Bacon's Commercial Map of Great Britain - Date/Information?

[chipbury]

I know you all like a challenge!

I've come into possession of a large map by G. W. Bacon and Company Limited of 127 The Strand. It shows railways and stations, canals, navigable rivers, roads and steam routes (according to the map).

I have no idea of the date, however it must be pre-grouping as the companies are listed as such. Below are a few photo's.

Can anyone shed any light on this?

Cheers

 

[eastwestdivide]

The list of companies includes the SECR, putting it between 1899 and grouping in 1923

 

[Gloster]

I can’t get a high enough resolution, but the Wrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay became part of the Great Central in 1901. If the WM&CQR and the SE&CR are both shown, then it is 1900 plus or minus a year.

 

[chipbury]

Interesting comments thank you.

I wonder how accurately the map reflects changes like the Great Central absorbing the Wrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay? Possibly the map is later and they didn't update it?

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

The Teign Valley extension to Exeter is not shown, so pre 1903.

 

[Gloster]

Interesting comments thank you.

I wonder how accurately the map reflects changes like the Great Central absorbing the Wrexham, Mold & Connah’s Quay? Possibly the map is later and they didn't update it?

Yes, I have looked at that and it is possible that the WM&CQR didn’t get fully absorbed until 1904. A number of 1902 openings, Bexhill West, Grassington, Dornoch, etc. are included, but Amesbury and the Vale of Rheidol aren’t. So 1902?

Several 1903 aren’t shown: Ballachulish, Blackpool Direct line and Wootton Bassett-Stoke Gifford. So it does look like status 1902.

 

[chipbury]

Thanks for all of the above, I now need to decide what to do with it. It's pretty large so displaying it is a bit problematic!

 

[D1062]

gwr neither badminton or honeybourne lines are shown believe they opened about 1903/1905

 

[Gloster]

gwr neither badminton or honeybourne lines are shown believe they opened about 1903/1905

Honeybourne-Broadway opened 1 August 1903, Broadway-Toddington 1 December 1903, Toddington-Winchcombe 1 February 1904, Winchcome-Bishop’s Cleeve 20 May 1906 and Bishop’s Cleeve-Malvern Road Junction, Cheltenham 1 August 1906.

Wootton Bassett-Badminton opened 1 January 1903 and Badminton-Patchway 1 July 1903.

So I reckon that, as said in #6, this is probably status 1902.

Source: History of the Great Western Railway, Vol.II; MacDermot; GWR; 1931.

 

[Rescars]

As a further check, the title page has a key showing "railways in construction". If chipbury can spot any of these that may give further clues.

 

[Gloster]

As a further check, the title page has a key showing "railways in construction". If chipbury can spot any of these that may give further clues.

As far as the GWR is concerned the Wrington Vale Light Railway is shown as open, but I can’t find any of the lines that were opened in 1903 (nothing of note opened in 1902 on the GWR). The only one I can find is the line to-Perranporth, but this appears to be shown as starting at Penwithers Junction, rather than Chacewater.

Neither the Marton line to Blackpool nor the Ballachulish branch appear to be shown: both opened in summer 1903. Perhaps they only included lines that were likely to open very soon.

 

[Trainlog]

This map is pre-1905, as the Kent and East Sussex Railway (or then, the Rother Valley Railway) only runs to Tenterden-Robertstbridge (from what I can see at this zoom level).

The Headcorn-Tenterden section opened in 1905 and is clearly absent from the map. So I definitely agree with everyone, it's between 1900 and 1904.

Kent and East Sussex Railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[chipbury]

As a further check, the title page has a key showing "railways in construction". If chipbury can spot any of these that may give further clues.

Unfortunately I am away working at the moment so can’t investigate this. I’ll have a look on my return and report back.

Lots of interesting comments from people, thank you.