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.