Great Western Coffee Shop

174 years ago today - opening of Railway through Melksham  - read about the day at http://www.twhc.org.uk/train1848.html

Key players:

ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL
1806-1859
A mechanical and civil engineer whose designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering. He built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships, and numerous important bridges and tunnels.

DANIEL GOOCH
1816-1889
1st Baronet, railway and transatlantic cable engineer, Member of Parliament for Cricklade 1865-1885, Chairman of Great Western Railway 1837-1889.
   
CHARLES CHISHOLM ANSTEY
1816-1873
Along with David Urquhart (1805-1877) urged an investigation of Palmerston's foreign policy. Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, was then the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He later served two terms as Prime Minister.
   
SEYMOUR CLARKE
1814-1876
Chief Superintendent, Paddington Station 1838-1850. General Manager of the Great Northern Railway 1850-1870.
   
EARL SHELBURNE (HENRY THOMAS PETTY-FITZMAURICE)
1816-1866
4th Marquess of Lansdowne and Earl of Shelburne 1836 and 1863; MP for Calne 1837-1856, Junior Lord of the Treasury 1847-1848, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 1856-1858.

LORD SHELBURNE (HENRY PETTY-FITZMAURICE)
1780-1863
3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, Chancellor of the Exchequer 1806-1807, Home Secretary 1827-1828, Lord President of the Council 1830-1852.
   
CHARLES ALEXANDER SAUNDERS
1796-1864
First company secretary of the Great Western Railway; for 30 years he pretty much was the Great Western Railway. When he retired in 1863, he was replaced by three people: a sectary, a general manager and a financial secretary.

JOHN LEDYARD PHILLIPS
1789-1856
Cloth manufacturer, Justice of the Peace for Wiltshire, Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire and was a tenant at The Ark (part of the Manor of Melksham), employer where Cooper Tires is now located; a lifelong inhabitant of Melksham.

REV THOMAS HEATHCOTE
1790-1859
Justice of the Peace for Wilts, Chairman of the Board of Guardians of Melksham Union; lived in Shaw Hill House.

WALTER LONG
1793-1867
Chairman of the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth Railway Company, Justice of the Peace for Wiltshire, Member of Parliament for North Wiltshire 1835-1865, Deputy Lieutenant for Somerset, Montgomeryshire and Wiltshire.

WILLIAM HEALD LUDLOW BRUGES
1797-1855
Member of Parliament for Devizes, retiring due to ill health in 1848; lived in Seend Mansion. The Bruges family were great benefactors to Melksham.

Is next year’s anniversary being celebrated at all?

That thought had crossed my mind - and it will be a Saturday too.   But I wonder if there will be a rail strike that day?

Or a bridge strike/failed freight train/<enter whatever incident here> somewhere between Westbury and Reading requiring WoE services to be diverted between Westbury and Reading.    ;)  ;)

175 years today, the railway opens through Melksham.

Rail strike. No passenger trains calling  today.

There are likely to be four freights and an excursion from Kingswear to Bedford