Coal duties go back to medieval times and are responsible for a large part of the infrastructure of London with which we are familiar today. They should constitute a well-recorded archive of coal movements by sea, road, rail and canal, but access to such an archive remains elusive.
Victorian London remained dependent on horses for the movement of goods and people despite the steam engine taking over ever-more functions. Victorian traction pitted horse versus man and machine, a competition in which the horse more than held its own until the First World War. Most horses were employed in the movement of both goods and people, complementing the railways, the largest users of horses, in transport of goods and competing in transport of people. The railway sheds of the major companies, which facilitated goods transhipment between road, rail and canal, were a busy throng of horse drawn vehicles delivering and collecting.
The railways provided a job for life, often for fathers and sons. The security came at a price, and the railway companies exploited this to create a complex and daunting ladder, especially for the aristocracy of the working class – the drivers and firemen aspiring to the most prestigious jobs. Working with steam was always dirty and dangerous and less attractive as job prospects multiplied.
Camden Town’s locational advantages for transhipment enabled it to become a centre of piano manufacture. It also attracted the ice trade.
Large volumes of beer were transported to North London by rail from the Midland breweries at Burton upon Trent, and the beer trade saw a rapidly increasing number of public houses built from the mid nineteenth century to meet the thirst of workers off shift.
The Cubitts, one of them being a favourite of Queen Victoria, played a fundamental role in the story of the two railway companies, as well as in the wider development of the metropolis.
The Cubitts
There were two families of Cubitts closely involved with the development of rail in Camden. The confusion between these families is compounded by leading members
The ice trade
Ice had traditionally been collected from frozen lakes or canals and stored over the course of the year. Ice for preserving perishables was initially only
Piano manufacture
Camden Town enjoyed ready access for transport by canal and rail, proximity to the skilled furniture makers in the Tottenham Court Road area and lay
The beer trade
For much of the population of London in the first half of the 19th century, beer was considered a safer drink than water, as well
Off shift
n 1830 Chalk Farm Tavern stood alone on Chalk Farm Lane and, with Primrose Hill nearby, was a popular destination for excursions by Londoners. It
Working with steam
Maintenance of steam locomotives was highly labour-intensive, requiring an army of men separated into a multitude of grades. Top Shed at King’s Cross is described
The aristocracy of the working class
The ladder that would take a cleaner to the top job of driving the royal train had dozens of rungs, a system that was predictable
Goods transhipment
The influence of public carriers of goods, of which Pickford & Co. were the largest, resulted in their obtaining the rights of carriage and distribution
The Victorian working horse
The rapid growth of railway traffic created parallel growth in passenger movements and carriage of goods, thereby increasing the need for horses. Apart from conveyance
Coal duties
Coal imported into the City, brought by sea to wharves on the river, had been taxed by the City of London since medieval times. By