The Chester & Holyhead Railway was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1844, and the promoters were thereby empowered to build an 85-mile line along the North Wales coast, the engineer for the line being Robert Stephenson. The C&HR was, from its inception, intended to form part of a rail link between London and Dublin - the assumption being that such a line would improve the economic position of Ireland, while at the same time binding it ever more closely to the rest of the United Kingdom. In engineering terms, the C&HR presented huge challenges. The first 45 miles would follow an easy route alongside the Dee Estuary, but at Conwy the railway would have to cross a tidal river. The line would then be carried past the great towering headland at Penmaenmawr, while to the west of Bangor, the Menai Straits would have to be spanned by a bridge large enough to clear the masts of the largest vessels. The railway was completed by 1850 and, since that time, it has fulfilled its primary role as an artery of communication between England, Wales and Ireland.

About the Author
Stanley C. Jenkins, who was educated at Witney Grammar School, the University of Lancaster and the University of Leicester, has written over 20 books and some 750 articles on local, transport and regional history. Having worked as an English Language teacher at Oxford Air Training School for several years, he returned to Leicester University to retrain as a museum curator in 1986, and was subsequently employed by English Heritage as the Regional Curator for South Western England. He is Curatorial Advisor to the Witney & District Museum, and is also working as a curator for the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust, which is at present building a military museum at Woodstock. Martin Loader has been interested in railways since the late 1960s, but only starting taking photographs seriously with the acquisition of his first 'proper' camera in 1978.


Book Information
ISBN 9781445643892
Author Stanley C. Jenkins
Format Paperback
Page Count 128
Imprint Amberley Publishing
Publisher Amberley Publishing
Weight(grams) 420g
Dimensions(mm) 168mm * 246mm * 9mm