Plans
to build a railway between London and York
were first proposed as early as 1827. Progress was slow and it was
not until 1846 the campaign led by Edward
Denison was successful and the London & York Bill was passed
by Parliament.
Edward Denison became chairman of the
Great Northern Railway and William Cubitt was appointed chief engineer.
Denison's plans included a direct line from London
via Peterborough and branches to Sheffield
and Wakefield. The first section of the line, Louth to Grimsby, was
opened in 1848. The following year services were operating between
Peterborough and Doncaster.
The London terminus at King's Cross was
completed in 1852 and by the following year the Great Northern Railway
had access to Bradford, Cambridge,
Leicester and Nottingham.
In 1857 the Great Northern Railway began running express trains between
London, Sheffield
and Manchester. Other branch lines
were opened and by 1860 the railway had reached all the main towns
in West Yorkshire. The transport of coal from this area to London
provided the Great Northern Railway with substantial revenues.
Edward Denison retired in 1864 and was
replaced by Henry Oakley. He appointed F. P. Cockshott as his superintendent
and under his direction, the railway gained a reputation for providing
a very good service. By the early 1870s the Great Northern Railway
was running more express trains than any of its main rivals.
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