Monday, September 12, 1831 Travel Journal

1831

September

Monday 12

5 25/..

..

Ready in 50 minutes – Off at 6 3/4 in Omnibus – At the Station over Water Street and off (had Nos. 45, 6, and 7 about the middle of the train) at 7 1/4 (or 7 by their clocks) – having waited 6 or 7 minutes –

Sunk out of Manchester, then in 10 minutes, moor (peat) for 20 minutes, all drained – Some under potatoes – Much turned up with a sort of triangular paver –

At 8, stop 5 minutes to exchange passengers.  Had just before passed the white marble tablet to the memory of poor Huskinson –

At 8 1/4, pass over viaduct over the Sankey canal – the most expensive work on the line (£45200).  The whole railway cost above £900,000 or about a million –

The Manchester and Leeds railroad just going to be given up – great doubt whether it would pay – certainly would not like this –

30 1/2 miles from Manchester to the Queen’s dock at Leeds – The goods go there; we only go 29 miles into Dale Street – Can bring rather more goods from Liverpool to Manchester than the other way with the same power –

About 9 20/.., pass Newton race ground – large white grandstand buildings –

Next railroad ought to be from London to Birmingham and to Scotland across the island – and government would help that as a national work –

One Engine dragged 1500 persons once from Newton races to Liverpool –

About 8 carriages I think to our train – Only one stagecoach now left to run on this road –

At 9 5/.., at the small tunnel and through it in 2 1/2 minutes, slow going, 291 yards long, 15 feet wide, and 12 feet high – The large tunnel for goods is 1 1/4 mile + 50 yards long –

Land at 9 1/4 at the Edgehill grand area, and thence per omnibus in Dale Street at 9 35/.. – Went to chop house for George and Cameron – Nothing I could eat.

Off in omnibus, back again at 9 3/4 – Mrs. Sowden in the omnibus – some minutes to wait at the grand area and off in open steam carriage (last in the train) at 10 1/4.  7 carriages in this train –

The Edgehill grand area station is a sort of squary court with offices, and whence the steam carriages start – Close to the tunnel, which opens at the other end into another squary court shut in by arch, finished by 2 small square castellated towers and 2 enormously high, round chequered chimneys above 100 feet high,  the chimneys of the two engine furnaces below –

On leaving this last court, enter the fine cutting (broom on the banks in places) through the red sandstone 10 to 20 yards deep for 500 or 600 yards ? and then wears itself out and magnificent causeway – For above a mile ? 2 railways with the breadth of one way between them – The whole 24 feet or more wide at the top ? and twice that of foundation –

At 10 35/.., a Slate quarry left – Pretty good and white slates amid all the red sand stone –

Lucky to be in the last carriage because see out behind – These open carriages have tops and stuff curtains at the sides – which drawn back let one see very well –

Bridges over the railroad every 3 or 400 yards, above 60 of them in all – After the causeway, more cutting – great deal more sunk than raised on the line –

Began crossing the viaduct at 11 5/.. – The 15 mile stone at 11 10/.., mile and 1/4 mile stones all the way –

Very flat country between Manchester and Leeds –

At 11 12/.. stop at the station called 1/2 way – Our road lies at a considerable height above and across the Warington road and the picturesque little white scattered village of Rainhill?  A large Inn on very high arches seems almost finished.  Building of one story on each side the road at the end of the bridge for exchange of passengers and crowd of people about –

Chiefly grass land all along – One hears a whizzing and the carriages pass and that is all one knows about it – The moor land begins about 9 miles from Manchester.

Now at 8 miles from Manchester, have counted the last 3 or 4 miles gone very regularly in 3 minutes each –

Has been only opened about a year – Paid 2 then 4 and soon expect 6 per cent more.  That will make 12 per cent in 1 1/4 year – The coke costs little, but Engines often out of repair and this a great Expense –

At the Royal hotel at 12 1/4 – Breakfast at 12 40/.. Off at 1 1/2.

At 2 55/.., a quickening harrow with 2 small wheels in front and held up, or taken up occasionally by 2 men behind, and drawn by 6 horses, 2 and 2 abreast! –

At Wilmslow at 3 20/.. (13 miles).  This will never do – but read my account of the tunnel and said nothing – Asleep 3/4 hour till 4/50/.. Came the last stage (13 miles) to Congleton in 1 3/4 hour – Postboy grumbles at 3d [pence] a mile, but would give no more –

At 5 55/.., leave parcel for Mariana at the Redbull – From Congleton, all past Lawton, 1/2 way to Newcastle, inking over my pencil writing and scarcely looked off that hardly saw Lawton –

From Newcastle to Stone, drunken postboy – Glad to arrive safe at 8 5/.., but said nothing –

Alighted to tea, and then go forward all night –

Off at 8 55/.. – Had given Cameron her choice to have my greatcoat and stay outside, or come in for the night till breakfast tomorrow morning – She chose the former.  Very fine night – Very fine day –

Marginal note: the dearest and mail carriages in the middle, but prefer the last carriage of the train –

WYAS Finding Numbers SH:7/ML/TR/11/0002, SH:7/ML/TR/11/0003, and  SH:7/ML/TR/11/0004