1. The Impact of the Railways

2. What was transport like in 1750? There had been little need to travel far before the 18th century, and few people went outside their village or town. Everything they needed they produced themselves or bought from a local craftsman. As a result, roads were very poor and it was often quicker to travel a longer distance by river or sea than to try to go across land. Sea transport was greatly used for heavy goods such as coal or corn. When the industry began to grow, the roads became busier. Cartwheels churned up the unmade roads which often became impassable in winter.

3. Surveyor John McAdam came up with a new way of building roads by using small, tightly packed stones, higher in the centre and with drainage ditches at each side. He never used tar on his roads, but that came later and we still use the term ‘tarmacadam’ or ‘tarmac’ roads today. very fine stones medium stones ditch How did the roads develop?

4. How did canals develop? Although some roads were improved, most roads were still outside of their control and in a very poor state of repair. Packhorses or wagons could also only carry limited quantities of goods. One way to overcome this was to build canals. A canal is like a manmade river but with much greater advantages for transport: They could be built almost anywhere, joining major industrial centres or ports. By using a system of locks, canals could go up and down, unlike natural rivers. Canal barges could carry large, heavy loads.

5. The ‘Five Rise’ flight of locks on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Bingley, West Yorkshire, which opened in 1774. These locks lifted boats 20 metres uphill.

6. In 1803 Richard Trevithick, a mine engineer developed the first steam locomotive in south Wales capable of hauling cargo and passengers, with a speed of 5 miles an hour. The first passenger railway consisted of horse-drawn wagons on iron rails, and opened in 1807 in South Wales. How did steam engines develop?

7. The first steam-powered passenger railway was opened in 1825 by its inventor George Stephenson and ran between Stockton and Darlington. Further developments led to the building of the Liverpool and Manchester railway in 1830, the first major line. Stephenson’s Rocket How did steam engines develop?

8. Social & Economic Impact of the Railways People became more aware of national identity and national politics People were able to travel greater distances for leisure & to work Seaside towns developed; the railways made cheap day trips possible Newspapers could be sent from London all over the country. Railway engineering towns grew up, E.g. Crewe & Doncaster. Fish & Chips Turnpike Trusts, canals & stage coach companies could not compete & went bankrupt. Industry grew, because the railways needed coal & iron; railways in turn allowed factories to transport their goods to markets. Townspeople were able to receive meat, fish, milk and vegetables brought in whilst they were still fresh by the railways. First Class Mail The Post was speeded up

9. Economic Changes How many horses would be needed to transport 40 tons by road? Railways cut the cost of transporting goods

10. How did railways create more jobs? Railways make the moving of goods cheaper. Goods can now be sold for less. More people can afford to buy these goods More goods are sold & so more need to be produced. Businessmen employ more workers. More people with jobs means … This is called the Cycle of Prosperity

11. Who benefited from these new jobs? ? ? ? How did railways create more jobs?

12. Social Changes GMT?

13. Cultural Changes What is this woman doing? Which famous books did Charles Dickens write?

14. Environmental Changes Impact on the landscape?