THE origin of this project has been already mentioned.
In December, 1835, a public meeting was held in Worcester, over which the
Mayor, J. W. Lea, Esq., presided; at which it was fully determined to
proceed with this Railway, which was to go from Gloucester to Worcester,
on the western side the river; to cross the Severn at Worcester, thence
direct to Kidderminster, and afterwards to Birmingham in one direction
and Wolverhampton in another. The capital was to consist of 800,000
shares of £50 each. The shares were taken up pretty freely, and the bill
was read a second time, and went into committee in March, 1837. It was
strenuously opposed there by the Birmingham Canal Company, and by several
landowners. The preamble was, however, declared proved. The committee
divided on the point, and the numbers were—for, 15; against, 14. General
Lygon, the chairman of the committee, was most indefatigable in promoting
the undertaking. The bill was thrown out on bringing up the report in
the House of Commons, by a majority of 165 to 88. The principal argument
used against it was that it would destroy the beauty of the county of
Worcester. Its defeat was principally owing to the landowners. It was
attempted to be revived in the following year, but without success.
* * * * *
IN 1840 the Railway Commissioners were engaged in determining what would
be the most desirable route for a grand trunk line which should connect
the metropolis with the Welsh coast, so that the quickest possible
communication might be made with Ireland. One project was to carry a
line from Port Dynllaen, in Brecknockshire, to Didcot, on the Great
Western line; and in this the people of Worcester felt much interested.
1840—MARCH 17—A public meeting was held in Worcester in favour of this
line; and in the absence of the Mayor, Mr. Chalk, who was in London to
present the address of congratulation from the town council to Her
Majesty, John Dent, Esq., was called to the chair. A report from the
Chamber of Commerce on the subject of the meeting was read by Mr.
Alderman Edward Evans, and it was resolved to procure subscriptions in
order to obtain another survey of the line of country from the Royal
Commissioners. A similar meeting was held in the next week at Evesham.
The Chester and Holyhead route, though the longest by several miles, was
eventually preferred by the Commissioners, because Holyhead was the
better harbour and starting point for vessels.
* * * * *
IN 1842 a branch railway was projected to connect Evesham with the
Birmingham and Gloucester Railway at Eckington, but it was strenuously
opposed by the owners of lands through which it must have passed, and was
thereupon abandoned.
* * * * *
THE railway mania of 1845 of course did not leave Worcestershire
uninfected. No fewer than twenty-seven schemes, having more or less
reference to this county, were advertised in the Worcester papers, with
long statements of imaginary advantages and abundance of “provisional
directors.” The Welsh Midland; Worcester, Tenbury, and Ludlow;
Worcester, Warwick, and Rugby; and Worcester, Hereford, Ross, and
Gloucester, were those which found most favour with the Worcester public.
A great number of meetings were held in reference to them all over the
county, and every scheme was enthusiastically received everywhere; it is
quite useless, however, to allude to them further, as, without a single
exception, they were utterly resultless, excepting in abstracting money
from the pockets of people who could ill afford to lose it. The 30th
November was at Worcester, as at all other places, a day of great
excitement—the promoters of the various schemes which had just started
into existence having, before twelve o’clock on that night (Sunday), to
deposit their plans and sections with the clerks of the peace. Plans for
no less than thirty-six railways were deposited at the office of the
Clerk of the Peace for this county, {156} and thirteen with the Clerk of
the Peace for the city.
The early part of the year 1846 was occupied with “amalgamations” and
“arrangements;” then came the ordeal of standing orders, and very few
survived that. In some instances ingenious engineers had made rivers run
up-hill, and canals swim over bridges, instead of allowing the bridges to
bestride the canals; while in many cases the most trivial error of
misdescription or omission to serve a notice was sufficient to extinguish
a scheme of real utility. Then ensued the panic and “winding up”—very
few of the scripholders ever obtaining any return out of their deposits.
Only six of all the projects connected with Worcestershire received the
sanction of the legislature, and only three of the rest were resuscitated
in the coming season; these were the Shropshire Union (Shrewsbury to
Worcester), the Worcester and Hereford (Midland Company’s project), and
the Worcester, Tenbury, and Ludlow. The last mentioned, however, seemed
only to have been continued for speculating purposes, and was speedily
withdrawn. The Worcester and Hereford line was warmly supported by the
citizens of Worcester in a public meeting held in February, 1847, but it
was thrown out on standing orders; and the Shropshire Union was also
abandoned.