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London and North Western Railway Company

Records of the London and North Western Railway Company: records relating to Coalport Canal 1898-mid 20th century, records relating to Huddersfield Canal 1845-1963, records relating to Lancaster Canal 1868-1923, records relating to the Shropshire Union Canal 1885-1948, records relating to St Helen's Canal (Sankey Brook Navigation) 1873-1908.

1845-1963

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These records are available immediately for research

The London and North Western Railway Act of 1846 amalgamated the London & Birmingham, the Grand Junction (including the Liverpool & Manchester) and the Manchester & Birmingham railway companies. The new company controlled 438 miles of railway route extending from Euston in London to Birmingham via Rugby and thence to Liverpool and Manchester via Warrington. Various further acts of Parliament were obtained which extended the London and North Western Railway's system by either authorising new lines or absorbing other railway companies, the most notable of which were the North London in 1909 and Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1922, giving the London and North Western Railway over 2,000 miles of route. On 1 January 1923, the London and North Western Railway was grouped with other companies to form the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, by virtue of the Railways Act 19 August 1921. For further information on the London and North Western Railway see The National Archives (Series Details: RAIL 410 London & North Western Railway Company) catalogue at http://www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov.uk/default.asp.

It has not been possible to ascertain the complete original structure of record-keeping from the records held for this company. The fonds has been arranged into series alphabetically by name of canal, which is how some of the records may have originally been kept.