Battle For The North: The Tay And Forth Bridges And The 19th Century Railway Wars

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Charles McKean

Battle For The North

The Tay And Forth Bridges And The 19th Century Railway Wars

Charles McKean

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English

Granta Books
01 July 2007

Biography: science, technology & engineering; British & Irish history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900; Industrialisation & industrial history; History of engineering & technology; Bridges; Railway technology, engineering & trades; Trains & railways: general interest; Local history

The first Tay Bridge collapsed into the sea in 1879 only 18 months after it had opened, drowning 72 people travelling by train to Dundee. Shock reverberated through Britain, and the public demanded answers. The bridge had been hailed as a triumph of construction, and its fall shook society s confidence in the excellence of Victorian engineering. This epic tale of engineering follows the rise and fall of the career of engineer Thomas Bouch, ostracised from the engineering community when his bridge crashed into the Tay estuary. Over four decades, a fierce and dirty railway war drove forward the construction of the two largest railway bridges in the world, symbols of a modernising Scotland. Charles McKean offers new conclusions about why the first Tay Bridge collapsed and tells how the Forth and Tay bridges eventually became reality. He follows the railway battle for Scotland from 1845 95 and the people it involved: from the Victorian entrepreneurs, poets, journalists, lawyers, town councils; to the engineers, briggers, excavators and rivet boys; to the pioneering and inventive contractor William Arrol who constructed the bridges that stand today. Meticulously researched and vividly told, Battle for the North explores the complicated reality underlying the Victorian pursuit of progress.

By: Charles McKean
Imprint: Granta Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 215mm, Width: 135mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 422g
ISBN: 9781862079403
ISBN 10: 1862079404
Pages: 368
Publication Date: 01 July 2007
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Charles McKean is Professor of Architectural History at Dundee University. He lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews for Battle For The North: The Tay And Forth Bridges And The 19th Century Railway Wars

The triumphs and disasters of a thrilling piece of engineering history * Sunday Telegraph * Charles McKean's account of the lobbying, wrangling and financial crisis during the construction is as compelling as his account of the courtroom drama ... gripping ... a vivid account * The Times * At the core of McKean's book is how Scotland's railway network developed. It is complex and compelling, a triumph of pragmatism, technological innovation and sheer bloody-mindedness over what might have been deemed best for the common good * Sunday Herald * A thought-provoking account ... I read this in one sitting * Guardian *