Misplaced Pages

#178821

117-499: The motivation for its formation was chiefly the desire of the GER to get direct access to the coalfields of South Yorkshire and elsewhere, and the wish of the GNR to discourage more ambitious incursion by the GER into its own territory, as well as the provision of relief to the congested East Coast main line . The dominant traffic was coal, but a wide variety of manufactured and agricultural products

234-485: A bill to build a line from Spalding to March; the GNR line was the one passed by Parliament (21 July 1863, described above), and the GER scheme was turned down. The GER was given running powers over this line, but only as far as Spalding and not further over the GNR lines. In frustration, the GER presented another bill in 1864, to build an independent line from Longstanton , on its Cambridge to St Ives line, via Peterborough, Bourne , Sleaford , Lincoln and Gainsborough to

351-502: A depopulation in the 4th century. A 2016 study found that modern East Anglians share a strong genetic affinity with Anglo-Saxon era skeletons, but differ substantially from Iron Age and Roman era ones, which are more similar to the Welsh. This was taken to support a major influence of the Anglo-Saxon migrations on the genetic makeup of East Anglia. In a 2022 study by Joscha Gretzinger et al.,

468-441: A fragmentary reinstatement of this service." In 1885 the GER started a through service from Harwich , Parkeston Quay , to Doncaster, by way of Ely, and March "in connection with their Hook of Holland route to the continent. In 1891 the service was improved by the running of a vestibuled Restaurant Car Train". "This train, splendidly equipped with restaurant cars, and carrying its own conductor-interpreter, runs in conjunction with

585-568: A junction with the West Riding and Grimsby Railway at Askern , north of Doncaster. Once again the GER scheme was turned down in Parliament. The GNR was developing friendly relations with the GER over lines in Norfolk ; moreover it sensed that sooner or later one of the GER attempts in Parliament must be successful, so it offered the GER running powers for coal traffic from Gainsborough to Spalding. This

702-720: A large scale strike started. The colliery closure that started the strike was at Cortonwood in South Yorkshire. The strike's aim to preserve miners' jobs was not met as colliery closures continued. (A small mine in Scissett , Hay Royds Colliery, was not nationalised. It closed in 2013.) The South Yorkshire Coalfield has suffered some the worst mining disasters in Great Britain and the largest disaster in terms of fatalities in England. Some notable disasters either for their effect outside

819-659: A limited goods service to St Ives. The extent of the route directly controlled by the Joint Committee was from Black Carr Junction, south of Doncaster, to Huntingdon by way of the Lincoln avoiding line and St Ives (reverse); but there were discontinuities where the Joint Committee had running powers over other companies' lines: Additional sections that were under Joint Committee control were: The GER provided additional siding accommodation at March (Whitemoor) and in November 1884 opened

936-459: A mixture of breckland , fens , broads and agricultural land. The climate of East Anglia is generally dry and mild. Temperatures range from an average of 1–10 °C in the winter to 12–22 °C in the summer, although it is not uncommon for daily temperatures to fall and rise significantly outside these averages. Although water plays a significant role in the Fenland and Broadland landscapes,

1053-625: A north to west spur at March, making a triangle there, to enable trains from the Joint Line to reach Peterborough. John Crabtree, formerly manager of the Colne Valley Railway , was appointed to be manager of the Joint Lines at a salary of £600 annually. Maintenance of the Joint Line south of the Sleaford–Boston line was to be the responsibility of the GER, and north of that line the task of

1170-695: A number of energy-related businesses. The sites are Beacon Park and South Denes in Great Yarmouth, Mobbs Way, Riverside Road and South Lowestoft Industrial Estate in Lowestoft and Ellough Business Park in Ellough near Beccles. There is also an enterprise zone in Cambridgeshire, Alconbury Enterprise Campus in Huntingdon . A shield of three golden crowns , placed two above one, on a blue background has been used as

1287-447: A return to the old hostilities, and for the time being, joint railways were off the agenda. The GER revived the proposal in 1872, but the GNR made demands that were far too high for the GER to agree, and once again the scheme lapsed, until discussions were reopened in May 1876. This time the GNR proposed amalgamation, but the GER declined. In 1878 the GER was seriously considering the revival of

SECTION 10

#1732844674179

1404-404: A significant flaw. The flow of air was controlled by 'traps' or doors opened and closed by children when the tubs of coal passed. The children, being children, did not always close the doors when they should, resulting in explosives gases building up in the working parts of the colliery often with fatal consequences. Some notable explosions are detailed further in the article. The latter half of

1521-643: A symbol of East Anglia for centuries. The coat of arms was ascribed by medieval heralds to the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the Wuffingas dynasty which ruled it. The arms are effectively identical to the coat of arms of Sweden . The three crowns appear, carved in stone, on the baptismal font (c.1400) in the parish church of Saxmundham , and on the 15th-century porch of Woolpit church, both in Suffolk. They also appear in local heraldry and form part of

1638-548: Is bordered by a bay known as The Wash , where owing to deposits of sediment and land reclamation , the coastline has altered markedly within historical times; several towns once on the coast of the Wash (notably King's Lynn) are now some distance inland. Conversely, over to the east on the coast exposed to the North Sea the coastline is subject to rapid erosion and has shifted inland significantly since historic times. Major rivers include

1755-491: Is close to mainland Europe. Many of the airfields can still be seen today, particularly from aerial photographs, and a few remain in use, the most prominent being Norwich International Airport . Pillboxes were erected in 1940 to help defend the nation against invasion, and they can also be found throughout the area at strategic points. Similarly, but from the Napoleonic Wars , a number of Martello towers can be found along

1872-586: Is so named from its position within Yorkshire . It covers most of South Yorkshire , West Yorkshire and a small part of North Yorkshire . The exposed coalfield outcrops in the Pennine foothills and dips under Permian rocks in the east. Its most famous coal seam is the Barnsley Bed. Coal has been mined from shallow seams and outcrops since medieval times and possibly earlier. The coalfield stretches from Halifax in

1989-579: Is the fruit and flower traffic of Cambridgeshire and the Eastern Counties. During the period between May and October, 1909, no less than 13,000 tons of fruit were despatched to various towns in the North of England, 60,000 packages being despatched on one day from one station alone. A large portion of the fruit and flower traffic is conveyed by passenger train. Dix reported "About 750 men are employed at [March] station, and... about 300 trains pass through or leave

2106-757: The A12 and A47 link the area to the rest of the UK, and the A14 links the Midlands to the Port of Felixstowe . This is the busiest container port in the UK, dealing with over 40% of UK container traffic and is a major gateway port into the country. There is very little motorway within East Anglia. Rail links include the Great Eastern Main Line from Norwich to London Liverpool Street and

2223-529: The British railway system expanded during the 1840s & 1850s the market for coal increased markedly and transport of the coal using the railways improved distribution of the coal further boosting the trade. This increase in demand drove colliery owners to move further eastwards away from the shallow coal seams sinking deeper shafts as the Barnsley seam, which was their main target dipped downwards. During this period

2340-619: The City of Peterborough unitary authority). Those three counties have formed the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia since 1976, and were the subject of a possible government devolution package in 2016. Essex has sometimes been included in definitions of East Anglia, including by the London Society of East Anglians. Although the Kingdom of Essex to the south was a separate element of

2457-618: The East Angles , a people whose name originated in Anglia , in what is now Northern Germany . Definitions of what constitutes East Anglia vary. The Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia , established in the 6th century, originally consisted of the modern counties of Norfolk and Suffolk and expanded west into at least part of Cambridgeshire , typically the northernmost parts known as The Fens . The modern NUTS 2 statistical unit of East Anglia comprises Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (including

SECTION 20

#1732844674179

2574-468: The General Strike in 1926 . These all generally failed to bring about any improvement in pay and conditions. Following nationalisation in 1947 working conditions improved but pay fell behind national averages. Successful strikes in the early 1970s resulted in wage improvements but as the market for UK coal declined and collieries closed, tension between the miners and the government increased and in 1984

2691-481: The Home Counties , and domestic coal and coal for manufacturing power systems was significant at least up until the 1950s. Significant flows also ran to East Anglian destinations, and the export coal trade was also important until the 1950s. In addition, manufactured goods and the raw materials for them provided a significant long distance flow between London and East Anglia on the one hand, and Yorkshire, Lancashire and

2808-692: The Ingleton Coalfield in North Yorkshire, and a small number of mines around Todmorden are part of the Lancashire Coalfield . The coal bearing rock strata or coal measures that make up the coalfield outcrop in the foothills of the Pennines and dip gently downwards from west to east. This area is known as the exposed coalfield. The coal measures are carboniferous rocks laid down between 290 and 354 million years ago. West and east of Doncaster

2925-492: The Miners Federation of Great Britain were formed to campaign for improved wages and better working conditions. They were largely unsuccessful. Two large scale strikes took place in 1844 and 1893. The strike in 1893 was the result of a 25% wage cut by the mine owners which was eventually restored but not before two miners were killed by soldiers at Featherstone. The 20th century brought further strikes in 1912, 1921 and

3042-631: The River Nene and Suffolk's Stour , running through country beloved of the painter John Constable . The River Cam is a tributary of the Great Ouse and gives its name to Cambridge, whilst Norwich sits on the River Yare and River Wensum . The River Orwell flows through Ipswich and has its mouth, along with the Stour at Felixstowe . The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads form a network of waterways between Norwich and

3159-514: The Swallow Wood seam that produced household and gas coal. There is evidence of coal mining in the field as far back Roman period . Documentary evidence of medieval mining around Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield dates back to the 14th century. An example of this is permission granted by Sir John Fitzwilliam in 1367 for mining to take place on his estate near Elsecar south of Barnsley. These mines were shallow shafts or adits that exploited

3276-625: The West Anglia Main Line connecting Cambridge to London. Sections of the East Coast Main Line run through the area and Peterborough is an important interchange on this line. The area is linked to the Midlands and north-west England by rail and has a number of local rail services, such as the Bittern Line from Norwich to Sheringham . East Anglia is ideal for cycling and National Cycle Route 1 passes through it. Cambridge has

3393-459: The heptarchy of Anglo-Saxon England and did not identify as Angles but Saxons , many people in Essex today still consider themselves to be East Anglian. For example, Colchester United F.C. is one of the clubs competing for the informal football title Pride of Anglia , but not Southend United F.C. from further south in the county. Culturally, north Essex has much more in common with Suffolk and

3510-403: The "Cathedrals Route" connecting Ely, Lincoln and York, but Gordon says that at 214 miles (344 km) the service provided "rather ineffectual competition with the GNR's 188 miles [303 km] from King's Cross". The service remained at three per day until July 1915 when it was reduced to one a day, and further shortened back to Doncaster in 1917, and abolished in 1918. "There was never more than

3627-551: The 1867 session of Parliament for the scheme. However the GER was in serious financial difficulty at this time, and a new Board was elected as a result of shareholder disquiet; "the new [GER] board had to face the hard facts that the kitty was empty, and there was not the remotest chance of finding the money which their predecessors had so rashly undertaken to pay the GN". In fact the GER had to find £1.5 million urgently to put its existing system in good order. The ensuing years were marked by

Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3744-410: The 19th century was marked by further expansion eastwards. The opening of these collieries was possible as improved understanding of the geology of the coalfield allowed mining engineers to be more confident about the sinking collieries in previously un-mined parts of the coalfield. Improvements in drilling techniques allowed deeper bore holes to be sunk so the engineers had a better understanding of

3861-655: The Arts , Anglia Ruskin University (based in Cambridge), University of Suffolk (based in Ipswich) and University Centre Peterborough . Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft Enterprise Zone, an enterprise zone initiated by New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, was announced in 2011 and launched in April 2012. It includes six sites with a total area of 121 hectares (300 acres), which have attracted

3978-567: The Beighton line, on 16 November 1896. All hope of reaching Sutton-on-Sea had now been abandoned, and the LD&;ECR had to beg the Joint Committee to allow it to run through Lincoln station so as to join the MS&;LR at Durham Ox Junction (immediately east of Lincoln GNR station), thereby getting access to docks at Grimsby . This meant heavy and slow mineral trains running through the central area of Lincoln as

4095-470: The GER Huntingdon to St Ives and Needingworth Junction to March lines were transferred to the Joint Committee. The new line bypassed the existing Sleaford station on the GNR's Grantham to Boston line , reflecting the primacy of mineral traffic, but spurs were constructed on both sides of Sleaford to enable passenger trains on the Joint Line to call there. The GER ran five passenger trains each way daily on

4212-549: The GER ran three trains a day between Liverpool Street and Doncaster via Cambridge and the Joint Line, augmenting the through London coaches attached to certain ordinary March to Doncaster trains. From 1 November 1892, running powers over the North Eastern Railway from Shaftholme Junction (the boundary of GNR and NER territory) to York were obtained, and the Liverpool Street trains were extended to York. This established

4329-539: The GNR Boston line goods traffic to join the Joint Line and get access to the avoiding line. This line opened on 7 June 1883. The next day the GNR transferred the Black Carr Junction to Pyewipe Junction line to the joint committee, and the GER paid over £383,760 for the value of the transferred railway. The GER wasted no time in diverting the southbound coal traffic over the route; up until that time it had received

4446-402: The GNR and the MS&LR), and the MS&LR agreed to exchange traffic with the GER at Lincoln. The Great Eastern decided to build on the mood of constructive cooperation, and in 1864 suggested to the GNR a new and direct joint line from Spalding to Lincoln through Sleaford . The GNR saw that this would shorten the route of its loop line through Boston , and agreed, and a bill was prepared for

4563-415: The GNR at Holme, and it was alter leased to the GNR. The two branches had separate, unconnected stations at Ramsey. The GER had contemplated connecting them, as a means of getting a through connection to the GNR main line, but the Joint Line reduced the projected benefit of that scheme. In October 1895 the GN and GE decided to make the branch part of the Joint Line; the GER was to work it for 30% of receipts,

4680-474: The GNR. The GER had to pay tolls to pass the MS&LR bridge over the River Trent at Gainsborough, as the Joint Line was routed over the pre-existing MS&LR line there; an independent bridge had earlier been considered. The Joint Line proved a huge advantage to the GER, which gained direct and indirect access to a large area of colliery working at a time when the demand for domestic, industrial and export coal

4797-622: The Great Central Railway. The bulk of services were local and in July 1922 the Bradshaw's timetable guide revealed few passenger services serving the smaller intermediate stations during the week. The North Country Continental served March, Spalding and Lincoln on the route and a service from Lowestoft to York served March, Spalding, Lincoln, Gainsborough and Doncaster. A Liverpool Street to Doncaster service also called at these stations. Most of

Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

4914-600: The Great Eastern steamers which sail to and from the Hook of Holland." Another famous train that used the route for many of the years was the North Country Continental which linked Harwich Parkeston Quay with Manchester and north west England . In 1905 a through restaurant car service was inaugurated between Manchester London Road and Great Yarmouth by way of Retford, Lincoln, March and Ely, by arrangement with

5031-468: The Joint Line faced south and converged with the GNR main line 16 chains (320 m) south of Huntingdon station : a new Joint station (independent of the GNR main line station) was built, to accommodate also the Midland Railway trains from Kettering . The station opened on 1 May 1883, and the GNR started an experimental passenger service from there to March, but it did not attract much business, and

5148-412: The Joint Line. The line passed through terrain that was largely rural and sparsely inhabited. Accordingly, local goods traffic was not significant, although the arable agricultural sector provided a seasonal flow. The dominant goods traffic was naturally mineral trains, chiefly coal, from South Yorkshire, and later Lancashire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Much of this traffic was destined for London and

5265-676: The MS&LR line could not be accessed from the avoiding line. When the Sheffield District Railway was built (opening in 1900), it was operated as an offshoot of the LD&ECR line. As a result, it gave further penetration into mineral and industrial areas for the GER. On the opening throughout of the Joint Line, the Great Eastern Railway ran special racegoers' trains to Doncaster for the St Leger , including one from London Liverpool Street . The GNR had not anticipated this in

5382-495: The Parliamentary bill authorising the Joint Line was passed. The GNR lines from Black Carr Junction (south of Doncaster) to Lincoln, and Spalding to March, and the GER lines from Huntingdon to St Ives, and from Needingworth Junction (near St Ives) to March, were to be transferred to Joint ownership. A new line was to be built from Spalding to Lincoln; and the junctions at Huntingdon and St Ives were to be improved. A Joint Committee

5499-559: The Reform of Local Government, recommended the creation of eight provinces in England. The proposed East Anglia province would have included northern Essex, southern Lincolnshire and a small part of Northamptonshire as well as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The kingdom of East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk , but the Isle of Ely also became part of it upon the marriage of East Anglian princess Æthelthryth (Etheldreda). It

5616-590: The River Don at Swinton east of Rotherham. The canal called the Dearne & Dove Canal was started in 1793 and completed in 1796. The canal with branches to Elsecar and Worsborough allowed collieries through the coal field to be expanded. This can be seen with sinking of the Elsecar New Colliery by the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam. The coal trade in the early 19th century suffered several periods of recession but as

5733-580: The Roman occupation. The alluvial land was converted into wide swaths of productive arable land by a series of systematic drainage projects, mainly using drains and river diversions along the lines of Dutch practice. In the 1630s, thousands of Puritan families from East Anglia emigrated to New England in America, taking much East Anglian culture with them that can still be traced today. East Anglia based much of its earnings on wool, textiles, and arable farming and

5850-402: The South Yorkshire and Derbyshire coalfields, no less than 11 scheduled coal trains working to March over the joint line daily, besides seven daily mixed goods and coal trains and special and relief trains not scheduled, and the maximum load per train being 45 wagons. Another class of traffic which illustrates the industrial development due to the Great Eastern Railway's passage over the joint line

5967-417: The UK, lies just south of Cambridge in north-west Essex. The University of Cambridge , established at the start of the 13th century and in the town of the same name, is East Anglia's best-known institution of higher learning and is among the oldest and most famous universities in the world. Other institutions include the University of East Anglia (in Norwich ), University of Essex , Norwich University of

SECTION 50

#1732844674179

6084-458: The area is among the driest in the United Kingdom and during the summer months, tinder-dry conditions are frequently experienced, occasionally resulting in field and heath fires. Many areas receive less than 700 mm of rainfall a year and this is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Sunshine totals tend to be higher towards the coastal areas. Transport in East Anglia consists of an extensive road and rail network. Main A roads, such as

6201-442: The armed forces, the Bevin Boys , was used in the collieries. The British coal mining industry was nationalised in 1947. Whilst this was done, in the words of the Labour Party Constitution , "To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and

6318-404: The arms of the diocese of Ely and the arms of the borough of Bury St Edmunds , where the crowns are shown pierced with arrows to represent the martyrdom of Edmund the Martyr , the last king of East Anglia. Other users of the arms include the former Isle of Ely County Council , the Borough of Colchester and the University of East Anglia . The flag of Cambridgeshire (adopted in 2015) includes

6435-675: The backdrop to Graham Swift 's novel Waterland . The area also figures in works by L.P. Hartley , Arthur Ransome and Dorothy L. Sayers , among many others. "Suffolk pink" and similar pastel colours of whitewash are commonly seen on houses in Suffolk, Norfolk and their neighbouring counties. East Anglia has holiday resorts that range from the traditional coastal towns of Felixstowe and Lowestoft in Suffolk and Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton in Norfolk, to towns like Aldeburgh and Southwold in Suffolk. Other tourist attractions include historic towns and cities like Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and Ely as well as areas such as Constable Country ,

6552-425: The balance being divided between the two owners. An Act of 29 July 1896 authorised this and it became effective from 1 January 1897. The GNR ran only very occasional goods trains on the line. The route from March to Huntingdon involved a reversal at St Ives. The track layout at St Ives included three long sidings from the point of junction stretching towards Fenstanton . GNR goods trains reversing there must have used

6669-639: The best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service" as part of a wider process of nationalisation it did allow the coalfield to be modernised and streamlined in a way that had not been achieved in the previous decades. The National Coal Board management in the 40 years following nationalisation, closed inefficient and worked out collieries, amalgamated and combined other collieries to form larger production units where significant assets such as skip winders and coal washing and grading facilities could be used by several collieries and opened new drift mines which could be fitted with

6786-432: The coal deposits and this gave confidence to the speculators as to possible returns. The costs required in the deeper pits required more coal to guarantee a suitable return, therefore mines were set up in rural areas where large royalties could be negotiated with little in the way of buildings on the land to minimise the amount of coal that had to be left to prevent subsidence. The lack of population in these areas meant that

6903-425: The coal field is not significantly affected by faults except along the River Don between Sheffield and Mexborough . These faults give rise to the Frickley and Maltby troughs where the coal measures are thrown down and lie deeper than in other parts of the coalfield. The coal found in the South Yorkshire Coalfield was a bituminous coal that was generally used for the production of coal gas and coke . The coke

7020-459: The coal field. The Barnsley seam coal properties varied through the depth of the seam. The top of the seam was a soft bright coal, the middle section known as the "hards" was a dull hard high quality coal suitable for raising steam. The bottoms was another band of bright soft coal called "bottom softs". Other famous seams include the Parkgate seam that produced mainly gas coal, the Silkstone seam which produced coal suitable for many purposes and

7137-458: The coal measures are overlain by younger rocks, permian limestone , where the area is referred to as the concealed coal field. The northernmost extent of the South Yorkshire Coalfield is marked by the change of its richest and highest grade coal seam, the Barnsley Seam or Bed, to a thin seam of inferior coal which occurs to the north of Barnsley. The southern limit was marked by the Barnsley Bed losing its coking qualities. The structure of

SECTION 60

#1732844674179

7254-440: The coal seams where they outcropped. The coal would have been used locally as a heating fuel or in the production of iron. This small scale mining persisted well into the late 1780s when the 4th Earl Fitzwilliam's colliery at Lawwood had only 19 "picks" or miners. The reason for the delay in development when compared to the coalfields of Northumberland and County Durham was that the area had poor access to water transport which

7371-404: The coalfield suffered a series of fatal explosions as the available mine ventilation techniques were unable to safely deal with large quantity of methane or firedamp produced by the Barnsley seam in the deeper and larger mines being sunk. The contemporary colliery ventilation techniques were often poorly applied and even in collieries where the ventilation was well engineered the technique had

7488-404: The coast and are popular for recreational boating. The Ouse flows into the Wash at King's Lynn. Major urban areas in East Anglia include the cities of Norwich , Cambridge and Peterborough , and the town of Ipswich . Other towns and cities include Bury St Edmunds , Ely , Lowestoft , Great Yarmouth and King's Lynn . Much of the area is still rural in nature with many villages surrounded by

7605-424: The coast. East Anglia is bordered to the north and east by the North Sea , to the south by the estuaries of the rivers Orwell and Stour , and shares an undefined land border to the west with the rest of England. Much of northern East Anglia is flat, low-lying and marshy (such as the Fens of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk ), although the extensive drainage projects of the past centuries actually make this one of

7722-410: The colliery owners had to provide accommodation in the form of pit villages and the quality of this varied considerably between collieries. At the turn of the 20th century many of the collieries on the exposed coalfield had exhausted the Barnsley seam in their royalty and rather than abandon their investment and experienced workforces many owners sank deeper shafts to exploit the seams that lay beneath

7839-416: The development of gas-fired power station in the Dash for Gas and the continued use of cheap coal imports in the electricity generating business. By January 2015 only two coal mines were still working, Kellingley and Hatfield Main, although some shafts remain in use as pumping stations to reduce pollution from the abandoned workings. On 18 December 2015, miners at Kellingley worked their final shift, marking

7956-410: The driest areas in the UK. Inland, much of the rest of Suffolk and Norfolk is gently undulating, with glacial moraine ridges providing some areas of steeper relief. The highest point in Norfolk is the 103 metres (338 ft) Beacon Hill ; the supposed flatness of Norfolk is noted in literature, including Noël Coward 's Private Lives – "Very flat, Norfolk". On the north-west corner East Anglia

8073-428: The early years of the 20th century came into full production that the South Yorkshire Coalfield produced its record amount of coal 33.5 m tons, 13% of Britain's coal output that year. The early part of the century was marked by increasing competition in foreign markets for the coal and as a result some mines were amalgamated to reduce costs and improve competitiveness. Outside the coalfield technology changes also reduced

8190-435: The east and north Midlands on the other. The GER introduced its first fitted fast freight trains in 1906; they ran twice daily over the joint line, and were limited to 25 wagons. In 1910 Charles Dix described the goods traffic at March: Here the ordinary goods and merchandise traffic from London and the South, and the flower and fruit and other traffic from the Eastern Counties is collected and sent northwards, and similarly

8307-407: The east by the descent of the coal-bearing strata under overlying rocks as they approach the North Sea . Since the creation of the county of South Yorkshire in 1974, the name can be misleading as the coalfield stretches beyond the Wakefield district and other parts of West Yorkshire as far as Keighley and Kellingley Colliery and the Selby Coalfield are in North Yorkshire . It is separate from

8424-589: The end of Great Britain's deep coal mining industry. There has been conflict between the mine owners and the miners for more than 200 years. A strike by miners in 1792 for higher wages at the Duke of Norfolk's collieries near Sheffield is an early example. During the 19th century a variety of unions or associations such as the Mining Association of Great Britain & Ireland, the Miners National Union and

8541-523: The exhausted Barnsley seam such as the Parkgate and Swallow wood seams. Some examples of this include Cortonwood, Manvers Main and Elsecar Main At this time the first collieries on the concealed coalfield were opened such as Bentley & Brodsworth Main. These new collieries suffered many problems during the sinking of their shafts through wet sandstone and quicksand . It was during 1929 as these deeper pits sunk in

8658-516: The first year. When the GER publicised their intention to run a special from Liverpool Street to Doncaster for the Doncaster Cup on the following Friday in addition, the GNR felt obliged to run a special of its own from London King's Cross , something it did not customarily do. In fact the Friday services were poorly patronised: 12 persons used the GNR train, and six the GER train. From 1 September 1882

8775-592: The kingdom himself. Independence was temporarily restored by rebellion in 825, but the Danes killed King Edmund on 20 November 869 and captured the kingdom. Edward the Elder incorporated East Anglia into the Kingdom of England, and it later became an earldom . Parts of East Anglia remained marshland until the 17th-century drainage of the Fens, despite some earlier engineering work during

8892-477: The largest proportion of its residents in the UK cycling to work with 25% commuting by bicycle. The city is also home to the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway , which at 13.3 miles (21.4 km) was the longest stretch of guided bus-way in the world when it opened in 2011. The only major commercial airport is Norwich Airport , although London Stansted Airport , the fourth busiest passenger airport in

9009-456: The latest equipment. The results of these actions carried out against a backdrop of a volatile and declining market was that by the time the collieries of South Yorkshire were sold to private owners in the mid nineties the coal they produced was some of the cheapest in the developed world. Post privatisation pits continued to close as the market for coal in the United Kingdom contracted with

9126-438: The main line at Doncaster and this was authorised in 1864, opening on 15 July 1867. In 1863 a branch from Spalding to March was authorised; running powers over it were granted to the GER; it opened in 1867. March was an important junction on the GER system where traffic for much of East Anglia could be exchanged. The future Joint Line route was therefore in place between March and Spalding, and between Lincoln and Doncaster. It

9243-468: The minor stations had three or four services each way. On Sundays, minor stations between March and Lincoln had no services and there was a single northbound express. There was a single all stations train from Lincoln to Doncaster. The Midland Railway ran trains from Kettering to Cambridge over the Huntingdon to St Ives section, by virtue of running powers arranged with the GER prior to the formation of

9360-460: The new section, and the GNR ran a daily goods train. The section from Ruskington to Sincil Bank Junction, near Lincoln, was opened for goods traffic on 1 July 1882, and for passengers on 1 August 1882. This was 16 miles (26 km) in length; there was an avoiding line to pass Lincoln passenger station ; it ran from Greetham Junction (just east of Sincil Bank Junction) to join the onward joint line at Pyewipe Junction. It opened for goods traffic on

9477-469: The north west, to the north of Bradford and Leeds in the north east, Huddersfield and Sheffield in the west, and Doncaster in the east. The major towns of Wakefield , Barnsley and Rotherham are within its boundaries. It is part of the larger Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Yorkshire Coalfield. Its western boundary is defined by the outcropping of coal seams in the foothills of the Pennines and in

9594-434: The plan to build its own line through Sleaford and Lincoln to Askern. Just as the GER sought northward access to the coalfields, the GNR was "desperate for an alternative route to relieve the main line", and the GNR countered by depositing a fresh bill for a direct line from Spalding to Lincoln via Sleaford. This time it made more friendly advances to the GER in suggesting that the Huntingdon to Ely line should be included in

9711-415: The populations of Norfolk and Suffolk were found to be the group with the lowest amount of Iron Age/Roman period British Isles-related ancestry, with only about 11-12.7% of their ancestry being derived from that group, while having one of the highest amounts of Continental North European (45.9-46.1%), and the highest amount of Continental West European (41.2-43.1%) ancestry in all of England. East Anglia

9828-406: The project was commissioned in 2015. Most of the line remains in use for that traffic and a local passenger service. In the 1830s the imagination of railway promoters led to proposed schemes to link the major centres of Great Britain. In 1834 a "Grand Northern and Eastern Railway" was proposed, and in 1835 a "Great Northern Railway" (nothing to do with the later Great Northern Railway of the 1850s)

9945-469: The proposed joint system. Although the GER turned the proposal down, and in fact tried its own bill in Parliament, the GNR scheme won the day. The GNR was obliged by the Act to give the GER the running powers it desired; the two companies were to return to Parliament in the next session with a joint scheme. Thus were the origins of the Joint Line created. The two companies did return to Parliament, and on 3 July 1879

10062-423: The railway's commercial potential. Once again thoughts turned to the lucrative traffic in coal from South Yorkshire, and also in manufactures to and from London, and export traffic to the North Sea ports. In 1863, therefore, the GER submitted a bill to build a line from March to Spalding, and to get running powers over the GNR's line from there to Doncaster. The GNR naturally wished to fend this off, and it deposited

10179-514: The region or scale: 2: The Selby Coalfield straddled the border of North and West Yorkshire 53°28′55″N 1°17′38″W  /  53.482°N 1.294°W  / 53.482; -1.294 East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England , often defined as including the counties of Norfolk , Suffolk and Cambridgeshire . The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of

10296-404: The remaining route section were closed. The nomenclature "the Joint Line" was transferred to mean the route via Peterborough . In the 21st century congestion on the East Coast Main Line had again become a problem, and resignalling, loading gauge enhancements, and partial upgrade of the remaining route took place, to enable container freight trains from Felixstowe and elsewhere to use the line;

10413-539: The rest of East Anglia due to its similar rural landscape, when compared to the south which is much more urban given its proximity to London . However, the county of Essex by itself forms a NUTS 2 statistical unit in the East of England region . Other definitions of the area have been used or proposed over the years. For example, the Redcliffe-Maud Report in 1969, which followed the Royal Commission on

10530-477: The same day; a spur turning back to Lincoln (from Boultham Junction to West Holmes Junction) enabled goods traffic to use the goods yard there without passing through the passenger station. Greetham Junction was the convergence of the new Joint Line with the GNR route from Boston, but to reduce congestion the 1879 Act authorised the construction of a one-mile (1.6 km) duplicate line, from Washingborough Junction (as it became) to Greetwell East Junction; this enabled

10647-456: The scene. His dubious methods were later exposed and he was disgraced, but in the meantime he sought to extend the ECR northwards, to get access to the huge flows of coal from South Yorkshire and elsewhere to London, and of merchandise. As well as the income from carrying a share of this traffic, the company would get better access to engine coal for their own business. The Great Northern Railway (GNR)

10764-450: The sidings for the purpose. Reversal at St Ives for the GNR mineral trains from Yorkshire to London would have been inconvenient, and it appears that they generally used the Spalding to Peterborough line to join the main line instead. The St Ives route was chiefly used for access to March for general and local goods trains. Although the Joint Line gave the GER access to Doncaster, the company

10881-534: The size of markets as ships moved increasingly to oil as their primary fuel source, and train routes were electrified. Despite the amalgamations the industry was still seen as inefficient and to promote more efficient development of what was still a vital resource the Government in 1938 nationalised the coal reserves. During the Second World War , to ensure production levels were met, conscript labour redirected from

10998-730: The southern area of the coalfield. The colliery owners to the south in Derbyshire cut the Chesterfield Canal from Chesterfield to join with the River Trent near Gainsborough in 1777 which allowed them to compete directly with the South Yorkshire Coalfield. This in turn forced the colliery owners in Southern Yorkshire to improve their access to the sea. They planned a canal running from Wakefield south through Barnsley to

11115-559: The station daily, 100 engines being stabled at March... Another class of traffic... is the fruit and flower traffic of Cambridgeshire and the Eastern Counties. During the period between May and October 1909, no less than 13,000 tons of fruit were despatched to various towns in the North of England, 60,000 packages being despatched on one day from one station alone." There was also a steady flow of grain to distilleries in Scotland. South Yorkshire Coalfield The South Yorkshire Coalfield

11232-533: The three gold crowns on a blue field. The East Anglian flag as it is known today was proposed by George Henry Langham and adopted in 1902 by the London Society of East Anglians (established in 1896). It superimposes the three crowns in a blue shield on a St George's cross . East Anglia features heavily in English literature, notably in Noël Coward 's Private Lives and the history of its waterways and drainage forms

11349-443: The time. Running largely through flat terrain, the line had numerous level crossings , especially in the southern section, and as wagon-load freight movements of coal declined after about 1960, the cost of operating the line became excessive compared to the use made of it. In 1982 the section from Spalding to Whitemoor was closed, trains being diverted via the Spalding to Peterborough line ; in addition many intermediate stations on

11466-528: The track on the St Ives to March line and about three miles (5 km) of the St Ives to Huntingdon line needed to be renewed, and additionally the St Ives to Huntingdon line was to be doubled later. The March to Spalding line was to be resignalled. Part of the new Lincoln line, between Spalding and Ruskington , about 21 miles (34 km), was opened on 6 March 1882. On the same day the GNR March to Spalding line and

11583-565: The traffic from the GNR at Peterborough. The GNR diverted mineral traffic to the route, relieving the main line. The Lincoln avoiding line was a goods-only route at first but on 20 March 1883 the Board of Trade sanctioned its use for passenger trains if required. Lincoln passenger station improvements were carried out in 1883. Further south a new connection was made at Huntingdon, where GNR mineral trains regained their own track. The old junctions there had long since fallen into disuse. The connection from

11700-456: The traffic from the North, the textile and staple manufactures from Lancashire and Yorkshire and fish traffic from the north-eastern ports is collected for distribution to the South and over the Eastern Counties, eight express goods trains being scheduled to run daily each way between March and Doncaster for the purpose. Of the first importance is, of course, the enormous development of coal traffic from

11817-738: Was a rich area of England until the Industrial Revolution caused a manufacturing and development shift to the Midlands and the North. During the Second World War , the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force constructed many airbases in East Anglia for the heavy bomber fleets of the Combined Bomber Offensive against German-occupied Europe . East Anglia was ideally suited to airfield construction, as it includes large areas of open, level terrain and

11934-428: Was authorised in 1846 to build a main line from London to York, with a loop line from Peterborough to Bawtry (a few miles south of Doncaster ) by way of Boston and Lincoln . In 1848 the GNR opened a line from near Peterborough through Spalding via Boston to Lincoln, and a section from Retford to Doncaster in 1849. The section from London to Peterborough was opened in 1850, and in 1852 Peterborough to Retford

12051-404: Was carried. There was some local passenger business, and some long-distance passenger trains used the route. The route became a trunk artery for freight traffic, especially coal, and a large marshalling complex developed at Whitemoor , near March , for the sorting of wagons. In the 1920s a modern mechanised system was installed at Whitemoor, the most advanced such installation in Great Britain at

12168-428: Was considerably less than the GER was seeking, and the GER therefore suggested to the GNR that the two companies should be joint owners of the GNR loop line between Spalding and Gainsborough, and also of the GNR lines then under construction between Spalding and March, and Gainsborough and Doncaster. At this time running powers were granted to the GER over the lines of the West Riding and Grimsby Railway (jointly owned by

12285-488: Was formed around 520 by merging the North and South Folk, Angles who had settled in the former lands of the Iceni during the previous century, and it was one of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy kingdoms as defined in the 12th-century writings of Henry of Huntingdon . East Anglia has been cited by a number of scholars as being a region where settlement of continental Germanic speakers was particularly early and dense, possibly following

12402-466: Was on the Joint Line a short distance north of St Ives. It was a single line 7 miles (11 km) in length, with a terminus in Ramsey and an intermediate station at Warboys . It was worked from the outset by the GER. There was already a Ramsey branch from the west, joining the Huntingdon to Peterborough main line at Holme , and it had originally been under the control of the GER, although it only connected to

12519-517: Was opened, completing the main line from London to Doncaster, part of the present-day East Coast Main Line . An extension from Lincoln to Gainsborough was opened in 1849. GNR trains arriving at Gainsborough joined the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) and reversed into that railway's station (now Gainsborough Central ) there. The GNR wished to complete the loop from there to rejoin

12636-567: Was projected. Both of these schemes were for a line from London to York through Cambridge . Many of the early schemes failed, and none was built north of Cambridge for many years. In 1847, the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) opened its line from Ely to March and Peterborough . The ECR chairman was George Hudson , often referred to as the Railway King . Hudson was determined that the group of railways he controlled would dominate

12753-507: Was still anxious to get direct access to coal mines, and this led it to give considerable financial support to a proposed railway that became the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway . It was to run from both Manchester and Warrington , through Buxton and Chesterfield , crossing (and connecting to) the GNR main line at Tuxford , and continuing to Lincoln and the east coast at Sutton-on-Sea (near Mablethorpe ). A large dock complex

12870-569: Was the GNR which provided the siding group at March that became the nucleus of the later Whitemoor Yard complex. In 1862 the Great Eastern Railway (GER) was formed by the amalgamation of the Eastern Counties Railway, the Eastern Union Railway , and other smaller concerns in East Anglia. The GER dominated the railway scene in its own area, but the sparse population density and the relatively undeveloped industrial activity limited

12987-519: Was the most powerful of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England for a brief period following a victory over the rival kingdom of Northumbria around 616, and its King Rædwald was Bretwalda (overlord of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms). However, this did not last; the Mercians defeated it twice over the next 40 years, and East Anglia continued to weaken in relation to the other kingdoms. Offa of Mercia finally had king Æthelberht killed in 794 and took control of

13104-503: Was the only economic method of transport before the development of the railways. The first area of the coalfield to gain access to improved transportation was the southern edge when the River Don Navigation was canalised as far as Tinsley near Sheffield by 1740. This allowed the collieries near Rotherham to export their coal east to the English coast and beyond and west Sheffield. By 1769 300,000 tons of coal were exported from

13221-456: Was then used for iron and steel manufacture. Some seams produced coal suitable for raising steam, i.e. it had a low ash and sulphur content. Finally other seams produced coal for household use. The most famous seam in the South Yorkshire Coalfield was the Barnsley seam or bed. This seam which was up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick in places provided a significant amount of the coal produced by

13338-430: Was to be built there for coal export. In return for its financial help, the GER got running powers. In fact the LD&ECR was unable to get the huge amount of investment capital it needed, and only built the section between Chesterfield and Lincoln; nevertheless this gave the GER the access it wanted to some important colliery areas. The truncated LD&ECR reached Pyewipe Junction, Lincoln, from Barlborough Colliery on

13455-413: Was to be established to manage the line, and the GER was to pay the GNR £415,000, the difference in value of the respective lines becoming joint. Five directors from each of the companies formed the Joint Committee; it first met on 11 August 1879. C. H. Parkes of the GER was in the chair. The GN & GE Joint Railway was not a corporate body, and never had its own locomotives or rolling stock. Most of

13572-621: Was very considerable. By contrast the GNR suffered a loss of income, £81,000 in the first year, chiefly due to the loss of haulage of coal that was now in the hands of the GER. Anderson comments: "Ironically the Joint line actually hurt the GN. Its value as relief for the congested main line was less than expected, and the GE soon became established as a major competitor." The Ramsey and Somersham Junction Railway had been opened in September 1889; Somersham Junction

13689-427: Was withdrawn from 1 November 1883. On that day the GER had been running trains from its network to Godmanchester (still named "Huntingdon" until 1 July 1882) and on cessation of the GNR service extended its own trains to the Joint station at Huntingdon. The Midland Railway ran passenger trains over that part of the route to Cambridge. The GNR had been running goods trains to March but withdrew them also, now only running

#178821