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Transcript of a series of articles that appeared in the Athenaeum, 1842-1843, giving itineraries and descriptions of monuments that could be visited in day excursions by railway from London, the first headed 'The Bye Paths of England' and signed 'M' (Athenaeum, 1842, pp.634-5), the others headed 'Days' Excursions out of London' (Athenaeum, 1843, pp.715-7, 736-7, 754-6, 819-20, 882-4, 904-6).

Small mounted oil painting by Thomas Creswick, of a steam train passing Leighton Buzzard on the London and Birmingham Railway line. A note on the reverse suggests that the work was painted in 1837.

Papers relating to the Exeter and Exmouth Railway, 1847-1857, comprising correspondence concerning purchase of lands for the railway and parliamentary proceedings as follows.

1. Four printed letters completed in manuscript, dated between 11 and 17 Dec 1856, and addressed to Frederick Sanders, solicitor, of Exeter, registering assent, dissent or neutrality to proposals to extend the time for compulsary purchase of lands for the railway which were to appear before parliament; (i) and (iii) assented, (iv) dissented, and (ii) James Pitts, declared himself neutral, adding 'If you get an extension of time for 50 years I do not believe your line will be made'.
2. Letter of 28 Apr 1847, from Messrs. Carter & Chanter, Barnstable, to Frederick Kitson, solicitor, of Exeter, concerning land in the Manor of Tawton Deane required for the Taw Valley Railway, in which the Dean of Exeter and Mr Brailey have an interest.
3. Letter of 5 Jan 1854, from Messrs. Osborne Ward & Co., Bristol, to Ralph Barnes, solicitor, of Exeter, replying to a request for advice on the 'mortgage of tolls under the Railway Act'.
4. Letter of 24 Apr 1857, from Messrs. Pritt, Sherwood, Venables, and Quiller, of 7 Great George Street, Westminster, to Frederick Sanders, solicitor, of Exeter, concerning the progress of the railway's bill in parliament.

Printed share certificate no. 1399 of the Grand Junction Canal, completed in manuscript, owned by Elizabeth Grant, spinster of Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. It is dated (in print) 16 Sep 1793, at the second general meeting at Daventry, Northants, signed by two clerks to the company, and sealed with the paper seal of the company.

Papers of Benjamin Hall, [1864], comprise a letter to [Frederick G Saunders], Secretary, Great Western Railway Company, complaining about the inadequacy of the current rail facilities and service: '... and the inhabitants of this district will still be shut out from all communication with Bristol'. The journey from London now took 6 hours and 40 minutes: 'I must observe that before the amalgamation was completed we could run up to London in far less time and since the amalgamation the great inconveniences have arisen'.

Papers collated by Charles Lawrence relating to his interests in the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and the Grand Junction Railway, 1826-1845, comprising the following:
Papers relating to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, 1826-1842, including four letters from Thomas Brand, 20th Baron Dacre, to Charles Lawrence, Chairman of the Railway, 1826-30, concerning the Company's Bill in the House of Lords; a summons to Lawrence to give evidence before Parliamentary Committee of 1826 on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Bill; material relating to William Huskisson, such as a printed notice regarding his election (1830), a printed copy of the inscription on Huskisson's memorial tablet and a letter to Lawrence regarding the monument erected to Huskisson's memory (1836), as well as letters from C.Heming, Emma Stanley, Countess of Derby (1830), George Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Duke of Sutherland (1835) and Robert Benson Dockray (1835) regarding his death; names and numbers of all locomotive engines on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway to 1 Mar 1836; statistics of tonnage carried, arranged by subjects, 1830-1836, probably prepared for the Board of Trade; names and numbers of locomotive engines on the Railway to 18 Jan 1837; an abstract of locomotive expenses, 1841; a letter from Edward Woods to Lawrence giving the state of the company's stock of locomotive engines to 31 Dec 1842.
Papers relating to the Grand Junction Railway, 1840-1845, including a report by John Moss, Chairman of the Board of the Grand Junction Railway Company, on the creation of shares, adopted 20 May 1840; a draft agreement in the hand of George Carr Glynn for the amalgamation of the London and Birmingham and Grand Junction Railway Companies, 1845.

Manuscript items relating to the proposed London and Birmingham Railway, 1830-1833, as follows.

1. Copy of an estimate by John Sinclair, civil engineer of Hartshill, Atherstone, of a railway between Coventry and Birmingham, dated 21 March 1832. (2 leaves. 12¾" x 8").
2. Notes on the projected route of the London and Birmingham Railway, from a plan 'deposited with the Clerk of the Peace', 1830. (4 leaves. 9" x 8").
3. List of cuttings, tunnels and other works on the railway line between London and Birmingham, [1830]. (2 leaves. 10" x 7¾").

Alphabetical list for applicants for the post of porter with the railway, giving name of applicant, residence, age, former employment, by whom recommended and remarks. Undated, probably c1837.

Redeemed mortgage, 1849, of £1500 for seven years at 5%.

Papers of George Webb Medley, 1875-1893, comprising 130 volumes of press-cuttings, mostly from the national press such as The Times, Pall Mall Gazette, The Echo, and The Daily News. Some volumes are indexed. Subjects include Egypt, 1875-1885 (reference Medley 1-10); Political Economy - statistics and taxation, c 1879-1893 (Medley 11-20, 47-48, 50); Conservative Party including Lord Randolph Churchill, speeches of Lord Salisbury, c 1880-1885 (Medley 21-46); Blasphemy - the law, 1883 (Medley 49); the Franchise, 1883-1884 (Medley 51-53); Church and State, 1883-1885 (Medley 54-56); Free Trade, 1881-1891 (Medley 57-96); Land, c 1876-1885 (Medley 97-102); Liberal Party, 1879-1885 (Medley 103-108); Empire and Colonies, 1883-1884 (Medley 109); Education, 1883-1884 (Medley 110), Army and Navy, 1880-1884 (Medley 111); Liberty and Property Defence League, 1883-1884 (Medley 112); House of Lords, 1884-1886 (Medley 113-115); British economy, other economies, trade, 1885-1893 (Medley 116-129); Railways (United Kingdom and overseas), 1877-1879 (Medley 130).

Papers and drawings relating to the Nottingham and Lincoln Railway, c1842-1867, namely:

1. Lithograph of Nottingham contract specification for execution of the works, to be completed before 1st June, 1846, with a list of 12 drawings to which the specification refers. (These do not, in most cases, correspond with the 12 numbered drawings that now accompany this document). (47 leaves. 12½" x 8").
2. Three lists of equipment and materials, compiled for comparison of the total weights various types of lifting gear will bear, c 1845. (2 leaves. 13" x 8").
3. Printed testimonials of Charles Kinder, railway engineer, 1851-1867, who was trained in the Newcastle works of Robert Stephenson, under whom he prepared the contract plans for and superintended the works on the Nottingham and Lincoln railway. (2 leaves. 9¼" x 7½").
4. 12 engineering drawings, c 1842-1845, comprising a section and plan of the railway through Belper, 1842 (27½" x 51"); sections of cuttings and embankments, numbered 5a and 6a, incomplete (19½" x 23¼"); sections of cuttings and embankments, numbered 7a and 8a (19½" x 27½"); drawings and sections of a mile and ½-and ¼-mile posts (13" x 14¼"); elevations, plans and sections for a bridge for the Flood Road, numbered 10 (this corresponds with drawing No.10 listed in the contract, p.2.); tracing on linen (24" x 72"); elevations, plans and sections for a bridge over the branch of the River Trent near the 18th mile, numbered 8; tracing on linen (24" x 36"); elevations and sections of a bridge over the River Witham at Lincoln, numbered 9; tracing on linen (24" x 36"); plan, drawings and section for a lifting gear to the bridge for crossing the canal at 14.50 chains, numbered 9; tracing on linen (24" x 36"); plan and sections for a bridge for crossing the canal at 14.50 chains, numbered 9; tracing on linen (24" x 36"); elevation, plan and section of a bridge for the footway of Queens Road, numbered 8 (this corresponds with drawing No.8 listed in the contract, pp.1-2); tracing on linen (24" x 36"); printed plan and section, with manuscript additions, of the proposed railway line from Nottingham to Lincoln (this sheet, numbered 1, shows the town of Nottingham and 1 mile East - i.e. to the parish boundary), surveyed by J.G.Binns in 1844 (19½" x 27"); printed plan and section, with manuscript additions, of the proposed railway line from Nottingham to Lincoln (this sheet is unnumbered but is the final one of a set; it shows the city of Lincoln and 1 mile West), endorsed 'Nottingham and Lincoln Railway. The ends of the working plans and sections' (19½" x 26½").

Nine notes and memoranda, 1861-1864, addressed to Rainford Junction, near St Helens on railway traffic matters, mostly from the Engineer's Office and the Passenger Dept., St Helens, but also from the Goods Dept. at Garston and Widnes Docks.

Two way bills of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company, 1862, one dated 10 Feb from Adelaide Colliery, Bishop Auckland; the other dated 13 Feb from North Bitchburn Colliery, Witton-le-Wear, Durham.