author
Sir E. W. (Edward William) Watkin
1819–1901
A driving force behind Britain’s railway age, he combined business ambition with political influence and became known for bold, often grand-scale transport schemes. He is still remembered for the unfinished "Watkin's Tower," an early attempt to create a rival to the Eiffel Tower at Wembley.
1 Audiobook
Canada and the States
by Sir E. W. (Edward William) Watkin
About the author
Born in Salford on September 26, 1819, Edward William Watkin became one of Victorian Britain’s most prominent railway entrepreneurs. He began in his father’s business, then moved into railway management in the 1840s and went on to hold leading roles across a remarkable number of railway companies.
Watkin also served as a Member of Parliament and was made a baronet. His career was shaped by large, ambitious projects, including work connected with the Metropolitan Railway and cross-Channel transport ideas. His name is especially linked with the proposed "Great Tower" at Wembley Park, later nicknamed "Watkin's Folly," which was never completed.
He died on April 13, 1901. Today he is remembered as a restless and influential figure of the railway era: energetic, imaginative, and closely associated with the expansionist spirit of nineteenth-century transport.