On Friday 23rd September 1910, Bill Clifton was delivering milk from Brown’s Farm in Walton when he noticed smoke pouring out of the thatched Railway Inn. He raced across the road and hammered on the door to alert the residents and after a lengthy wait he enabled the escape of Bill Olding, his wife and her sister along with a family friend who was only stopping overnight in readiness for his wedding the next day !
With the thatch now alight, messages were rushed to the Werrington Fire Brigade who arrived at 5:10am and made quick use of hoses running across the road from Brotherhoods. Nearby residents had already acted to rescue as much of the larger furniture as possible.
With the fire threatening to extend along the road, the Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade were called in at 7:30am and they promptly ran hoses from the stackyard pond at Browns Farm to provide a combined effort that soon defeated the fire, aided by the fact that the Railway Inn had collapsed in on the fire.
The cause of the fire was subsequently blamed on a smouldering beam alongside the chimney where the cooking was done albeit Mr Olding was adamant the fire had been deliberately lit from outside.
The photo below shows the Railway Inn on the immediate left before the fire ……
