Trade & Industry

  • 1662: Charles II marries Catherine of Braganza

    On 21 May 1662, Charles II and Catherine of Braganza were formally married at Portsmouth. Charles had been restored to the throne two years earlier, after civil war, republic and exile. His marriage was part of the effort to restore the Stuart monarchy to European politics. Catherine was a Portuguese princess, and the match tied…

  • 1694: The Bank of England receives its Royal Charter

    On 27 July 1694, William III and Mary II granted a Royal Charter to the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The institution had been created mainly to provide the government with money for war against France. The Nine Years’ War placed heavy demands on government finances. England needed a larger and more…

  • 1819: James Watt dies at Heathfield Hall

    James Watt died on 25 August 1819 at Heathfield Hall, his home near Birmingham. The Scottish engineer is often described as the inventor of the steam engine. However, steam engines were already in use in Britain before he was born. Watt’s achievement was to make them much more efficient and adaptable. Born in Greenock in…

  • 1825: The Stockton and Darlington Railway opens

    On 27 September 1825, the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened in north-east England. George Stephenson drove the steam locomotive Locomotion No. 1 on the opening journey, hauling goods and passengers. The railway ran for about 26 miles between the coalfield around Shildon and Stockton-on-Tees, through Darlington. Its main purpose was commercial. It needed to move…

  • 1830: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway Opens

    The Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened on 15 September 1830, carrying invited passengers between two of Britain’s largest commercial and industrial centres. Unlike earlier lines that relied partly on horses or were built mainly to move freight, the new railway was designed to operate regular services using steam locomotives. The opening was a major public…

  • 1843: Mining Engineer John Buddle Dies at Wallsend

    John Buddle died at his home in Wallsend on 10 October 1843, aged 70. He was an influential mining engineer and colliery manager in North East England. Born in County Durham in 1773, Buddle learned about mining from his father, who was also a colliery viewer. He succeeded him as manager of Wallsend Colliery in…

  • 1848: Waterloo Station opens in London

    Waterloo Bridge station opened in London on 11 July 1848. The opening had been brought forward by a week so passengers could travel by rail to the Epsom Derby. The London and South Western Railway built the terminus to replace its earlier station at Nine Elms. It brought the railway about two miles closer to…

  • 1859: Isambard Kingdom Brunel Dies Aged 53

    Isambard Kingdom Brunel died on 15 September 1859, aged 53. He had suffered a stroke shortly before his death and had been in poor health while working on his final major ship, the Great Eastern. Brunel’s career covered railways, bridges, tunnels and ships. As engineer of the Great Western Railway, he helped develop the route…

  • 1877: Charles Rolls is born in London

    Charles Stewart Rolls was born in Berkeley Square, London, on 27 August 1877. His surname would become one half of Rolls-Royce, but his own career extended beyond the company he helped establish. Rolls had strong connections to his family’s home, The Hendre near Monmouth, and studied mechanical and applied science at Trinity College, Cambridge. He…

  • 1897: Blackwall Tunnel opens beneath the Thames

    The original Blackwall Tunnel opened on 22 May 1897, linking Blackwall on the north bank of the Thames with Greenwich on the south. Its purpose was practical. The Thames was central to London’s trade, but it also made road journeys awkward. Ferries, bridges and longer routes could only do so much for a city whose…

  • 1909: William Ford Stanley dies in South Norwood

    William Ford Robinson Stanley died at his home in South Norwood on 14 August 1909, aged 80. He spent much of his working life making scientific and technical instruments, then used part of the resulting wealth to support public facilities and technical education. Stanley established his own business in Holborn in 1854, making mathematical and…

  • 1965: Harold Wilson opens the Post Office Tower

    Prime Minister Harold Wilson opened the Post Office Tower in central London on 8 October 1965. At 620 feet high, including its mast, it was Britain’s tallest building. Wilson marked the opening by calling the Lord Mayor of Birmingham using the tower’s new microwave equipment. The General Post Office had built the tower to increase…