BOOK REVIEW: Railways of Oxford – A Transport Hub That Links Britain

Written by Laurence Waters, and released through Pen and Sword, Railways of Oxford: A Transport Hub that Links Britain is a detailed book that looks at how the railways in Oxford developed to what the are today.

This book, released at the end of last year, covers the story of Oxford’s Railways from the opening on the 12th June 1844, right up until the present day.

Additionally, the book covers the development of the local railways, including the Buckinghamshire Railway from Bletchley, thanks to the London and North Western Railway, as well as the five local branch lines.

A large array of photos, both black and white, as well as timetable information, joins the vast amount of knowledge that the author has presented in the book.

The published price of this book is £25 and can be currently picked up from Pen and Sword for £25, or an Amazon for around £18.

Measuring in at 18cm by 25cm, this rather modestly sized book features around 220 pages. I found this size just perfect for handling or putting in your bag to read on the train to work.

8 Chapters feature in the book alongside acknowledgements, introduction and the appendix:

• Chapter 1: Early History
• Chapter 2: The LNWR at Oxford
• Chapter 3: The Great Western Stations
• Chapter 4:
  • the Branch Lines
  • The Abingdon Railway
  • The Witney Railway
  • The Wycombe Railway
  • The Blenheim and Woodstock Railway
• Chapter 5: The Great Western Engine Sheds
• Chapter 6: Signalling at Oxford
• Chapter 7: The Goods Department
• Chapter 8: Passenger Services

It’s great to see that this book shows off a variety of rail timetables from the time period, these extra details just add to the information you can collect from the book.

What’s more, lots of pictures feature, both colour and black & white, as well as drawings from the time period. It allows you to go back and compare to see what’s changed over the years.

With so much information and photos, this book is not just for rail enthusiasts, but if you have an interest in local history, this is great to see how the railways helped Oxford to develop into what it is today.

I found the level of text just right, the photos were large and easy to view, but not all full page to lose out on information.

In summary, this book is a detailed insight into the history of the railway in Oxford, with a variety of traction and photos, its a great read and informative. It does this whilst staying a good size for transporting in your bag or lounging around on the sofa.

It is great to see old photographs of the locomotives but also the modern preserved photos for comparison.

The book is available to purchase from Amazon as well as from Pen & Sword

We would like to thank Pen & Sword for providing us with a copy of the book for review.