The reason for the visit to Ashington is that it is the end of a branch line that was re-opened to passenger traffic in December 2024, having been previously closed 60 years before. The town itself (some argue that it is a village) has a population of about 30,000, and grew up around the coal mining industry. The only clock that I found on my visit was on the Town Hall on Station Road. Work on this building began in 1911 and was completed two years later. It was the headquarters of Ashington Urban District Council until local government reorganisation...