2. The canals were important for carrying goods around the country and were used to bring materials to build the GWR railway.

 


1. At Maidenhead the railway crossed the River Thames. A bridge was needed, but the canal towpath was still in use and boats used a wide section of the river for navigation (steering).

 


3. Between Chippenham and Bath the railway was designed to go on the route of the Kennet and Avon Canal.

 


4. The Cotswold Hills were in the way of the railway between Chippenham and Bath.

 



5. Many workers were needed to build the railway, the bridges and tunnels. A lot of workers came from Ireland to find work. It was a hard and dangerous job.

 


6. Many men and horses were used to build the Box Tunnel and other sections of the railway. They needed food and lodging.

 


7. The new railway needed a main depot (for storage) and a repair shop. They wanted somewhere that was on flat land and easy to reach.

 


8. A hotel and refreshment bar was built at Swindon and long lease was given to them with an agreement for all regular trains to stop there.

 


9. The people of cities like Bath did not want the railway line to spoil their city.

 


10. In the 1830s the merchants of Bristol could only take their goods for sale inland by horse or canal. It took at least 4 days to get to London. They wanted the faster choice of a railway.

 


11. Opposition to the railway was strong, especially from landowners who didn't want to lose land or have noise, danger and a spoilt view.

 


12. The coach owners and canal workers were opposed to the railway because they were afraid that they would lose work.

 


B. The management of the Swindon Hotel knew their customers had nowhere else to go and they had a poor reputation for serving tea and coffee!

 


H. Brunel designed many stations, tunnels and bridges to be attractive architectural structures. One example is the tunnel at Box, near Bath, made to look like a Roman gateway and built in the local Bath stone.

 

A. The G.W.R. railway was completed in 1841 after a long battle for permission. It took about 5½ hours to get to London. This was a great benefit to the merchants of Bristol.

 


K. Once parliament gave permission the railway builders were allowed to force people to sell them land to build the railway

 


G. The railways were quicker and cheaper than canals and coaches. They put these out of business but did provide many more new jobs across the country.

 


L. The Maidenhead railway bridge was designed by Brunel with wide, flat arches.

 


J. After the railway was built the canals lost trade and eventually closed.

 


E. The Kennet and Avon canal was diverted to allow the railway to use flat land between Chippenham and Bath.

 


I. The Box tunnel was built between Chippenham and Bath to avoid cutting through the hills. (It was 2 miles long, at that time the longest railway tunnel ever built).

 


C. Towns and villages along the route did not always welcome the railway workers and tried to keep them away from their pubs and churches.

 


F. People in towns like Corsham and Box let out beds by day and night and many people made a lot of money from the railway workers.

 


D. The fields south of Swindon were chosen for the main depot and repair shops. The town grew rapidly from a small market town to a major employer of railway workers.