The Great Northern Railway: Nottingham
1879
A collection of letters relating to the granting
of contracts for the construction of an additional Goods
Shed, with associated offices and infrastructure,
a roof over the Southern Platform, and warehouse
cranes at the company's Nottingham London Road Station.
All of the correspondence is from The Great Northern Railway's Engineer's Office at Kings Cross. The original letters are now in very fragile
condition and their contents are transcribed
below as a record of this little piece of
local railway history. Each letter is to
a H. C. Cheetham Esq and is in the same hand
in copperplate writing. All but one are signed
off by the GNR's Chief Civil Engineer, Richard Johnson (for more about him see below).
His signature is partially abbreviated and
difficult to read, but consistant in the
way it is written. Unfortunately the
associated documents mentioned in the correspondence
are not available.
January 16'th 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have accepted the tender of
Mr Edward Wood, of Fore Street Derby, amounting
to £1798:10:0. for the erection of an additional Goods
Shed at Nottingham.
I enclose a copy of the Specification, Bill
of Quantaties and tender, for your own use,
together with the working drawing and plan
of the site.
Please communicate Mr Wood so that the work
may be put into hand.
Please also arrange about the Sidings.
Yours faithfully
March 19'th 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have sanctioned the erection
of an Office in connection with the new Goods
Shed at Nottingham, in accordance with your
plan, at an outlay not exceeding £250.
It is also agreed that this work may be put
into the hands of Mr Wood, but before doing
so please obtain from him a lump sum tender
for doing the work.
There should be two windows looking from
the Office into the Goods Shed.
Yours faithfully
April 10'th 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have accepted the tender of
Mr R. Stevenson of Nottingham, amounting
to £909:5s:2d, for the erection of a roof over the Southern
platform at Nottingham Station.
Herewith I hand you 2 tracings, and 2 copies
of the Specification for your information,
and will ask you to be good enough to put
yourself into communication with Mr Stevenson,
and have the work commenced at once, and
oblige.
Yours faithfully
June 26'th 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have accepted the tender of
The Ashbury Ry Carriage and Iron Co. for 4 30cwt Warehouse Cranes for
Nottingham Station, at £19 each, delivered
at Doncaster.
Herewith I hand you a copy of the Specification,
and tracings for your guidance.
I am writing the above firm today requesting
them to let me know when these cranes will
be ready.
Yours failthfully
July 8'th 1879
Dear Sir
The erection of the new roof over the Southern
platform of the Nottingham Station has now
been placed in the hands of Mr Edward Wood
of Derby, he having undertaken to complete
the work for the amount of Mr Stevenson's
tender, viz £909:5:2.
I have asked Mr Wood to put himself into
communication with you, so that the work
may be commenced without delay.
I believe you have already been furnished
with tracings, and copies of the Specification.
Yours faithfully
October 1'st 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have accepted the tender of
Mr J. Gell, of 75 Canal Street, Nottingham,
for the Gas fittings required in connection
with the new Goods Shed & Offices at
Nottingham, amounting to £36:6:3.
I enclose copy of the Specification, &
schedule of prices for your own information.
Please communicate with Mr Gell, so that
the work may be proceeded with.
Yours faithfully
October 1'st 1879
Dear Sir
The Directors have accepted the tender of
Messrs Haynes & Co. 22 Clumber Street,
Nottingham, amounting to £90:15:0 for laying on water mains & fixing hydrants,
in connection with the new Goods Shed &
Offices at Nottingham.
I enclose a copy of the Specification and
schedule of prices for your own use, and
will ask you to have the work proceeded with
Yours faithfully
Richard Johnson
He was born in Spaldon around 1827 and died,
at the ripe old age of 97, in Hitchin in
1924.
He was Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway from 1861 until his retirement in 1897.
He was accepted into membership of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) on May 20’th 1862 and his nomination
paper states that he was recommended, “because after being practically engaged for
a period of 7 years in constructing sluices,
buildings etc in Lincolnshire, he was employed
as an assistant on the Loop Line of the Great Northern Railway: then, acted for 3 years as Resident Engineer
having charge of the maintenance and works
upon the Loop and East Lincolnshire lines
of the same company; and for 3 years in a
similar position upon the Northern portion
of the mainline of that company; and since
1861 has been the Chief Engineer to the Great
Northern Railway Company, which office he
still holds.” {reproduced by permission of ICE}
Other sources suggest that his connection
with the GNR began in October 1847 working
as a junior engineer on the Loop line, but
that he rose to become the District Engineer
to this line between 1855-9, based in Boston.
He the held the same position for the Peterborough
to Doncaster section of the main line from
1859 to 61.
During his tenure as GNR Chief Engineer he
oversaw the construction of a 50 mile extension
to connect with the North Staffordshire Railway and give independent access to the Derbyshire
coalfields. This included the Ilkeston Viaduct. He also supervised the reconstruction of
the Newark Dyke bridge (1889-90) and the cast iron bridge at Peterborough
and the Don bridge at Doncaster, and the
additional Copenhagen and Maiden Lane tunnels
near King’s Cross.
He was a religious man with a concern for
the social and spiritual welfare of his employees.
He built a Mission Hall on his own land at
his own expense. With his wife Anne he had
6 children the eldest of whom, Tom, also
became a civil engineer.
His obituary, with portrait, was published
in The Railway Gazette on September 19’th 1924 (p387).
If you would like high quality scans of these
letters as PDF files I can put them on DVD
and supply in the post for £3.
