Brendam School - a Girl's School situated in the hills above Brendam.

Appearances

Trivia

• Although it is mentioned in The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways that the village of Brendam had developed round the mouth of a small river, it has never been depicted on any of the various maps of Sodor.
• Brendham Drive in Columbus, Ohio, United States, is named after the town, albeit misspelled.

Station Guide

References