Issue 111 – August 2016
BRIDGES AND CUTTINGS ... By Stephen Guy
RAILWAYS brought huge changes not only in the way people travelled but also how goods and commodities were transported. Before the 18th century Britain was most accessible by sea. In many ways it was easier to travel abroad than reach some distant village or town. Ships regularly plied between Liverpool and ports such as Whitehaven because travelling across land was impractical. There were no real roads, just rutted and often flooded tracks. The invention of new road surfaces and the introduction of efficient coaches, wagons and carriages began transforming travel. Later the railway phenomenon pioneered by George Stephenson revolutionised British transport while almost simultaneously spreading across the globe. The term Railway Mania was
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coined in the 1840s as vast sums of money was invested in constructing new lines. For the next 50 or more exciting
years railways seemingly spread everywhere. Where once travel was an ordeal it now became a pleasure. Food could be quickly transported and the landscape was transformed as different types of bricks and timber were easily shifted for building. Local branch lines became integral parts of people’s lives and sometimes remain so to this day. The development of south Liverpool was speeded up by the railways. Formerly it had been regarded as a rather remote area with poor roads. Big mansions such as Obelisk House in Allerton were in the vanguard of new developments. The Cheshire Lines Committee created railways in the area, helping to generate new commuting communities in the rapidly-growing suburbs.
Originally bridges and cuttings scarred the landscape but within a few years, as stones and bricks mellowed and trees grew, they blended in. The Cheshire Lines opened the line linking central Liverpool to St Michael’s, Otterspool, Mersey Road and Aigburth in 1864. Initially passengers could only travel as far as Brunswick before transferring to a horse bus to James Street. The rail link to Central Station opened in 1874. Among the many bridges along
the way is a fine example at Otterspool dated 1863 (pictured). It crosses the site of the original Otter’s Pool that can be seen beyond the arch. Another Cheshire Lines track linked Southport to Hunts Cross and beyond before closing in the 1970s. It is now the popular Sustrans Liverpool Loop Line section of the National Cycle Network. Learn more about the history of Liverpool at the Museum of Liverpool, Pier Head, open 10 am to 5 pm every day, admission free.