A Look at 18th Century Railways in Shropshire
From First Class luxury to pit ponies, Shropshire’s diverse railways have helped to change the course of history.
With Shropshire being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution traces of some of the earliest railways survive. 1605 is the suggested date for the earliest recorded line for transporting coal to the River Severn in the Broseley area.
Shrewsbury was an important railway station with connections to all parts of the country. Many small branch lines, important to the local economy, gave a network of routes from the nineteenth century. Some of these were under joint control of GWR& LNWR.
Craven Arms in the south of Shropshire was planned as a railway junction town, perhaps as important as Crewe in its heyday. The need for these lines has now diminshed with cessation of industry such as the lead mines on the Stiperstones but traces remain in the landscape today.
Starting at the car park in Abbey Foregate Shrewsbury, the site of the former S & M Railway Company Station, the tour loops round the county taking in various railway sites to the west and south of Shrewsbury.
Available:
Most days - booking must be made in advance
Duration:
3-4 hours
Cost:
£8.00
To book this tour:
Please contact us here