Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
On June 9, 1865, the 'tidal train', as the Victorians called the train which picked up cross-Channel passengers, was making its way from Folkestone to London, rattling through Kent at 50 miles per hour. Between Headcorn and Staplehurst, a gang of platelayers was working on the line and had taken up 50 feet of track. Their foreman had miscalculated the time of the approaching train. A crash was inevitable. The train careered over a little bridge into a stream. Ten passengers were killed and 40 injured.
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
The public is to get its first chance in 145 years to see the Brunnel tunnel under the Thames that was hailed as an eighth wonder of the world and a triumph of Victorian engineering. The tunnel is open today and tomorrow and a Fancy Fair originally held in 1852 below the river will be recreated at the nearby Brunel Museum. It was built between 1825 and 1843 by Marc Brunel and his son, Isambard, and was the first known to have been built beneath a navigable river.
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
The perfectly-preserved payment, which has the serial number 000001, was the first of millions produced by the Post Office in Lombard Street, London, in 1881. It sold for £4,485, smashing the guide price of £2,500. Auctioneer Richard Beale, of Warwick and Warwick Auctioneers, said: “This was a very unique item and as such went for a lot more than predicted. There were lots of bids from enthusiasts. It’s been in the same family for over 130 years so the opportunity to own something as rare as this doesn’t come up very often. Collectors were always going to have to dig...
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
Valentine's Day derives from the Feast of St. Valentine, established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I. Why this feast day was decreed remains obscure and the identity of the specific St. Valentine thus honored is uncertain -- there are several St. Valentines recorded in the early centuries of the Catholic Church. Neither is it certain how the Feast of St. Valentine came to be associated with cupid, romance, roses, doves, and such.
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
Beginning in the mid-19th century, Valentine's Day cards became very popular, and many examples of Victorian-era cards still exist. Popular themes included cherubs, angels, roses, hearts, and pretty girls. For the most part, Victorian style Valentine's Day cards were made like postcards, with the picture on one side and space for a message on the other.
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
The only alternative, say these hard-headed realists, is to allow the market to find its own level. Rejoice for the great modern British success stories such as Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world; or Dyson, the superb vacuum-cleaner manufacturer; or Burberry, our chic rain-coat and luggage-maker. Why all this fuss about an American company taking over the most famous firm of English chocolate and cocoa-makers?
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
A stunning collection of photographs taken by a 19th century globetrotter has caused a stir - because he meticulously painted the colours in himself. The amazing images shed new light on the world as it was more than 100 years ago, with vivid images of snake charmers, ships on the Suez Canal and fighting Sikhs, among others.Henry Harrison, a Royal Navy Paymaster General, took the black and white pictures on his voyages around the globe and, because he was a talented artist, was able to painstakingly colour them in. Stunning imagery: One of Henry Harrison's photographs shows prisoners in China...
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
London suffering from shocking rise in rare 'Victorian' diseasesJoe Murphy, Political Editor 15.04.09 London is in the grip of a startling rise in diseases associated with Victorian times, figures disclose today.Rare infectious illnesses including typhoid, whooping cough and scarlet fever have soared by 166 per cent in the past two years.Infection rates in the capital are markedly higher than the national averages, warned Justine Greening, the shadow minister for London who assembled the figures.They include a staggering 214 per cent increase in cases of mumps - up from 125 in 2007 to 393 last year. The disease is...
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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Posted by admin / Under Victorian Railways Motor Car Transport
Once dismissed as imperialist fantasies about the Muslim world, British orientalist paintings are once again becoming popular. Their exotic visions tell us much about the social and cultural history of Victorian Britain A snake writhes over the desert sands that half submerge the Sphinx. A crafty merchant examines a coin presented by two anxious, veiled customers. Heavily laden camels kneel at an encampment. Bored, gorgeously clad concubines lounge in the secret depths of a harem. The British orientalist paintings of Tate Britain's forthcoming exhibition "The Lure of the East" are colourful, exotic, often technically brilliant. But they are also controversial,...
Published on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 12:29:01 PM
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