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Although the Great Western went on to become one of Britain’s best-loved and most romantic railway companies, its origins were founded on hard-nosed commercial requirements that set the genius and far-sightedness of Brunel against the conservatism of Parliament and Britain’s land-owning establishment. Brunel’s relations with Parliament, an essential component of railway incorporation, were always strained as he lacked the patience to compromise his ideals to the practical realities of gaining Parliamentary authorisation. Parliament, for its part, was increasingly sensitive to the power of big companies in the climate of the Reform Act of 1832, and this book traces the interaction between Government and one of Great Britain’s major railways, drawing largely on previously undisclosed material. The tensions between a railway set up to promote the public good and the private interests of landowners are also traced through original sources, providing a vivid picture of a still essentially medie

André Gren gained a first class degree in history from Oxford University and worked in the House of Commons as chief staff member for a number of Select Committees before leaving to open a model railway shop. He has written many articles and delivered many lectures on the Great Western Railway.