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| The Railway Heritage of Britain |
Book Info 150 Years of Railway Architecture and Engineering
Railways and railway stations have always been associated with romance, adventure and the pioneering spirit. They caught the Victorian imagination, and the proud and individual railway companies became some of the most prolific and inventive builders of the Industrial Revolution. The Railway Heritage of Britain covers an enormous variety of subjects: not only stations, bridges, tunnels and viaducts but hotels, engine sheds, warehouses, water towers and signal boxes, crossing keepers’ cottages and war memorials. The railway network was built by well over a hundred different companies, each with its own distinctive style. All the main ones are introduced in the book, together with their locomotives and rolling stock, their platform signs, tickets and operating equipment. Biographical portraits of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Robert Stephenson, Sir William Tite, the Cubitts and other leading architects and engineers complete this region-by-region history of British railway building as it can still be seen and appreciated today. More Articles... Scott of St Pancras · St Pancras Hotel Review‘This book is beautifully laid out and makes fascinating reading.’ – Sir John Betjeman
‘Comprehensive and reliable, yet attractively produced, lavishly (and often evocatively) illustrated and very reasonably priced.’ – Ken Powell, Country Life More Articles... Scott of St Pancras · St Pancras Hotel ContentsHow to Use This Book
Introduction Eastern Region Splendours and Miseries of British Rail’s Architectural Heritage London Midland Region Scottish Region Southern Region Western Region Glossary of Terms Appendix: British Rail’s Listed Buildings Picture Credits Acknowledgements Index More Articles... Scott of St Pancras · St Pancras Hotel Preview INTRODUCTIONNo one who travels by rail can fail to notice that he is using an old form of land transport, the first in fact to offer an advance on horse power. The trains may be modern or relatively so, but neon signs, petrol stations and all the clutter and ribbon development associated with the ubiquitous motor car are comparatively absent along the railway lines. The countryside very often comes up to the tracks, the scene is more pastoral, still recognisably the world portrayed by the early railway artists such as J. C. Bourne, A. F. Tait and many others, in which sheep grazed beneath the viaducts and the carriage-borne gentry travelled out to admire the ornamental tunnel portals and the steam horses of the iron roads. Even in the cities the railways usually approach the stations against a backdrop of old mills and warehouses, some still bearing enamel or wooden advertising signs, all mixed up with Victorian terraces displaying their backyards and too often awaiting the demolition contractor. Here we scent the Victorian underworld of Doré, Mayhew and Dickens. PERTH Perth is a remarkable station in several respects, and is well named ‘the Gateway to the Highlands’; before the Grouping of 1923 it was here that enormous volumes of summer traffic were exchanged with the Highland Railway. In the summer of 1923, for instance, 25 major long-distance expresses containing sleeping cars, Pullmans and through coaches to and from a wide variety of destinations were re-marshalled at Perth each day for the south-bound direction. For its design Tite clearly copied many features from his station at Carlisle, particularly the generally Tudor styling and the turret. The main footbridge (added later) is virtually a replica of the Carlisle footbridge. The fine two-storey buildings have had several extensions over the years, and at one time housed three separate booking offices, for the Highland, the Caledonian and the North British. The old refreshment room still retains its Corinthian columns, deep panelled ceiling and marble fireplace, relics of more prosperous times. More Articles... Scott of St Pancras · St Pancras Hotel |
| Wild Escapades |
 In our Wild Escape Competition, Liz Cleere described a trek in the eastern Himalayas to visit a slice of wild India that people rarely see and Helen Moat recounted the magical night she and her young son Jamie spent in the company of glow worms in Britain’s Peak District. Liz Cleere is the winner. |
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| Ruthless Rhyme Competition Result |
 The judges have announced the 12 poems short-listed in the Ruthless Rhyme competition. All are now published, along with audio readings, profiles of the writers and judges and a selection of rhymes that deserve mention for being creative or ridiculous. |
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Quote of the Week
Cottage with Rooms to Hire
‘They had to share a five-foot bed, both of them over six foot, with their feet sticking out of the window... In the morning hens were roosting on their toes.’ – Wild Ireland by Brendan Lehane
‘They had to share a five-foot bed, both of them over six foot, with their feet sticking out of the window... In the morning hens were roosting on their toes.’ – Wild Ireland by Brendan Lehane
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