Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway: from Birmingham to Liverpool and ManchesterDrake, James, active 1825
History
Drake's Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway: from Birmingham to Liverpool and Manchester
Drake, James, active 1825
Grand Junction Railway Company (Great Britain) -- Guidebooks; Railroad travel -- Great Britain -- Guidebooks
AN extensive heathy bog is traversed by the line, after leaving Whitmore
station, and, as we have heard an ancient tradition anent it, will tell
the tale for the edification of our readers, “extenuating nothing.”
Once upon a time there was a large forest in this part, and when the
Romans were amusing themselves with hunting our worthy ancestors, a
large body of the ancient Britons took refuge therein. In order to
come at them these terrible Romans set fire to the forest, which
burnt in a very fearful and dreadful manner; but our information does
not extend to the exact measure of scorching endured by the miserable
prisoners within this fiery fence, or whether they escaped by flight,
or were consumed wholesale in the burning forest, which, with the
accumulation of vegetable matter during past ages, has formed the
bog, now “passed with the swiftness of tornado-blast,” by “Wildfires”
and “Rockets.”
Opposite the Bog-house is one of the highest points of the line, the road
inclining towards Liverpool one way, and towards Birmingham the other.
Snape Hall is prettily situated among rich woods on the E. of the line;
and a short distance farther Barr Hill appears on the W. It is a
considerable elevation, and on a clear day, Liverpool may be seen from
it. Madeley Parks and Manor House lie W. of the line. The latter is the
seat of Lady Cunliffe, daughter of Lord Crewe, to whose family, the
adjoining land, formerly a fine deer park, anciently belonged. Hay
House, a small, old, brick building, stands close to the line of railway
on the E. One cannot help feeling an odd sort of commiseration for these
ancient abodes of the last generation, which have stood, and grown old
and grey, in the once quiet and out-of-the-world nooks where the
convenience of the farmer, or the retired taste of the small country
squire, had located them; and now, to see the iron ribs of the innovating
railroad carried up to their very threshold, has something of sadness in
it, even in the midst of our modern pride and gratulation. It is like
pert youth, exhibiting and vaunting of its strength and valorous deeds,
to decrepid and helpless age. But what have we to do with such dreams?
“Locomotives” wait for no man’s fancies, and we must e’en follow their
course. Soon after passing which, we reach
Madeley Station.
Distance to Birmingham, 46—Liverpool and Manchester, 51½ miles.
DISTANCES BY ROADS FROM THIS STATION TO THE FOLLOWING PLACES:—
_Places W. of Station_. _Places E. of Station_.
Woore 2½ miles. Betley 3 miles.
Norton 5½ — NEWCASTLE 5 —
Mucklestone or Muxton 5½ —
Audlem 7 —
Adderley 9½ —
Burley Dam 11 —
WHITCHURCH 15 —
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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