The railways changed the world. They initiated a revolution in communications which continues to this day, ever more profoundly influencing our lives. They had an enormous economic and social impact in Britain, not least with its demography. Before 1914 places on the railway system felt they were connected to the wider world. Those left off the system often feared for their future.

It was never actually as simple as that. Some places well served by railways prospered, other did not. Some with minimal or no railway connections managed to sustain themselves successfully. Others became complex railway hubs, perhaps with railway-based engineering works, extensive shunting yards and warehouses and a large requirement for labour. Some companies built large numbers of dwellings for their workers and their families. Sometimes they even built churches and parks, for example.

Places of this character have often been described as 'railway towns' but what is actually meant by this term?

In a pioneering attempt in book form to move towards an understanding of what constitutes a railway town, the author considers a wide range of cities, towns, villages and other settlements and asks to what extent they owed their nineteenth and early twentieth century development to the railways.

This book should appeal to students of railway history, British topography and the economic, social and cultural impact of railways.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter One The Historical Context
• Chapter Two Some Railway Towns of New Creation
• Chapter Three Some Smaller Railway Settlements of New Creation
• Chapter Four Towns Predating the Railways
• Chapter Five Cathedral Cities and Railway Towns
• Chapter Six Railway Industrial Districts in Provincial Cities
• Chapter Seven London’s Residential Railway Suburbs
• Chapter Eight London’s Railway Districts
• Chapter Nine Major Industrial Towns
• Chapter Ten Railways and Suburbs in Provincial Cities
• Chapter Eleven Railways and Seaports
• Chapter Twelve Inland Watering Places
• Chapter Thirteen Some Major Seaside Resorts
• Chapter Fourteen Some Smaller Seaside Resorts
• Chapter Fifteen Railways and Smaller Towns
• Chapter Sixteen Navvy Settlements
• Select Bibliography
• Plates