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A glorious insight into Britain over the last 150 yearsfrom the window of Britain's many and magnificent railway journeys. Inspired by George Bradshaw, a 19th-century cartographer who mapped Britain's railways as they sprung up around him, Charlie Bunce and Michael Portillo take a journey along nine classic British railway routes and surround themselves with the history, the charm, and the people at the heart of the railways. More than just a practical mode of transport, Britain's railways are richly representative and evocative of British society and how it has developed over the last 150 years. Symbols of progress and change, they tell of remarkable breakthroughs in technology, industry, and travel. Iconic in their design they have both made a distinctive impact on Britain's landscape and opened it up to millions of people who, through train journeys alone, became acquainted with wonderful new places and sights. And as fond staples of childhood experiences they evoke deep, memorable feelings of nostalgia, of holidays, and of home. Great British Train Journeys is a passionate, charming, and insightful look at Britain from a window a compelling read for all who look forward to traveling by train.
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First published January 6, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 23, 2016
Lived the series. Lived the book. Great companion
November 3, 2016
The railway age as social history. Thoroughly enjoyed it, though it would have been improved by omitting the photos of Michael Portillo.
May 15, 2019
Review title: The train will take you there
Based on a popular BBC television series hosted by Michael Portillo, who wrote the forward for this book, this is actually two books previously published separately combined under one cover to create a nicely bound and beautifully illustrated coffee table book for enthusiasts of British rail history. The packaging is unusual in that no attempt was made to integrate the two volumes other than a title page that lists both authors.
The first book is by Charlie Bunce and is titled Great British Railway Journeys, with a foreward by Portillo. The second book is by Karen Farrington and is titled Great Victorian Railway Journeys, also forewarded by Portillo. Each has its own title page, table of contents, page numnering, and index! Also interestingly, only the first book was based on a BBC series, which I have watched and looked for when working in the UK. I have even ridden some of the routes Michael Portillo described on his journeys (most recently, for example, the funicular tramway at Llandudno in Wales), and Bunce has the advantage of working from the television series scripts to give his story flow and interest. Farrington on the other hand isn't so fortunate, so even though her book follows the same format of describing interesting events and places along a UK rail route, it doesn't flow stick as closely to the locales passed and instead sometimes wanders off into unrelated and longer histories. If these were separate books I would rate Bunce's contribution 4 stars and Farrington's 2.
The real stars of these books are Portillo and famous 19th century rail guide author Charles Bradshaw. Portillo is a British politician (Member of Parliament and appropriately enough one-time Minister of Transportation) and now television host who has a flair for loud colors and prints that would be laughable were he not so confident and seemingly so unaware of the bizarre image it presents. There are no less than 14 pictures of him, divided equally between the two books, which is a bit misleading as there was no television series associated with it and his only apparent contribution was the brief foreward. Several of the pictures show, tucked under Portillo's arm, an original edition of Bradshaw's Railroad Guide, which was the first and for a while the only way for travelers' to map railroad schedules and routes to plan journeys beyond their local carrier--an early Google Maps, down to and including lists and recommendations for hotels, dining, and sightseeing. Both the television scripts and the books quote from it frequently and in fact for the first book it was the impetus for many of the most interesting parts of the series and the book as Portillo went back to places Bradshaw mentioned to see how the ensuing century had changed the world he described. Farrington's book also quotes Bradshaw often and it is the best part of that section. Both sections do a good job of crisscrossing the country, with multiple stops in and around London but also going to out of the way places around the coasts, in the north (including the west coast of Scotland where I now want to plan my next railway adventure), in forgotten rural villages and once and sometimes still great industrial towns; Farrington also includes a journey from Dublin to Belfast.
The pictures are the purpose in this heavily illustrated volume on heavyweight glossy paper; it is indeed a heavy volume intended for the coffee table, not a guide for the traveler. There are no maps of the routes in either book, which I tbought was a big miss as it would have enabled the reader to trace the journeys either to look for familiar places along the way or scout out unfamiliar places to visit. It was indeed one of the reasons I bought the book used in an outdoor book stall (in itself a fun place I visited and bought from more than once) in Manchester this trip. So buy the book for the pictures and the stories, but keep Google Maps open on your phone nearby to help plan your own adventure on great British railways.
Based on a popular BBC television series hosted by Michael Portillo, who wrote the forward for this book, this is actually two books previously published separately combined under one cover to create a nicely bound and beautifully illustrated coffee table book for enthusiasts of British rail history. The packaging is unusual in that no attempt was made to integrate the two volumes other than a title page that lists both authors.
The first book is by Charlie Bunce and is titled Great British Railway Journeys, with a foreward by Portillo. The second book is by Karen Farrington and is titled Great Victorian Railway Journeys, also forewarded by Portillo. Each has its own title page, table of contents, page numnering, and index! Also interestingly, only the first book was based on a BBC series, which I have watched and looked for when working in the UK. I have even ridden some of the routes Michael Portillo described on his journeys (most recently, for example, the funicular tramway at Llandudno in Wales), and Bunce has the advantage of working from the television series scripts to give his story flow and interest. Farrington on the other hand isn't so fortunate, so even though her book follows the same format of describing interesting events and places along a UK rail route, it doesn't flow stick as closely to the locales passed and instead sometimes wanders off into unrelated and longer histories. If these were separate books I would rate Bunce's contribution 4 stars and Farrington's 2.
The real stars of these books are Portillo and famous 19th century rail guide author Charles Bradshaw. Portillo is a British politician (Member of Parliament and appropriately enough one-time Minister of Transportation) and now television host who has a flair for loud colors and prints that would be laughable were he not so confident and seemingly so unaware of the bizarre image it presents. There are no less than 14 pictures of him, divided equally between the two books, which is a bit misleading as there was no television series associated with it and his only apparent contribution was the brief foreward. Several of the pictures show, tucked under Portillo's arm, an original edition of Bradshaw's Railroad Guide, which was the first and for a while the only way for travelers' to map railroad schedules and routes to plan journeys beyond their local carrier--an early Google Maps, down to and including lists and recommendations for hotels, dining, and sightseeing. Both the television scripts and the books quote from it frequently and in fact for the first book it was the impetus for many of the most interesting parts of the series and the book as Portillo went back to places Bradshaw mentioned to see how the ensuing century had changed the world he described. Farrington's book also quotes Bradshaw often and it is the best part of that section. Both sections do a good job of crisscrossing the country, with multiple stops in and around London but also going to out of the way places around the coasts, in the north (including the west coast of Scotland where I now want to plan my next railway adventure), in forgotten rural villages and once and sometimes still great industrial towns; Farrington also includes a journey from Dublin to Belfast.
The pictures are the purpose in this heavily illustrated volume on heavyweight glossy paper; it is indeed a heavy volume intended for the coffee table, not a guide for the traveler. There are no maps of the routes in either book, which I tbought was a big miss as it would have enabled the reader to trace the journeys either to look for familiar places along the way or scout out unfamiliar places to visit. It was indeed one of the reasons I bought the book used in an outdoor book stall (in itself a fun place I visited and bought from more than once) in Manchester this trip. So buy the book for the pictures and the stories, but keep Google Maps open on your phone nearby to help plan your own adventure on great British railways.
October 10, 2019
A very interesting book. Bunce not only describes the journey that he, Portillo and the crew are taking, he also describes fascinating bits of history on the journey.
I have always enjoyed watching the series and its tremendous follow ups, and I have enjoyed watching Portillo on TV ever since one of the Dimblebys announced that Portillo was out of British politics at the disastrous (for the Tories) General Election in 1997.
I have always enjoyed watching the series and its tremendous follow ups, and I have enjoyed watching Portillo on TV ever since one of the Dimblebys announced that Portillo was out of British politics at the disastrous (for the Tories) General Election in 1997.
February 13, 2025
Revisiting Bradshaw is a great idea, but how to choose? The TV programmes and therefore this book contain an eclectic choice of routes, many of which are scarcely credible in terms of journeys that would actually be chosen (many required some road based assistance!). The circuitous ramblings however provide an interesting selection of places and snippets of information about their past to provide a fascinating read. A good selection of illustrations adds to the interest.
July 19, 2018
Excellent book. Packed with information on the journeys undertaken alongside historical details about railways and the towns they pass through. Lots of interesting places to visit along the way, all accompanied by colour photography throughout.
August 24, 2020
This is a little superficial as it squeezes several journeys into one book but it manages to convey the author's passion and is well illustrated. It is a handy book to dip into if heading for different parts of the country and you want an insight into what it was like in the age of steam.
December 11, 2020
What a superb book! A great companion to the TV series. Ideal for the coffee table, photographs are amazing, I loved the posters too. Buy a copy of Bradshaw to go with it and you can have a holiday in britain without even putting your shoes on! Highly recommended. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 21, 2020
This book is an excellent companion to the TV series. It contains a little bit more background and has some nice pictures too.
November 20, 2021
Another interesting book of railway journeys - if you enjoy books about railway journeys.
January 12, 2017
Railway buffs? Sure, but this book is also a wealth of information for those interested in travel throughout the UK, especially to many lesser traveled locales.
This book is essentially the narrative for the Series 1 episodes of the television show. It is a bit clunky in places, especially transitions from one section to the next, largely due to the television format it is adapted from. Other aspects were really good; there are great photographs, cool vintage railway print ads, interesting stories of people met along the way, and many places I had never heard of before that I now want to read more about. My list of places to visit in the UK just tripled while reading this book. The historical information from George Bradshaw's 1866 railway guide was fascinating and the comparison of those places of the past to the same places of today makes it even more interesting.
This book is essentially the narrative for the Series 1 episodes of the television show. It is a bit clunky in places, especially transitions from one section to the next, largely due to the television format it is adapted from. Other aspects were really good; there are great photographs, cool vintage railway print ads, interesting stories of people met along the way, and many places I had never heard of before that I now want to read more about. My list of places to visit in the UK just tripled while reading this book. The historical information from George Bradshaw's 1866 railway guide was fascinating and the comparison of those places of the past to the same places of today makes it even more interesting.
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February 3, 2016Good companion to the BBC television Series, presented by Michael Portillo.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews