1858: William Proctor Stanley died on this day. In his will, he left the Queen Street Stanley Iron Works in the trusteeship of his brother-in-law George Maples and John Warren. They leased the property to Thomas Amies and William Barford. In March 1865, one Thomas Perkins became part of the company in a deed of co-partnership. The seeds of what would become Perkins Engineering were thus sown. (Hillier, Richard, Northamptonshire Past & Present Vol. VI, Northamptonshire Record Society, 1983)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
Opening of the Crescent Railway Station
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1858: Over the years there have been a number of railway stations in Peterborough. Peterborough East was the first, opening in 1845 to serve the Eastern Counties Railway (ECR). The Great Northern Railway (GNR) first used the East station but soon realised that they needed their own - this opened in August 1850. By 1853, their railway heading north was operational, with the line running alongside the Midland Railway as far as Helpston with adjacent but separate level crossings at various places, including the Crescent level crossings in Peterborough city centre. The interchange between the two stations was inconvenient, so on this day the Midland Railway opened the Peterborough Crescent station - a short distance from the GNR station. This significantly simplified the passenger interchange. Bit by bit, the rail companies rationalised their operations. The Midland Railway trains began using the GNR station and, on 1 August 1866, the Crescent station closed after just eight years of operation. An often-asked question is 'Why Crescent station and now Crescent Bridge?' The name comes from the beautiful crescent of houses - similar to those in Bath - that were swept away to make room for the railways in the first place. (Various sources)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.
