Sir Edward William Watkin (26 September 1819 - 13 April 1901) was a Victorian railway chairman and politician. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1819 ( MDCCCXIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar in the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation.
Biography
Watkin was born in Salford, Lancashire, the son of a wealthy cotton merchant, Absalom Watkin who was noted for his involvement in the Anti-corn Law League. Salford lies at the heart of the City of Salford, a Metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp The Corn Laws were Import tariffs designed to support domestic British corn prices against competition from less expensive foreign-grain imports between 1815 and 1846
After a private education, he returned to work in his father's mill business. In 1845 he founded the Manchester Examiner, by which time he had become a partner in his father's business. Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common
Watkin began to show an interest in railways and at age 26, also in 1845, he took on the secretaryship of the Trent Valley Railway, which was sold the following year to the London & Birmingham and Grand Junction railways (which were about to amalgamate to form the London and North Western Railway (LNWR)), for £438,000. The Trent Valley Line is a Railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line. This is about the 19th century railway company For the 21st century train operating company see London Midland The London and Birmingham Railway The Grand Junction Railway (GJR was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 The London and North Western Railway (LNWR L&NWR was a Railway company of the United Kingdom which existed between 1846 and 1922 He then became assistant to Captain Mark Huish, General Manager of the LNWR. He visited USA and Canada and published a book about the railways in these countries in 1852. Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Back in Great Britain he was appointed secretary of the Worcester & Hereford Railway. He then left the LNWR and became the general manager of the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR). The Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR was formed by amalgamation in 1847 He held this position from 1854 to 1862 and was chairman of the company from 1864 to 1894. Year 1854 ( MDCCCLIV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Year 1862 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting on Monday Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He was knighted in 1868 and made a baronet in 1880. Knight is the English term for a social position originating in the Middle Ages. Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) or the rare female equivalent a baronetess (abbreviation Btss) is the holder Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year
Abroad he encouraged the uniting of the Canadian provinces by the building of a railroad. He also helped to build the railway between Athens and Piraeus, advised on the Indian railways and organised the transport of the Belgian Congo. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's Piraeus (pɪˈræʊs Πειραιάς, piɾeˈas Πειραιεύς, piɾeˈefs is a city in the periphery of Attica, Greece, and a Indian Railways (भारतीय रेल Bhāratīya Rail) abbreviated as IR (hi भारे is a Department of the Government of India under the Ministry The Belgian Congo ( Dutch: Belgisch Kongo French: Congo Belge German: Belgisch Kongo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic
Watkin also served on other railway companies. In 1866 he became a director on the Great Western Railway and later on the Great Eastern Railway. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Great Western Railway ( GWR) was a British railway company and a notable example of Civil engineering, linking London with the West The Great Eastern Railway (GER was a pre-grouping British railway company whose main line linked London Liverpool By 1881 Watkins was director of nine railways and trustee of a tenth. Year 1881 ( MDCCCLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common These included the Cheshire Lines, the East London, the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire, the Manchester, South Junction & Altrincham, the Metropolitan, the Oldham, Ashton & Guide Bridge, the Sheffield & Midland Joint, the South Eastern, the Wigan Junction and the New York, Lake Eyrie and Western railways. The East London Line was a line of the London Underground, coloured orange on the Tube map. The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJ&AR was a suburban railway which operated a 13 The Metropolitan Railway (MetR and the Metropolitan District Railway (District were the first two underground railways to be built in London, creating the world's For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom The Erie Railroad was a Railroad that operated in New York State, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and
Watkin is perhaps best known for being responsible for the building of the MS&LR's 'London Extension' during the 1890s, which was the last main line to be constructed into London (until the opening of '[[High Speed 1'[[ in 2007). History In 1864 Sir Edward Watkin took over directorship of the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Watkin not only saw an independent route to London as crucial for the long term survival and development of the MS&LR, but saw it as part of a grander scheme. Watkin's chairmanships of the South Eastern Railway, the Metropolitan Railway and the MS&LR meant that he controlled railways from England's south coast ports, through London and (with the London Extension) through the Midlands to the industrial cities of the North. For the railway in India see South Eastern Railway (India South Eastern Railway (SER was a railway company in the United Kingdom London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Watkin's vision was for a Channel Tunnel coupled to a new mainline to the north of England providing Sheffield, Manchester and Leeds with a railway link to the Continent. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Leeds ( is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1892, and construction of the London Extension was completed by 1899. The Great Central Railway ( GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed However, Watkins plans for a Channel Tunnel ground to a halt soon after early excavations started due to both financial and political problems.
Watkin also served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the constituencies of Great Yarmouth (1857-1858) Stockport (1864-1868) and later that of Hythe in Kent (1874-1895). The Liberal Party was one of the two major British political parties from the early 19th century until the rise of the Labour Party in the 1920s and a third party A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. Great Yarmouth is a Constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Click here for Indian Rebellion of 1857 Year 1857 ( MDCCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the Year 1858 ( MDCCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Stockport is a Borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap Hythe was a constituency centred on the town of Hythe in Kent. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year
He was also responsible for the partially completed Watkins' Tower. Watkin's Tower was a partially-completed building in London, England also known as "Watkin's Folly " or "the London Stump"
References
- Healy, John M. C. Echoes of the Great Central, Greenwich Editions (1987) ISBN 0-86288-076-9
- Dyckhoff, Nigel. Portrait of the Cheshire Lines Committee, Ian Allan, Shepperton, 1999 ISBN 0-7110-2521-5
External links
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