Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> The opening of the Railway in May 1830 heralded the dawn of the great railway age in southern England. On that bright auspicious day there was great rejoicing and celebration in the ancient city of Canterbury as well as the old seaside town of Whitstable. It was a truly remark- able achievement for the visionary promoters and builders of this line which had taken five long and difficult years to construct. As the railway network rapidly spread out across Britain the C & WR gradually faded into virtual insignificance simultaneously suffering a lack of investment fierce com- petition from road carriers and an outdated system of operation. Total financial collapse seemed inevitable until in 1844 the South Eastern Railway stepped in and rescued the line by absorbing it within its empire. This represented a new beginning for the old C & WR which was improved and henceforward operated as a conventional railway. Thus began the era of real prosperity and the years of greatest interest hitherto uninvestigated or revealed. During its busy life the line carried tons of coal coke grain and other commodities from this industrious Kentish port to be distrib- uted around the county whilst people flocked in their hundreds at weekends and holidays to enjoy the breezy shoreline at Tankerton. (MP)