https://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Christina+KozielBritish Culture - User contributions [en]2026-05-11T15:44:18ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.43.0https://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6302British railway system2011-01-17T19:04:02Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Speed.jpg|300px|thumb|right|J. M. W. Turner. ''Rain, Steam, Speed.'' 1844. Oil on Canvas. 90.8 x 121.9 cm. National Gallery, London.]]<br />
System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter. ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Landow, George P. ''The Victorian Web.'' 15 January 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/turner/paintings/speed.jpg><br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried. ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6301British railway system2011-01-17T19:03:06Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Speed.jpg|300px|thumb|right|J. M. W. Turner. ''Rain, Steam, Speed.'' 1844. Oil on Canvas. 90.8 x 121.9 cm. National Gallery, London.]]<br />
System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Landow, George P. ''The Victorian Web.'' 15 January 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/turner/paintings/speed.jpg><br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6300British railway system2011-01-17T19:01:13Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
[[File:Speed.jpg|350px|thumb|right|J. M. W. Turner. Rain, Steam, Speed. 1844. Oil on Canvas. 90.8 x 121.9 cm. National Gallery, London.]]<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Landow, George P. ''The Victorian Web.'' 15 January 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/turner/paintings/speed.jpg><br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=File:Speed.jpg&diff=6299File:Speed.jpg2011-01-17T18:57:34Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6298British railway system2011-01-17T18:54:46Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Landow, George P. ''The Victorian Web.'' 15 January 2011. <http://www.victorianweb.org/painting/turner/paintings/speed.jpg><br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6297British railway system2011-01-17T18:37:20Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6296British railway system2011-01-17T18:36:43Z<p>Christina Koziel: /* Facts and Figures */</p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum than this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear.<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6295British railway system2011-01-17T18:35:41Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6294British railway system2011-01-17T18:34:38Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. <br />
<br />
Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6293British railway system2011-01-17T18:31:38Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6291British railway system2011-01-17T18:29:49Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6290British railway system2011-01-17T18:28:45Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
'''The London and North Western''', going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Western''', leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
'''The Midland''', starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Northern''', going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
'''The Great Eastern''', infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
'''The London and South Western''', departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
'''The London, Brighton, and South Coast''', which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
'''The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover''', which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
'''The Lancashire and Yorkshire'''; <br />
<br />
'''The North Eastern''', which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally '''The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire''', which became '''The Great Central''' in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
'''George Stephenson''' (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
'''Isambard Kingdom Brunel''' (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
'''George Hudson''' (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
'''T.W. Rammell''': At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
'''The Railway Clearing House''' (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
'''1825''' Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
'''1830''' Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
'''mid-1830s''' Increased railway construction.<br />
'''mid-1840s''' “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
'''1850''' London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
'''1850''' 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
'''1863''' The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
'''1875''' 11,789 miles of line.<br />
'''1900''' 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6289British railway system2011-01-17T18:25:35Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
The London and North Western, going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
The Great Western, leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
<br />
The Midland, starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
<br />
The Great Northern, going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
<br />
The Great Eastern, infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
<br />
The London and South Western, departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
<br />
The London, Brighton, and South Coast, which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
<br />
The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover, which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
The Lancashire and Yorkshire; <br />
<br />
The North Eastern, which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
<br />
and finally The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, which became The Great Central in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
George Stephenson (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
George Hudson (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
The Railway Clearing House (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
T.W. Rammell: At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
1825 Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
1830 Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
mid-1830s Increased railway construction.<br />
mid-1840s “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
1850 London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
1850 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
1863 The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
1875 11,789 miles of line.<br />
1900 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6288British railway system2011-01-17T18:24:39Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
The London and North Western, going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Western, leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
The Midland, starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
The Great Northern, going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Eastern, infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
The London and South Western, departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
The London, Brighton, and South Coast, which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover, which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
The Lancashire and Yorkshire; <br />
The North Eastern, which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
and finally The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, which became The Great Central in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
George Stephenson (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
George Hudson (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
The Railway Clearing House (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
T.W. Rammell: At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
1825 Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
1830 Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
mid-1830s Increased railway construction.<br />
mid-1840s “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
1850 London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
1850 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
1863 The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
1875 11,789 miles of line.<br />
1900 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6287British railway system2011-01-17T18:22:39Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
The London and North Western, going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Western, leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
The Midland, starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
The Great Northern, going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Eastern, infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
The London and South Western, departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
The London, Brighton, and South Coast, which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover, which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
The Lancashire and Yorkshire; <br />
The North Eastern, which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
and finally The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, which became The Great Central in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
George Stephenson (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
George Hudson (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
The Railway Clearing House (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
T.W. Rammell: At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Travel==<br />
The railway and the steamship revolutionised travel. The grand tour of Europe, which was popular during the eighteenth century, was replaced by commercialised pleasure travel after the Napoleonic Wars. Favoured destinations were France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, America and Egypt. When Thomas Cook started providing the British with round-trip tickets, hotel coupons, group excursions and the like, foreign travel became commonplace for the middle classes and from the 1850s onward, travel was usually associated with railway travel. Former coaches stayed merely a means of getting to the nearest railway station. By then, Britain had built about 9,000 stations nationwide. <br />
Whether short- or long-distance journey, passengers could travel in first-, second- or third-class accomodation and paid about twopence a mile when choosing one of the moderate options. Of course, compared to the formerly customary coaches, the railways could score with comfort, speed and lower costs.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
<br />
All in all, Britain invested 630 million pounds in railways, an even higher sum that this of the cotton industry. A full 3% of Britain's male workforce (275,000) were employed in some way or another in railway business. Counting 540.7 million passengers in 1880 and 992.4 million in 1900, the considerable influence and popularity of railways becomes clear. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Timeline== <br />
1825 Stockton and Darlington service is launched. Shippers have to pay tolls for the use of tracks and still use their own horse waggons for the transport of goods.<br />
1830 Liverpool and Manchester service is launched. Trains are powered by steam only, transport both passengers and freight and are controlled by companies. This route will become a model for railway construction after 1830.<br />
mid-1830s Increased railway construction.<br />
mid-1840s “Railway Mania”: 8,652 miles of new routes are authorised in only 3 years.<br />
1850 London links to Dover, Brighton, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and East Anglia. The west coast line to Scotland is being constructed and the line to Holyhead on the Welsh coast, intended for communication with Ireland, is finished. Moreover, the east coast route to Scotland is all but completed.<br />
1850 6,621 miles of railway line.<br />
1863 The London underground railway system first goes into service with the Metropolitan line.<br />
1875 11,789 miles of line.<br />
1900 15,195 miles of line. Every British person undertakes 30 railway journeys on average.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=British_railway_system&diff=6286British railway system2011-01-17T17:40:13Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>System of transport taking off in the 1830s.<br />
<br />
==Development in Britain==<br />
<br />
In 1804, Richard Trevithick developed a locomotive near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, a coal and iron district in South Wales. There, most of the rails were built between 1830 and 1850. In the beginning, the development was slow, but finally, the railway system became the ‘backbone of transport’ (Niedhart 27). <br />
The Victorian age was the "age of steam" (Buchanan 758). In 1837, James Watt, Richard Trevithick and others improved what Thomas Newcomen had developed as a means of pumping water out of deep mines a hundred years before: the steam engine. They made its use for other industrial productions possible, as well as coal and metal mining. British railways and transport in general owe their tremendous success to this invention.<br />
<br />
When in 1825 the first connection between Stockton and Darlington was opened with the ‘Locomation’ (Niedhart 28) engineered by George Stephenson, nobody could believe that a quarter of a century later, the country would be covered by 6,500 miles of tracks. The former miner and amateur engineer then turned to the Liverpool-Manchester-Railway Company, where he developed the ‘Rocket’ (Niedhart 28) in 1829.<br />
<br />
In 1830, a railway was built that connected Manchester and Liverpool. This was a competitor for the existing transportation market that previously ran only on streets and channels. During the following decades, transportation in England became consequently cheaper and faster, which made it easier to supply the big cities with goods from afar.<br />
<br />
During the next two decades, 5,000 miles of rails were laid. It took approximately three hours to travel from London to Bristol by train. In comparison: if you travelled by coach, it took you twenty hours to reach Bristol.<br />
<br />
British railways were connected with various notable engineering works. For example, many bridges such as the bridge over Firth of Forth in Scotland were constructed, a tunnel was built under the River Severn, and the first underground railways were launched. London Underground railways were planned and constructed in two ways. The first solution was called "cut and cover", i.e. the lines were hauled by steam. This method was applied with the Metropolitan, District and Circle lines. In contrast, the "tube" system ran completely underground and was powered by electric locomotion instead of steam. In 1890, the line going from King William Street to Stockwell (now part of the Northern line) was the first "tube" to offer regular service.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Railway companies==<br />
By 1844, Britain boasted 104 separate railway companies, their number doubling in only 6 years. <br />
<br />
The major companies were based in and going from London:<br />
The London and North Western, going from Euston Station to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and then toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Western, leaving at Paddington Station and travelling over Chester to Cornwall; <br />
The Midland, starting at St Pancras Station and going north to Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester and Carlisle; <br />
The Great Northern, going from King’s Cross Station to Doncaster and taking the east coast route toward Scotland; <br />
The Great Eastern, infamous for its slow and late trains, left at Liverpool Street Station and led to East Anglia; <br />
The London and South Western, departing at Waterloo Station and covering the south west coast from Portsmouth to Devon; <br />
The London, Brighton, and South Coast, which left at Victoria and London Bridge Stations respectively; <br />
The South Eastern and The London, Chatham, and Dover, which travelled almost the same way from Victoria, Charing Cross, Cannon Street, Holborn Viaduct, and London Bridge to the big cities in Kent.<br />
Other noteworthy railway companies outside of the capital were the follwing:<br />
The Lancashire and Yorkshire; <br />
The North Eastern, which monopolised north and east of York; <br />
and finally The Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire, which became The Great Central in 1899.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Important individuals==<br />
<br />
The following people and companies are widely known for their involvement in the development of Britain's railway system:<br />
<br />
George Stephenson (1781-1848): The self-taught engineer supervised the construction of both the Stockton-Darlington line and the Liverpool-Manchester line. He also invented the “Rocket” in 1829 with the help of his son Robert and with it they created the prototype locomotive for the Liverpool-Manchester route.<br />
<br />
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859): He was involved with the Great Western company and the Devon-Cornwall line. Most importantly, he developed the atmospheric railway in the 1840s, which was revolutionary in theory, but failed and proved unreliable in its application for regular services.<br />
<br />
George Hudson (1800-1871): Often referred to as “the railway king”, he was in control of one quarter of England’s railway mileage and was the first to propose a general integrated railway system.<br />
<br />
The Railway Clearing House (1842): This bookkeeping organisation was in charge of distributing the companies' revenues. The standardisation of signals, working procedures and the categorisation of goods are also due to them. <br />
<br />
T.W. Rammell: At the Crystal Palace, the engineer of the Pneumatic Dispatch Company demonstrated his method of a pneumatic railway for the transport of small goods, using a 600-yard track which had been built at the Palace to serve this purpose. <br />
<br />
==Facts and Figures==<br />
<br />
Railway employment: 275,000 (3% of male labour force)<br />
<br />
Total capital invested in railways: 630 million pounds (greater amount than this of cotton industry)<br />
<br />
==Railway Act==<br />
In the beginning, railway journeys took a lot of time, they were expensive and even dangerous. The [[Railway Act]], introduced in 1844 by Sir [[Robert Peel]], turned the railway into a means of mass transport, because this act did not only bring in the first security measures but also fixed the maximum price that had to be paid for a mile travelled. Additionally, it regulated the usage of the tracks and the stops at the stations. The technology of railway safety could be summed up by "lock, block and brake", i.e. railway signals were interlocked, intervals between the trains maintained, and brakes on every wheel used and automatically activated in case of train disjunction. <br />
<br />
<br />
==Iron, coal and bricks==<br />
The building of the railway system caused a great demand for iron, coal and bricks that was unprecedented before. Especially the demand for iron caused the second phase of the (first) industrial revolution, when not cotton, but coal and iron dominated.<br />
<br />
A further development was made by [[Henry Bessemer]] in 1856. He invented a method to convert iron ore into steal without heating it for a second time. This made the production of steal more budget-priced.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Expenses==<br />
During the 1830s, the railway construction cost 4 Million Pounds each year, during the 1840s the numbers increased to 15 Million Pounds. This brought up a new system of financing because mostly, the investors were not present at the construction sites. They were gathered by the banks from all over the country. <br />
<br />
1836/1837 and 1847 were boom years. In 1847, 300,000 people were involved in the building and operation of the railway system.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Effects==<br />
The most noteworthy effect for the working class was that they now could travel to nearby coastal resorts and other recreation areas at the weekend; this lead to a flourishing of towns such as Blackpool. There, workers could afford something that was exclusive to the upper classes before. A service area developed that became an integral part of everyday culture: e.g. William H. Smith opened kiosks at the stations where he sold reading material – also called 'railway novels' (Gelfert 238) – that could be completed during one train journey. <br />
<br />
The railway lead also to a mixing of the population, as on each journey people from various places met.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Britain as modern example== <br />
Even though there were drawbacks and redundancies, these could not hide the enormous impulses that the construction of the railway system sent out. London turned into the workshop of the world again. A good example of this is the [[Great Exhibition]], with its [[Crystal Palace]] taking place in 1851.<br />
<br />
So, the railway allowed Britain to enter modern industry as the main sector of its economy.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
*Buchanan, R.A. “Steam Engine.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 758.<br />
*Casson, Mark. ''The world’s first railway system. Enterprise, competition, and regulation on the railway network in Victorian Britain.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.<br />
*Chew, Kenneth/ Anthony Wilson. ''Victorian Science and Engineering portrayed in The Illustrated London News.'' London: Alan Sutton (in association with the Science Museum), 1993.<br />
*Freeman, Michael. ''Railways and the Victorian Imagination.'' New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1999.<br />
*Gelfert, Hans-Dieter: ''Kleine Kulturgeschichte Großbritanniens''. München: C.H. Beck, 1999.<br />
*Niedhart, Gottfried: ''Geschichte Englands im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert''. München: C.H. Beck, 1987.<br />
*Ranlett, John. “Railways.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 663-665.<br />
*Reynolds, John. “Urban Transportation.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 812-813.<br />
*Schoenbauer Thurin, Susan. “Travel and Tourism.” ''Victorian Britain. An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Sally Mitchell. London: St. James Press, 1988. 817-818.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6024Vampire2010-12-01T21:30:40Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archetype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Origins of the vampire ==<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== The first vampire stories ==<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[File:Victim.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Dracula's female victim]]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Character traits ==<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Vampire Timeline ==<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=File:Victim.jpg&diff=6023File:Victim.jpg2010-12-01T21:23:36Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6022Vampire2010-12-01T21:16:29Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archetype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Origins of the vampire ==<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== The first vampire stories ==<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Character traits ==<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
== Vampire Timeline ==<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Sources ==<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6021Vampire2010-12-01T21:12:51Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archetype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6020Vampire2010-12-01T21:11:22Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archetype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6019Vampire2010-12-01T21:10:34Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archetype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6018Vampire2010-12-01T21:01:02Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archtype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6017Vampire2010-12-01T21:00:49Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archtype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=6016Vampire2010-12-01T20:58:27Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[File:Dracula.jpg|200px|thumb|right|The vampire archtype]]<br />
Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century. Folkloric beliefs from Eastern cultures were relatively unknown, therefore the English literary vampire was newly created. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of Gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a small number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend [[Lord Byron]] in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was [[Mary Shelley]]'s ''[[Frankenstein]]''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
<br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer [[Sheridan Le Fanu]]'s short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, [[Bram Stoker]]'s ''[[Dracula]]'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. <br />
<br />
Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]] writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by [[Robert Southey]] is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of ''New Monthly Magazine''.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' ''Carmilla'' is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
Gen Wright, "Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature", <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 November 2010.<br />
<br />
J. Gordon Melton (ed.), ''The Vampire Book'', Detroit: Gale Research, 1994.<br />
<br />
Commercial Break for People interested in Vampires then and now: <br />
http://www.research-school.rub.de/letting_the_vampire_in_2010.html</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=File:Dracula.jpg&diff=6015File:Dracula.jpg2010-12-01T20:51:19Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div></div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5989Vampire2010-12-01T16:39:08Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1788 ''' Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1814''' Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
'''1847''' Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
'''1872''' “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5988Vampire2010-12-01T16:38:43Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
'''1047''' First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
'''1734''' The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
'''1788 ''' Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
'''1798-1800''' Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
'''1801 ''' “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
'''1813''' Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
'''1814''' Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
'''1819''' John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
'''1847''' Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
'''<br />
1872''' “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
'''1897''' ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5987Vampire2010-12-01T16:37:29Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word ''upir'' (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5986Vampire2010-12-01T16:36:42Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897) had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5985Vampire2010-12-01T16:35:43Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in the creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without necessarily revealing his true nature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5984Vampire2010-12-01T16:31:51Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's ''Frankenstein''. Polidori's short story ''The Vampyre'' combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's ''Varney the Vampire'', which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story ''Carmilla''. The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in his creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without his true nature necessarily being recognised.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5983Vampire2010-12-01T16:29:28Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Polidori's short story "The Vampyre" combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's "Varney the Vampire", which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story "Carmilla". The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in his creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without his true nature necessarily being recognised.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Sources'''<br />
<br />
''Vampires find their meaning in 19th century literature'' by Gen Wright, 2009. <br />
[http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Vampires-Find-Their-Meaning-In-19th-Century-Literature/674455] 18 november 2010.<br />
<br />
''The Vampire Book'' by J. Gordon Melton (ed.). Gale Research: Detroit, Mich. (et. al.),1994.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5982Vampire2010-12-01T16:23:38Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Polidori's short story "The Vampyre" combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's "Varney the Vampire", which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story "Carmilla". The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in his creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without his true nature necessarily being recognised.<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1847 Bram Stoker is born in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5981Vampire2010-12-01T16:22:29Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Polidori's short story "The Vampyre" combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's "Varney the Vampire", which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story "Carmilla". The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in his creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without his true nature necessarily being recognised.<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
<br />
The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
<br />
<br />
1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
<br />
1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
<br />
1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
<br />
1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
<br />
1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
<br />
1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
<br />
1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
<br />
1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
<br />
1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
<br />
1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5980Vampire2010-12-01T16:21:57Z<p>Christina Koziel: </p>
<hr />
<div>Important literary figure of the nineteenth century. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Origins of the vampire'''<br />
<br />
In the folkloric Greek and Slavic traditions of the seventeenth and eithteenth centuries, vampires emerged as an explanation for cultural problems that could not be solved, e.g. child death, sudden accidents or unsolvable crimes. The first vampire report was published in 1732, telling the story of Arnold Paul, a vampire who was supposed to be the cause of several inexplicable attacks. Several similar reports then led to a vampire hysteria which soon swept all over Europe. In 1746, the French abbot Calmet published a treatise on vampires, which had a major influence on later poets and writers dealing with this character. The vampire as a bloodsucking creature originated in east European culture and found its way to western Europe in the nineteenth century, where folkloric beliefs were relatively unknown by writers. As a result, the English literary vampire had to be newly created, formed and characterised. <br />
<br />
'''The first vampire stories'''<br />
<br />
Among the vast amount of gothic stories written and published in the nineteenth century, the vampire was only featured in a smaller number of short stories and novels. However, three of them considerably shaped the modern vampire. <br />
The writer John Polidori, an Italian immigrant, sat with a group of writers during the travels with his friend Lord Byron in 1816 and came up with the idea to write and present ghost stories to each other. The only story which was eventually turned into a full novel was Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Polidori's short story "The Vampyre" combined Lord Byron's story idea and the motif of the vampire to become the first fictional vampire text in the English language (1819). The main character, Lord Ruthven, served as a basis for later vampire fiction. <br />
The first vampire novel in English was James Malcolm Rymer's "Varney the Vampire", which was published in the so-called "penny dreadfuls" in the 1840s, i.e. weekly collections of literary texts, and consisted of about 220 chapters. <br />
A much more influential work, however, was Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's short story "Carmilla". The lead being female vampire Carmilla, this third vampire story in English played a significant role in the creation of the new vampire myth.<br />
Above all these stories, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897)had the most impact on vampire myth and literature. Although he used certain elements of Polidori and Le Fanu in his creation of his vampire, he also added character traits that stem from his own imagination. Until today, Dracula represents the archetype of the vampire and an orientation for many vampires created after him in literature and film. Gradually, the vampire went through various stages of reinvention, from a demon creature to a resurrected semi-human being who can fit into modern society and interact with people without his true nature necessarily being recognised.<br />
<br />
'''Character traits'''<br />
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The modern English vampire is mostly of noble origin, respected in society on the surface, but dangerous and deadly in reality. Often living in total isolation and trying to fight the urge to take blood, he is portrayed as the complete opposite of the folkloric vampire. He has got fangs, very cold skin, is very pale, sleeps in coffins to avoid the sunlight, does not have a reflection, has a distaste for garlic and sacred symbols or biblical words, is very strong and has hypnotic power on his victims. They, in turn, can prevent him from entering a building until invited. His ability to lure his victims into addictive relationships makes him a powerful creature. Some vampires also have the ability to turn into animals. In fact, most of these traits were possessed by Dracula, the standard for all later vampires. Vampirism is either transmitted through bite or exchange of blood.<br />
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'''Vampire Timeline'''<br />
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1047 First appearance in written form of the word upir (an early form of the word later to become “vampire”) in a document referring to a Russian prince as “Upir <br />
Lichy”, or wicked vampire.<br />
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1734 The word “vampyre” enters the English language in translations of German accounts of the European waves of vampire hysteria.<br />
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1788 Lord George Gordon Byron is born in London.<br />
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1798-1800 Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes “Christabel”, now conceded to be the first vampire poem in English.<br />
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1801 “Thalaba” by Robert Southey is one of the first poems to mention the vampire in English.<br />
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1813 Lord Byron’s poem “The Giaour” is completed and published.<br />
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1814 Sheridan Le Fanu is born on 28 August in Dublin.<br />
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1819 John Polidori’s, ''The Vampyre'', the first vampire story in English, is published in the April issue of New Monthly Magazine.<br />
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1872 “Carmilla” is written by Sheridan Le Fanu.<br />
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1897 ''Dracula'' by Bram Stoker is published in England.</div>Christina Kozielhttps://el.rub.de/wiki/Brit-Cult/index.php?title=Vampire&diff=5965Vampire2010-12-01T14:16:38Z<p>Christina Koziel: Created page with 'The nineteenth century is often described as the century of the vampire. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern va…'</p>
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<div>The nineteenth century is often described as the century of the vampire. Although the first traces go back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the image of the modern vampire as it is known today was developed in the first vampire stories of the nineteenth century.</div>Christina Koziel