The Railways: Nation, Network and People

Review Praise for St Pancras Station: '[A] masterpiece of historical context ... Immensely readable. --(Sunday Times) There is nothing in this book that I am not happy to know; much more of it is valuable to know; all of it is a pleasure to know. --(Spectator) A marvellous piece of social, aesthetic and technological history ... It is impossible to praise Bradley's book too highly. (A.N. Wilson --Daily Telegraph) Product Description Britain's railways have been a vital part of national life for nearly 200 years. Transforming lives and landscapes, they have left their mark on everything from timekeeping to tourism. As a self-contained world governed by distinctive rules and traditions, the network also exerts a fascination all its own. From the classical grandeur of Newcastle station to the ceaseless traffic of Clapham Junction, from the mysteries of Brunel's atmospheric railway to the lost routines of the great marshalling yards, Simon Bradley explores the world of Britain's railways, the evolution of the trains, and the changing experiences of passengers and workers. The Victorians' private compartments, railway rugs and footwarmers have made way for air-conditioned carriages with airline-type seating, but the railways remain a giant and diverse anthology of structures from every period, and parts of the system are the oldest in the world. Using fresh research, keen observation and a wealth of cultural references, Bradley weaves from this network a remarkable story of technological achievement, of architecture and engineering, of shifting social classes and gender relations, of safety and crime, of tourism and the changing world of work. The Railways shows us that to travel through Britain by train is to journey through time as well as space. Book Description An extraordinary social history of Britain's rail networks and its people, that will appeal to railway enthusiasts, commuters and everyone else who travels by train About the Author Simon Bradley is joint editor of the celebrated Pevsner Architectural Guides, to which he has contributed a number of notable revised volumes. He started trainspotting aged eleven, and his interest in railways has broadened and endured. He is the author of St Pancras Station (Profile), and lives in London.