By C.H.A Townley and J.A. Peden
Published by the Industrial Railway Society in 1999, 272 pages. Hardback - c.17cm by 23.5cm (N6059)
Brand New Book
From the front inside fly leaf: In their History of the Industrial Railways of St Helens, Widnes and Warrington the authors continue their exploration of the lines which served factories and collieries in what, until the local government reorganisation of the 1970s, used to be South Lancashire.
As in their previous books on the Wigan Coalfield and Bolton, Bury and the Manchester Coalfield, a summary is provided on the development of the canals and main line railways which served the district. The remainder of Part One is devoted to an area within two or three miles of St Helens Town Centre where glass works and chemical works dominated the scene.
The authors have had access to important and not previously published archives relating to Pilkington Brothers and other local firms. This has provided much of the material for the present study and will be of great interest to industrial archaeologists as well as railway historians. Over 40 large scale maps are included which illustrate industrial development from the 1820s to the present day. There are also 53 photographs of the various factory railway systems and the locomotives employed on them.
Sources are fully referenced so that anyone who wishes to pursue a more detailed study of the topics in the book can readily do so. Almost without exception the references are in the public domain and, in the case of unpublished material, a note is provided of its location.
| Condition | New |