Next time you're in the area, take a look at the wall at the top of Rest Hill Rd. where it meets Mount Rd. Some of the old sleeper blocks from the Storeton Tramway were used to repair it at some time. They are the ones with 3 or 4 holes in. The holes would have had wooden pegs in, into which the iron spike would be hammered to hold the rail.

I've often wondered what they were!

iv never actually noticed these but i will now someones pointed them out and i will know wot they was for hehehehe

Chris you do it again.. Ive always wondered what those holes where for.. Thank you

where the path starts, the rails are still sticking out from the edge of the road as they are still under the tarmac. the rail sections were bought second-hand from the liverpool-manchester railway and were the first rails used when this first passenger railway opened in 1830. go dig up the road guys, there be history in dem thar hills

aint been there for years, but the rails did stick out, can anyone get pics if still there?

As a child, I remember when you could see the rails crossing Rest Hill road. Subsequent layers of tarmac covered them, but I guess they're still there.

The stub end of a rail was still sticking out from the edge of the tarmac in the mid/late 70's. It was the ancient "Fish Belly" type rail. As rentaclown quite rightly said, 2nd hand from the L'pool-Manchester line.

Always had it in the back of my mind to nip up one night with a hacksaw to "rescue" a small piece. Never did though.

MMmmm... vandalism, theft, going equipped ??? Wot ME ??????

Cool, I love when you can see things like that. Two other examples of little bits of history:

1. On the Strand in Liverpool opposite the Balic Fleet pub there are some metal plates still attached to the wall - these are all that remains of the metal supports of the over head railway.

2. A bit further afield - on the way into Newcastle, on the A69 just before its junction with the A1 is part Hadrians wall and a bus-stop that appears to of been made out parts of said Roman Wall!

av never noticed these

MMmmm... vandalism, theft, going equipped ??? Wot ME ??????

Pinz, what has this site done to you??
Sounds like you are verilly corrupted - welcome to Wikiwirral!!!!

ha. ha ! Good one ! Many thanks for your welcome to Skid Row !!!

Oops! Didn't mean that !!!

ther are loads of lor remnants built into dock walls like near malmaison. the rails are no longer visible, think they been buried and the council wont be too pleased if i take a pick axe to it. took airwolf dog for a walk there today

Are those pics from Storeton Woods? I think so. If they are where I remember, it's where the track turned eastward & passed through the Great Cutting to the North quarry. There's virtually no trace of the cutting now, but if you know where it was, you can just make it out. Of course, the quarry & cutting were filled with the spoil from the Mersey Tunnel around 1930. Just at the point where the preserved tracks are, there's an oak tree which I used to climb as a boy & sit at the top, listening to the trains labouring up Storeton Bank on the Bidston - Wrexham line.

i remember the tracks went across the road cos i used to take my bike up there alot but its amazin the stuff u dont see/realize at the time!

i've walked along there i used to walk to the woods from tranmere with my dog

like you said chris, those rails are sitting wher it turns, still quite obvious where it headed

I've found an old map of the Storeton Tramway here...
http://www.friendsofstoretonwoods.org.uk/images/gy_images/old_map_combined.gif

What about the old concrete bunkers and concrete sheds at the back of the Woods, did they have anything to do with the Tramway, because I always thought that was an old army barracks. Have you seen the dinosaur footprint in British Museum(I think) from Storeton Quarry. I remember climbing up the quarry wall as a kid, I think about it now ooooooooooooooh.

Dave Miller

Don't remember any bunkers and sheds; where exactly were they? If you climbed in the quarry in the woods you must be older than I am! it was filled in in the early 1930's.

Chris.

As far as I remember the quarry(A quarry) was still there in the late 50's early 60's. It was on the east side of Mt Rd between Bracken Lane and Village Rd. It was a fairly large hole with a lot of water in it. Looking back now (48yrs) it seems that the eastern edge which was a rock face was probably level with Mt Rd. I can see on GoogleMaps some open space which maybe the area. We also used to play in an old L shaped house somewhere near the woods on the west side same side as the concrete bunker stuff, I remember because I was nearly hit by a large piece of roofing slate when I was climbing out of one of the windows. It looks suspiciously like Storeton House. Now I know they were there because we used to play soldiers and lock each other in the concrete bunkers. They had steel doors with steel pull down locking handles. And that is about all I remember.

Yes, the East quarry was there until it was filled with the spoil from the Wallasey tunnel. The quarries in the woods were filled with the spoil from the Queensway tunnel in the late 1920's. If you look in the now & then section, there's a post by BMW Joe entitled Mount Rd. Higher Bebington. which shows the quarry you remember.
The L shaped house was probably Woodside Cottage, where the tramway crossed Rest Hill Rd. I expect you will remember where you could see the tracks crossing the road, embedded in the tarmac.
Now, the bunkers. It's a long time ago; is it possible you are mistaken about the location? Near the woods, about 400 yards down from the top of Lever Causeway, on the right, there was a radar station which was abandoned after the war and was much as you describe. The buildings were semi-sunken in the ground & had the steel doors & handles. I remember when the aerial pylon was still there, but if I judge your age correctly it was probably removed when you knew it.
Photo with location attached

Cheers, Chris.

I remember the radar station - I used to play there in the 80s - found a dead cat full of maggots once!!!!!!

Was demolished about 15 years ago I think. There's also something in the field past the end of the Stanley av - if you drive to the very end it can be seen in the distance with a security fence round it.

Chris, thats sound like it. It is funny how your mind goes after about 30+ years. You guys are doing a fantastic job and I really am enjoying this site. I hope I can contribute more.

Dave Miller

If your mind's going after 30 years, what do you think it's like for me after 60 years? All of us remember bits; with any luck, all different bits & between us we may come up with the answer. A classic recently is when I remembered the Tranmere tunnels vent shaft at the top of Holborn Hill in one place but Pinzgauer remembered it on the other side of the alley: turns out we were both right! Please keep telling what you remember.

Cheers, Chris.

Half way through the woods, on the semi overgrown walk nearest to Mount road there is what looks like an old part of a tramline appearing through the muddy path. No doubt as the water dries up I will be able to see it better. It looks exactly like the ones that used to be visible on the road between the woods when I was younger.

Hi, Bernie; a pic & precise location would be good if you get a chance. I presume it's not the one with the plaque shown earlier in this thread, where the line turned from the embankment into the cutting? The location of some more of the track would be very interesting.

Cheers, Chris.

No, its not. Its right at the top by Mount road about 100-150 yards along to the left. if you walk about 20 yards in from the entrance on Mount Road and turn left you will come to it. I will atke a photo but it might not be until the weekend. I will try to find a second one-I guess about two and ahalf feet apart?

If the entrance on Mount Rd. is the one nearly opposite Mill Rd. a bit to the right if you are standing in Mill Rd. then that would be on the site of the quarry itself, which when it was in use would have been maybe 80 feet deep, so any rails would have been at the bottom. Can you see if the rail is of the fish belly profile, like the preserved & labelled bit at the embankment?
Here's a pic.
http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10246962&wwwflag=2&imagepos=3
The gauge was standard gauge: 4' 8 1/2"

Cheers, Chris.

will have a good nose around and take a couple of photos at wkend.

Popped in there today, this is the only thing I could find which is only a piece of pipe or rod (fence rod?) because I poked a stick under it. I got to admit that it felt more solid when I kicked it.

Location was guessed by popping my head over wall to see where I was, which was exactly half way along the straight bit of that layby bit of Mount Road.

As you say, looks like a piece of pipe; certainly not a rail.

Hard to tell without a scale but it looks like a scaffolding pole to me.

Sorry, no scale - it was somewhere between half and one inch diameter.

Colours not very good on picture, it was similar to rail material, no significant rust, nice smooth finish from people walking on it.

Yep, thats what I thought might be tramline. Never mind hey, I will carry on watching the buzzard who seems to have taken residence around that part of the wood instead of looking for non-existant historical relics. :-)

No, No, keep looking, you never know what you might turn up. Enjoy the buzzard; splendid birds.

The benchmarks on several of the gateposts around the wood. Are they obsolete and forgotten. I can't find mention of them in
http://www.bench-marks.org.uk/

These type of benchmark are not normally recorded, there are thousands of them. The ones on the database are the plate (or bracket) type plus the trig points etc.

If you want a mooch around those woods, have a look all round the lump on one side (nearest mount rd, though that is a distance away) of the big pit where the rope swings are, I'd like a second opinion.

Thats what they are thanks man

Depends on the scale of the map. Benchmarks such as in the photo (corners of old buildings are common) are shown on 6" to mile (1:10,560) maps and others.

Just happen to be gazing at an old 6" map right now.

It looks quite similar to the "Campsite" Symbol on maps.
Anyone Agree?

What is the first opinion, and can you be a litle more specific. Are you referring to the first wood off Marsh Lane or the second one with the mast in it?

I thought I knew those woods quite well but only today really loked at the remains of the wall which runs along the sides, against Mount Road and also for a distance along the barbed wire against the fields.
I assume that it was the wall of the old quarry as fields did not have walls usually

Benchmarks are a subject on their own. Old benchmarks are based on Ordnance Survey Datum Liverpool. The standards were revised between 1912 and 1921 and thereafter heights were shown based on Ordnance Survey Datum Newlyn. The difference between the two readings varies around the country - in Wirral it is about 2 inches but in Norfolk it is about 18 inches.
I have an early 20th century map of Norfolk which has benchmarks and spot heights measured in feet above mean sea level at Newlyn, but the contour lines refer to the 'old' mean sea level at Liverpool and the legend warns "There may thus be discrepancies of some inches between the contours and the bench marks and spot levels".

So what would that have signified and how can I look into it more? Any ideas?

Ok here is a picture of one end of the lump, I know a lot of WW2 clearance was dumped at storeton but I think it funny that this "apex" would be the right way up, and following the lump along, the other end seems to have some brickwork.

Have you "dug any deeper"? And can I have a few more specifics to find the location, not sure at all where you mean

Piccy (don't ask about the hand at the bottom of the picture, that was just resting on rest hill )

That was nowhere near where I thought you meant. I will have a nose around next time I am off. With a stick to dig with

Lets Pardon the pun

Sorry But I Find It Fun to go off topic

You could be on to something here guys!

i think TC can feel a UE Coming on...

so can i kid!

Hmm start a forum up in the UE Bit

might well do!

Your Excited

might well be you up for?

Possibly...Dunno tho

my mum and family grew up in the house on the bend in the valley rest hill road.
i will ask her for some more info.
i have fond memories of the area.
My granddad was a farm hand for levers and used to drive the cattle down the wiend onto the dock road and down the floating road onto the irish boats.

Please do.

I had a look around today but couldn't locate the "apex". If you are going to have another look yourself you will need to do it fairly soon as the brambles are starting to grow in places.

Alternativley if you can zoom the picture out abit and repost I will recognise the spot from the trees. Also try to give guidance as to whether it is visible from a path, if so is it the main path upper path or the smaller one nearer the field etc

Ok bernie, sorry about that, I am not particularly familiar with the woods, it was far more overgrown when I was young and so the minor paths were much more clearly defined.

When you find the pit you will know it, it must be about 80ft in diameter and about 20 ft deep, the Apex is on the edge towards Mount Road.

On the map above I only guessed the pit was the big clearing, it may be the other clearing south of that, or the less defined clearing roughly between the two. I was walking around in circles at the time looking at something biological, which I won't mention for fear of being awarded the umbiquitous "triple anorak" (that should trigger MissG and PJ - before you start ), and so I am not too aware of the precise location, other than it is west of the ridge that runs along parallel to mount road.

I will take sat nav next time, was doing that the other day and got some really strange looks, walker with sat nav?

I took sat nav and couldn't get a signal at all. Plenty of Jews Ears mushrooms on all the Elderberry trees so tea is half foraged-always a good sign in my book!
Weekend is next time I might get the chance to look.

Right, went for a brisk walk earlier, place looks nothing like I remember even though it was only a couple of weeks ago. Looks like someone has been doing some clearance, also the undergrowth seems less. Forgot to take satnav again but got a foolproof way of finding it. It doesn't look so convincing now there is less undergrowth, the ground is much more of an angle than I thought - it did look flatish. Right lets get walking .... if you go along the tram track to near the end you find these bits of rail ...

more

Just a couple more pictures that I took ...

If you're standing at the preserved rails & looking East, toward Mount Rd. you're looking into the Great Cutting, through which the tramway went into the North quarry. Although mostly filled, you can still the line of it.

I was about 200 yards away yesterday so had no chance

Will have a good look at weekend all things being equal. The ground around that point is very spongy. I can be walking along and my foot suddenly go down 4 inches more than it "should", when I plunge my walking stick into it in some places it will go down nearly a foot before hitting anything solid. I know it's full of rubble but I guess there could be voids. There is a large block of concrete right around that area about 8 inches thick and two feet wide standing on its end, can't see the bottom of it, its too deep into the soil and can't see whether it is blocking an entrance, I suspect not, I think it has just been dumped there and landed in an upright position.

Ok, I will put my hand up for half of that, I think my pin is about 70 yards away from where it should be, North/South wise it should be level with the southern house on that Mount Road layby road thingy.

I paced 200 longish paces south of the mount road entrance, in my head I equated that to 150 yards taking into account the slippy terrain (torvill and dean eat your hearts out, try taking long paces on hardish slippy mud) but it looks like the 200 is fairly accurate, so the pirouettes did pay off.

I've yet to find that openening where the pin was, everywhere seems to have about the same level of tree cover, it is too far into the woods for the "cutting" at the end of the tram line, isn't it?

i reckon that I know pretty much exactly where it is now- famous last words and all that. You might need to send a search party out for me if I dont report back on saturday evening. Actually a night in storeton woods is quite pleasant if planned, a completely different world.

Is this any help? It's from the book "The Storeton Tramway" by R.C.Jermy. I think the road off Mount Rd. to the right, is Mill Rd. Using the scale on the map, the path shown, in alignment with the Great Cutting, is 120 yards South of Mill Rd.

Had a quick browse around, the apex extends about two feet into the ground on the right at least and is a solid structure. sadly no sign of other iron structure around there. If I had a spade etc and time and permission I would like to dig around that and the mound to the left as they are not solid underfoot and have "space in the soil" behind one large piece of concrete and below another.

40 yards to the left is this, hollow below to some extent. Feels like it could be worth a nose at.

That picture above needs rotating but I don't know how to do it.

This one shows the potential space behind/below the concrete

Very good Bernie, there have always been too many people/kids around whenever I've been there to have a good kick on the apex to see how solid it is (good archaelogical survey technique).

The apex will be very close to the middle on the bottom edge of Chris' map. I wonder why the pit was there, either it sank or was purposeful.

I am assuming the remnant of rail is in the correct place just on the entrance to the great cutting, I didn't realise the line carried on past the great cutting and then divides in two, is that a turnstile or whatever you call it for trains/trams/trolleys?

The only area I had a proper poke around turned out to be the hollow after a dead tree had fully decomposed, it looked good until I found the stump.

there is definately something worth more poking around at. It could obviously be space in between huge lumps of rubble but it might not be. I think I will spend some time on the internet trying to get as much info as possible about the quarry to try to work out what I might be looking for. I could do with an exact GPS location of the split in the line to see if it compares with the coordinates I have for the shed structure- I think it is too far to the right .

Yes, that looks like a turntable.

I was in the woods for nearly two hours taking pictures and GPS readings, unfortunately, the GPS readings are not accurate enough to make sense (I measured a resolution of about 30yds). Anyway, I am pretty sure I know where the turntable was and that is just a few yards south of the rod that started this topic.

The Apex most certainly isn't part of a larger structure.

Bernie's concrete block is on the corner immediately south of the entrance to the great cutting, the northern corner has other material, these might just be scrapings from some bulldozing.

I understand how the quarry was formed, basically they didn't dig down - they dug sideways - firstly along the great cutting then north and south from the turntable position. I strogly suspect they went south first and gave up on this part then headed north - all of this going HORIZONTAL the tram lins were at the bottom of the pits and level with the entrance to the great cutting.

The western wall of the "North of turntable" quarry is very clear to see, you can see the rock, the eastern wall is presumably in the ramp up to the Mount Road wall, which is starting to get too brambley to penetrate and is builtup with soil.

Looking at the growth - I would say the pit to the south of the turntable was closed and filled in along time before the pit to the North, because everything to the north is clear to see.

Here is a map showing the great cutting and the Northern Pit .. the great cutting DEFINATELY goes straight through the middle of the opening. You can see the western line of the pit quite clearly.

Thanks for that report. I'm sure your analysis of the site is correct. The line was pretty well level from the turntable to the Mount Rd. tunnel, with a variation of no more than about 10 feet. After that, it descended to the Stone Quay quite rapidly, with a gradient of up to 1 in 20. The only motive power used was Shire horses; they would haul laden wagons from the quarry to the eastern end of the Mount Rd. tunnel, from where gravity would take over. The horses would haul the empty wagons back to the quarry.

its fascinating to try to imagine it all those years ago.

Who else remembers the large deep section of the storton quarry that was on the other side of mount road been filled in. Seem to remember it was during the 1960s or perhaps the early 70s

I do, it was probably 70s. it was bought as an investment for future building land. I am not sure but it may have been free or cheap tipping of certain materials till the quarry had been filled in. I remember as they got near to the top only soil could be tipped. As far as i know, so many years have to pass for the land to settle before building can commence.

Yes, I remember it well, back in the 1940's/50's. It had water in the bottom as I remember. It was filled in in the late '60's with the spoil from the Wallasey tunnel. I don't know how long it has to be left before it can be built on, but it looks like a prime site (well, maybe not at present). However, the bit of land at the East end of the Mount Rd. tunnel has been filled in & built on.

Right, I will try and do a walkthrough from the photographs I took ....

more

more

A nice series; thanks. Now, from the point where you took the last pic., the line ran level into the quarry, so if we were able to figure out how much higher the Western edge of the quarry is, we'd know the depth. Any surveyors on here?

Highest reading on GPS was 83 yds and lowest was 65 yds, but again resolution of GPS was poor and only had 6 satellites up, need around 10 to get reasonable accuracy on height.

The 18 yds above sounds about right, I can't imagine a narrowish cutting with a depth of more than 54 ft, definately a hard-hat zone!

@Chris Are your 1:10 and 1:20 figures quotes for this quarry or normal practice?

I could string it to find out but too much risk of decapitating dogs/kids/people.

Have we got BMs on maps?

Your GPS figures are in the ballpark with those I've just got on Google Earth, (but I don't know how accurate they are). I get: Western edge = 237ft. & preserved rails point = 200ft. However, I've just found some info. in the book about the Mersey Tunnel (Queensway). This was published in 1934 to commemorate the opening & contains much technical detail. I'll paraphrase the relevant bit.
"Filling of Storeton quarry...over 500 yards long & varying in depth from 25 to 80ft." (They dumped 453,000 tons there).
My thoughts now are: the line came through the cutting to the turntable & then lines radiated from there as shown on the drawing I posted earlier. All this essentially on the level. Then the quarry, apart from where the tracks were, was dug deeper & the stone lifted to track level by crane. Cranes are shown on the drawing, although these would have been needed anyway just to lift from track level onto the wagons. This could account for the
"25 to 80ft." So; maybe the turntable was only 25ft. below the rim & that would also have been the maximum depth of the Great Cutting.
My previous quoted 1:20 gradient is from "The Storeton Tramway" book. I didn't say a 1:10 gradient, but noted that the total height variation from turntable to Mount Rd. tunnel was no more than 10ft. This also from figures in the book.
Can't find a map of the area with BM's; don't think there'd be any in the middle of the woods anyway.

Cheers, Chris.

My eye popped out my head when I read 500 yds, but that quarry map above was 1870, quarry carried on northward after that and of course they must be including the south quarry as well.

Here is 1918 map which gives quarry about 500 yds end of north to end of south minus a bit for the middle.

I notice the road entrance to the quarry from the north, I thought I noticed another gap in the west wall, this will be another cutting.

The two huts are on the 1913 map.

BTW we have benchmarks 217ft to 230ft along Mount Road and 184 ft at line level where it crosses Rest Hill Rd which taking about 12ft off for drop from mount rd to quarry edge level gives about 27 ft which agrees with your last post. So it looks like the north part of the northern quarry dropped on average from 25ft deep to 80ft deep over a distance of about 650ft which equates to an average incline of 1:8 so if it was 1:20 incline from turntable then nearly two thirds of the north part of the northern quarry could be at 80ft deep.

Always worries me that they are blasting the face that the cranes stand on.

The (up to)1:20 incline refers to the track from the Mount Rd. tunnel to the river. I believe that, because of the use of horses, the line in & from the quarry to Mount Rd. tunnel was essentially level.
Incidentally, to dump 453,000 tons of sandstone from the tunnel would need a volume of about 238,000 cu. yds., allowing 1.9 tons/cu.yd.

Yep, that ties up very nicely, if the quarry was an average of 40 yds wide and 500 yds long it would need and average depth of 35ft to do that. So the figures are cetainly in the right order. The southern part of the north quarry and the south quarry couldn't have an average depth as deep as the northern part of the north quarry.

I'm still wondering if they do slope, the horses only pulled empty waggons/trams on line to/from river because it was all down hill when laden and a number of places mention free-wheeling.

I have seen some quarries with overhead tracks on wooden frames/trellis. If they are loaded by crane it wouldn't matter.

I've now found some height figures in my book "The Storeton Tramway" by R.C.Jermy. Heights are in feet.
North quarry wagon turntable 200
Start of Storeton woods embankment 199
Rest Hill crossing 184 (As your benchmark)
Mount Rd. tunnel (end) 204

So the hardest part for the horses was between Rest Hill & the Mount Rd. tunnel; a climb of 20ft. through Hancock's Wood.
When I was a child, the Mount Rd. tunnel was only half filled in & you could get inside. The tunnel was approached through a cutting. At some time, the first half of the tunnel collapsed; this can still be seen, in the woods, right next to the Mount Rd. wall. Grid Ref. SJ315842
Now that your interest in the quarry has been aroused, you may want R.C.Jermy's book "The Storeton Tramway". It's usually available on Amazon.

The archives also have records from the quarries.

Clicky

A bit more history of the rails. As we know, they were probably bought secondhand from the Liverpool & Manchester Railway when they upgraded theirs to heavier type.
This is a description of the original L & M R rail, and how it is retained in the chair. (It's from Hebert's Encyclopaedia of the Machinery, dated 1836, Vol.2.)
Would it be possible for some kind local 'addict' to do a close-up photo of the end of the rail and the chair with the wedging pin fitted, to prove the connection with the L & R rails. (A light wire brushing would be usefull!)
I've cropped a bit of diggingdeeper's photo of March 09 to show where I mean, unless there is a better example elsewhere.

Cheers all
Bri

I've only just discovered this thread after reading about the Storeton quarries on another site. Some great research here, what a fantastic place it must have been at the height of it's activity. It's a real shame that a lot more of the tramway couldn't have been preserved.

Welcome to the WikiWirral machine Greasbyrover enjoy looking around.

Do we know if the railway tracks were removed at some stage after the quarries were closed down or are they still buried under the woods? Similarly, what happened to the tracks for the part of the line from the quarry on the east side of Mount Road to the river near Port Sunlight? I've tried to order "The Storeton Tramway" book but unfortunately it's not available on Amazon at the moment. It's a fascinating subject. I've had a good look around and am still trying to locate where the cutting was made to start the tunnel that ran underneath Mount Road. I think I've found the collapsed part of it which is right up against the wall on Mount Road, near a couple of rope swings, about 50 yards south of the TV mast, but can't find the start of it.

greasbyrover: This has also been covered in another thread/topic:
https://www.wikiwirral.co.uk/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/359268/Re_Mount_Rd_Higher_Bebington.html

Just been looking at the tithe maps and spotted that the tramway went through what is now Elmure and Wilstan Avenues.

I grew up in the area and it's just dawned on me having looked at the maps that there's another relic of the tramway still in existance.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=elmure+avenue+bebington&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Elmure+Ave,+United+Kingdom&ll=53.349796,-3.027039&spn=0.000887,0.003433&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=53.349773,-3.027206&panoid=6mWi5L4PZcyMGphoTvcC5w&cbp=12,254.5,,0,0

There's a house or two up there, but it has the looking of what used to be a cutting to me.

If you pan the map out it lines up with the tunnel.

Think you're right.

Here's confirmation that Elmore Ave. is indeed on the line of the old tramway. Elmore Ave. marked in red on the old 1912 O.S.map.

a bit off topic but has anyone know what bunker in bunker hill would be on the map

1.
a. A bin or tank especially for fuel storage, as on a ship.
b. Fuel, such as coal or fuel oil, used especially in ships. Often used in the plural.
2. An underground fortification, often with a concrete projection above ground level for observation or gun emplacements.
3. Sports A sand trap serving as an obstacle on a golf course.
tr.v. bun·kered, bun·ker·ing, bun·kers
1. To store or place (fuel) in a bunker.
2. Sports To hit (a golf ball) into a bunker.

or bunk off school as we used to say

bunk bed

I think the tramway might have gone right through were the house I grew up in is now.

Don't know the answer, Derek, but it seems to be a very common name all over the country. I would guess that the derivation is the same for all of them.

One thing i am wondering (slightly off topic but) when they built the estate, did they get permission to nick some of the public footpath?

If not, who's up for a wander through some houses?

it looks like a mark made in a prison workshop. You can see these sometimes on old kerbstones,that were made in UK prisons. Interesting tho'.