Railway history goes under the hammer

It is a letter written by Edward Pease – “the Father of the Railways”

– in 1819 as he battled to persuade Parliament that his new-fangled railway was a good idea.

The 26-mile railway proposed for south Durham had run into opposition from wealthy landowners. The Earl of Eldon, an influential member of the Government, feared that if the plans were passed, a rash of railways would break out all over the country. The Duke of Cleveland, who lived in Raby Castle, feared that the railway would scare off the foxes that he loved to hunt on his land.

The two aristocrats got their friends in the House of Lords, led by the Earl of Derby, to campaign against the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

In the letter to his eldest son John, Edward writes that the railway promoters must decide “whether we stand the contest with the Earl of Derby. It will be very expensive, and we fear possibly at last he may over throw us”.

The Darlington Quakers visited MPs and begged for their support.

In the letter, Edward says: “Strong acknowledgement from the Darlington committee should be made to every MP who has been useful and ask in our name all the influence they can obtain in the upper house.”

The Lords won the day, defeating the railway by 106 votes to 93.

But the narrowness of the margin encouraged the Peases to try again, and two years later they received Parliamentary permission.

The letter is expected to reach between £400 and £600 at Ludlow racecourse tomorrow, in Mullock’s auction, at 1pm.

The star lot is a 1910 watercolour signed by Hitler of a figure sitting on bridge, which is expected to fetch £1,500. The catalogue can be viewed at mullocksauctions.co.uk