Early and late Victorian travel in the ticket spotlight

AN EARLY Victorian ticket for the 90-mile journey between Birmingham and Harrow, and a late Victorian example for travel on a mineral railway, will be in the spotlight at Paddington Ticket Auctions’ April sale.

The former was issued by the London & Birmingham Railway (L&B) and dates from between the full opening of the line in September 1838 and the railway becoming part of the LNWR in July 1846. It carries no title, but the L&B monogram is on the back.

The mineral railway ticket was issuedbythewestsomerset Mineral Railway on June 20, 1898, for travel from Watchet to Roadwater in third class at a cost of 4d. The standard gauge 11½-mile line, which opened in stages from April 1857, was built for mainly iron ore traffic, but passenger services commenced in 1865 and lasted until November 1898, when all traffic was suspended. The line was finally wound up in 1925.

A 1d platform ticket for Whitby West Cliff on the Scarboroughwhitby line will also feature in the auction. It is dated September 7, 1936, and is a previously unknown survivor from this station that opened in December 1883 and closed in June 1961. The auction was due to be held at the Royal National Hotel in central London, but will now run as a postal auction.