This is a recording of a talk called Who Built the Victorian Railways and Did They Get it Right? which was recorded on 25th October 2023.
This talk was part of the Online Autumn Talk Series 2023 called Railway Architecture and Society in the Victorian Society. Follow this link to book all of the talks.
In his widely read High Minds: The Victorians and the Birth of Modern Britain (2013), Simon Heffer claims that “As a symbol of progress and modernity, and indeed the creation of a whole new sort of society, the railways stood out alone.”
This talk engages with the history of railway expansion, and in particular the notion this was informed by the disinterested moral purpose, or ‘high minds’, of Victorian politicians and intellectuals such as Peel and Gladstone. By drawing on recent research by other academics, and taking a closer look at many of the people and institutions that appear in High Minds, while introducing a few more that don’t feature but should, I argue that Britain’s railways developed as a comprehensive network but not as effectively as they could have done as an integrated system.
The Victorians’ failure to develop a strategic, long-term vision for the railways resonates today. Have today’s policy-makers learnt the lessons from the past, for what is needed for effective system planning ?
Colin Divall is professor emeritus of railway studies, University of York and was until 2014 head of the Institute of Railway Studies & Transport History, a joint initiative with the National Railway Museum. Retirement allows him to explore some rather arcane aspects of Victorian railways in east Dorset, as well as continuing to research the politics of post-war rural transport – work which occasionally gets an airing in the Department for Transport.
After booking a ticket, you will be given access to the recording of the event. Please ignore the event date in the listings.
This event helps raise funds for The Victorian Society - the only charity dedicated to fighting for our Victorian and Edwardian heritage. Join us today and safeguard our unique cultural heritage for future generations! For further information, click here.
The Victorian Society is an IHBC recognised CPD provider.
I mage: Railway Map of Central London, 1899
