The Railway Haters: Opposition To Railways, From The 19th To 21st Centuries

Description

The railways symbolized the changes taking place in Britain as a result of the Industrial Revolution, and they themselves greatly contributed to these changes. 'Old Wealth', in the form of the great landowning dynasties and the landed gentry, was under challenge from 'New Wealth' the energetic industrial and commercial, urban middle class. Railways, with powers of compulsory purchase, intruded brutally into the previously sacrosanct estates and pleasure grounds of Britain's traditional ruling elite and were part of this clash of class interests. Aesthetes like Ruskin and poets like Wordsworth ranted against railways; Sabbatarians attacked them for providing employment on the Lord's Day; antiquarians accused them of vandalism by destroying ancient buildings; others claimed their noise would make cows abort and chickens cease laying. Railways were controversial then and have continued to provoke debate ever since. Arguments raged concerning nationalization and privatization, about the Beeching Plan and around light rail systems in British cities and HS1 and HS2. Examining railways from earliest times to the present, this book provides insights into social, economic and political attitudes and emphasizes both change and continuity over 200 years. Cover......Page 1 Book Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Table Of Contents......Page 6 Introduction......Page 8 Chapter One: The Impact of Industrialisation and Urbanisation on Britain......Page 16 Chapter Two: Inland Transport Before the Railway Age......Page 20 Chapter Three: The Railway Age – An Outline of Railway Developments 1820-1914......Page 32 Chapter Four: Challenges facing the Landed Aristocracy in the Early Nineteenth Century......Page 53 Chapter Five: How Railway schemes were promoted......Page 65 Chapter Six: How the Landed Aristocracy reacted to the coming of the Railways......Page 78 Chapter Seven: Other opposition from landowners......Page 110 Chapter Eight: The need to regulate the Railways......Page 163 Chapter Nine: The Railway Interest......Page 181 Chapter Ten: Other types of opposition to the Railways......Page 185 Chapter Eleven: Railways up and running and still generating criticism......Page 237 Chapter Twelve: Attitudes to Railways in the Arts......Page 270 Chapter Thirteen: Examples of support for Railways......Page 306 Chapter Fourteen: Hostility continues......Page 333 Select Bibliography......Page 406 Notes......Page 411 Index......Page 415 Back Cover......Page 418