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History Overseas

The Necropolis Railway

Railways brought forth all sorts of social change and innovation, in much the same way that the internet has over the last 25 years.

One such act of entrepeneurship in London saw the creation of the London Necropolis Company, which transported the deceased and their funeral cortege from London to a Brookwood cemetery, some 23 miles south west of London, by train. Primarily using the railway lines of other companies, they did have their own connections at both London and Brookwood.

Continuing in operation until 1941, the company’s former station building at 121 Westminster Bridge Road, London, remains in alternative use. This is the second London station of the company, coming into use in 1902.

The original station was nearby and removed to make way for expansion of the adjacent railway mainline, the Necropolis Railway Company making the London & South Western Railway pay heavily for their relocation.

London Necropolis Company
Railway Station
London Necropolis Company – Railway Station. Copyright Ewan Duffy 2024.
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IH News 2024 Overseas

Father of New York Subway

The BBC reports on the unveiling of a blue plaque in Strabane, Co. Tyrone, to commemorate Alexander Orr, who, from the article “is best known for helping finance and arrange construction of New York’s subway system”.

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History Overseas

Industry in Roman Britain

The BBC have an article about the industries of Roman Britain which is interesting.

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Overseas

Appeal to save world’s oldest railway station

Not in Ireland but worth noting.

The Guardian reports on a campaign to raise funds to acquire and restore the former Heighington station building in Durham, England, which is a Stockton & Darlington Railway building dating from the opening of the line in 1825.

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Overseas

Highways Agency to un-bury bridge

I previously reported on an act of heritage vandalism by National Highways (the roads agency in Great Britain), which buried a former railway bridge in Cumbria in concrete ‘to protect it’.

The Guardian reports that the local council have refused retrospective planning permission for the action, notwithstanding the offer of a bribe by NH in the amount of £450,000 to allow their work to remain.

Work has commenced on the un-burying of the bridge.

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Overseas

Austrian Railways Insurance Company

I have just returned from a trip to Genoa (Italy) and Vienna (Austria). In the latter, I spotted this building on my travels.

Austrian Railways Insurance Company
Austrian Railways Insurance Company building. Copyright Ewan Duffy 2023

Google translates the wording at the top of the building as “Insurance of the Austrian railways”.

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History Overseas

Port cochere

A port cochere is defined as a covered entrance large enough for vehicles to pass through. They were a regular enough feature for public buildings of scale in the 19th century, allowing horse drawn traffic to enter a covered area for unloading.

There is one at Heuston Station, which is a rather squat affair:

compared to that at the train station in Palermo, Sicily. The Italians must have had higher carriages.

Port cochere, Palermo, Sicily, Italy. Copyright Ewan Duffy 2023

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History Overseas

Manhole covers in Rome

I was recently in Rome for the first time (a stopover before getting the train from Rome to Sicily) and noticed that many of the manhole covers in the streets had the initials SPQR cast into them.

Rome manhole cover. Copyright Ewan Duffy 2023.

For the uninitiated, this stands for “Senatus PopulusQue Romanus” in Latin, or “the Senate and the People of Rome” in English.

It is interesting to see the use of Latin in modern era infrastructure.

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Overseas

Design features of the Paris Metro

Anyone who has been to Paris is likely to have come across the Art Nouveau entrances to the Paris Metro.

The Smithsonian has an article about the designer of these, which also take a look at other work he carried out.

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Overseas

Niagra Falls power station

The decommissioned hydro electric power station on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls looks like the sort of place that would be interesting to visit in its own right.

The operators of the site have recently added a new attraction to the site – a walk through the former outflow tunnel culminating in a balcony below the Falls. CBC News have an article about it.