Chalk Farm Railway Lands

a guided tour 1830 to 2030

Peter Darley

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English

Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
01 August 2024

Industrialisation & industrial history; Transport industries

"With the opening of the London and Birmingham Railway in 1837, the first inter-city railroad to London, the capital was connected to the industrial heartlands of England, with the railway supporting the fast growing metropolis in the rapid movement of goods. A passenger terminus was established at Euston, served initially by the Winding Vaults, steam-powered rope traction from Camden. Robert Stephenson's role was central to the building of the Chalk Farm Railway Lands (CFRL) and to their surviving infrastructure and he is celebrated in this account. The goods terminus was located at Camden Town on the Regent's Canal, which provided an essential connection with the London Docks and hence to trade with the rest of the world. Camden Station was a pioneer in promoting goods interchange between rail, road and canal networks. Geographically CFRL comprise a central body with a head and a tail. The tail is the incline from Camden to Euston; the head the cutting from the Regent's Park Road Bridge to the Primrose Hill Tunnel. The body is an area bounded by Chalk Farm Road, Regent's Park Road, Gloucester Avenue and the Regent's Canal. This area housed the goods yard, locomotive sheds, warehouses, stables and other infrastructure, as well as associated rolling stock, attracting industry and commerce to the area.

Historically, the book charts the growth during the 19th century, the competition for trade, the later consolidation, the weakness between the wars, the high age of steam, and the subsequent decline under pressure from road transport. It examines the operations of a goods depot, the essential support role played by the horse, and how activities in the Railway Lands affected the neighbourhood. From being transported along the main line railway between Primrose Hill Tunnel and Euston, the story deviates into the many sidings at Camden Goods Station and branches onto the North London Railway to connect with the Docks. The journey is one through both time and space and explores a number of side tracks.

W & A Gilbey, the wine and spirits merchant, occupied a vital part of this railway infrastructure for almost 100 years and was a major employer in Camden. The story of Gilbey's Camden operations, intimately connected with CFRL, is told for the first time.

The emphasis in this account is on the infrastructure created, rather than on tractive power or rolling stock. Simon Bradley expresses it admirably (The Railways, 2016):

""For those that have been initiated, a unique allure resides in the fabric and architecture of the railways, rather than in the trains themselves.""

After the demise of steam, the CFRL area endured years of uncertainty. In the new millennium it has become an immense construction site where a world of glass, steel and concrete is rising above the rich historical features that represent arguably the most important railway heritage complex in the country. The last chapters of the book unite this new development with an appreciation and celebration of our industrial heritage. They look to the future and revealing to the public what is currently largely hidden underground and hence unappreciated. While the area remains extraordinarily rich in historical features it is not always easy to tease out the threads that link past and present. For those who will live, work or pass through this unfolding panorama or those interested in transport, railways or local history the book provides these threads, showing through an extensive and unique collection of images how these features have evolved."

By: Peter Darley
Imprint: Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 280mm, Width: 216mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 722g
ISBN: 9781803819013
ISBN 10: 1803819014
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 01 August 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Foreword by Chair, Network Rail iv Foreword by CEO, The Roundhouse v Introduction Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Present and historical names xii Time line xiii Purchasing power of the pound 1820 to 2023 xv 1 The Stephensons' Sunday stroll in 1830 1 2 First inter-city to London 13 3 Building and opening Camden Station 25 4 Rope haulage on Camden Incline 44 5 Growth of traffic in 1840s 54 6 NLR and 1850s reconstruction 72 7 Stables complex 83 8 Camden Station from 1860s to 1900 103 9 W & A Gilbey: the Camden story 116 10 Railway from 1870s to end of steam 137 11 Camden Depot from 1900 to end of steam 146 12 Transformation in later 20th century 161 13 Regeneration in the 21st century 171 14 The Railway Lands: a guided tour in 2030 182 Bibliography, References and Sources 198 Image credits 203

Author Website: http://www.crht1837.org

"Peter Darley is a retired civil engineer and economist who has worked in water resources and infrastructure development around the world for contractors, consultants and on a freelance basis. His most recent assignments were the logistics of gas field development in Eastern Siberia and leading a feasibility study to replenish the Dead Sea from the Red Sea. Peter founded Camden Railway Heritage Trust (CRHT) in 2007 and has carried out intensive research of the history of the Chalk Farm Railway Lands. Since then he has led countless walks, many over the heritage trail he created, written a quarterly newsletter and given many talks and lectures. He was interviewed by Michael Portillo for an episode of ""Great British Railway Journeys"" in January 2014. The main aim of all this activity is to open to the public the remarkable industrial and transport heritage of the area. CRHT has commissioned a feasibility study, funded by the local authority, for Stephenson Walk, a pedestrian route following the West Coast Main Line and linking the Regent's Canal with Primrose Hill, that will provide access to key heritage. His previous publications are:• ""Camden Railway Heritage Trail"", a self-published pocket guide (2009)• ""Camden Goods Station though Time"", Amberley Press (2014)• ""The King's Cross Story: 200 years of history in the Railway Lands"", The History Press, (2018)"

Reviews for Chalk Farm Railway Lands: a guided tour 1830 to 2030

Peter has brilliantly written a book which is not only for those interested in social history but a guide for everyone to enjoy and to understand the area where so many British firsts took place, that led, in time, to the creation of Camden Markets, The Roundhouse and so many other spaces becoming famous internationally. Marcus Davey, CEO, The Roundhouse. This is a fascinating story, with great detail from contemporaneous accounts, and of uses long gone (like the enormous number of railway horses); and carried forward to the present day. I have enjoyed reading it, and whether or not you are familiar with the area, you will too. Peter Darley has done a great job. Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Chair, Network Rail