The Railway Navvies

by Terry Coleman

This is the definitive story of the men who built the railways - the unknown Victorian labourers who blasted, tunnelled, drank and brawled their way across nineteenth-century England.

Preached at and plundered, sworn at and swindled, this anarchic elite endured perils and disasters, and carved out of the English countryside an industrial-age architecture unparalleled in grandeur and audacity since the building of the cathedrals.

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 1970

About the author

Terry Coleman was born in Bournemouth, England, went to fourteen schools, and then studied English and law at the Universities of Exeter and London. As a foreign correspondent for The Guardian and the London Daily Mail, he has traveled to forty-six countries, three times circumnavigated the world, and interviewed everyone from the former Cassius Clay to the Dalai Lama.

Reviews

[Matthew Gurteen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent social history of the working men who built most of Britain's railways. Terry Coleman's 'The Railway Navvies' is a dated text, but it is still an informative one more than fifty years after he first published it. It is honestly astounding that so little has been written on the Navvies since, but I digress. Coleman presents a brief, well-researched look into the lives of navvies and some key events in the history of railways.

This book is not as academic as modern texts, however, and it is plain to see gaps in the text. The order of information is strange from a modern perspective with frequent repetition, and, being published in the 60s, there is the occasional sexist and racist remark. For instance, the navvies giving unequally paid Indian men English nicknames because they could not pronounce theirs is hardly endearing from a contemporary perspective. The edition I read also contained numerous typos in the text, which I could not ignore.

Nevertheless, 'The Railway Navvies: A History of the Men who Made the Railways' was beneficial to me as someone looking to learn more about this underrepresented group in British history. I would recommend it if only for that reason, with an acknowledgement of the book's faults. The subject is undoubtedly ripe for another book if anyone wants to undertake the task!

[Mylesgorton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating history of the men that built Britain’s railways. I found it a real page-turner. Insight into the living and working conditions they faced, the moral panic they caused, the methods employed in working and the methods employed by the contractors to keep them under control and make money from them even as they worked and fed. A hard life described with affection and in an utterly engaging manner. I wish I could write a book like this!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been interested in this particular aspect of British industrial history. The navvys were a fascinating bunch with their own uniform, reputation, ways of living and ways of working. Without them the many miles of railway I've been on would not be what it is today.

I am sure there is some glorification of them in this account, however it is fascinating throughout and captures a fantastic snapshot through primary and secondary sources of navvy culture.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book from the non-fiction book club to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the railways.

Easy and informative read, just about managed to get enough material out of the few sources of information on a collection of men who lived on the edge of society.

Couple of interesting chapters towards the end about Crimea, the Settle to Carlisle railway and foreign railways.

[Roland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the era of the railway-builders. What the navvies achieved was incredible, a wonder of the world. Worth a read if you're interested in engineering history / social history of Britain.

[Pauline Chamberlain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good non fiction book about the men who built Britains railways in the 19th century

[Peter Cooke]

Excellent book giving the navvies side pretty well explaining their perceived role in society and how hard they worked

[Don Wilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing description of migrant labour its social impact and its importance to the economy of the industrial revolution.