- About this Waggonway Research Circle Website (last updated 14 Jun 2010)
The Waggonway Research Circle web-site was created to bring into the public domain various research strands currently being undertaken as personal projects by the group members individually and as collaborations. To restate the obvious the name of the Waggonway Research Circle reflects the nature of the group - a loose collection of individuals working within a loose group towards a common aim. The site will cover the Industrial Archaeology surrounding development of the early British waggonway (or wagonway)*, the reasons why it evolved and the historical figures associated with it.
- The site has a current bias towards the history of the World's first recorded cross-country overland waggonway, (the Wollaton Waggonway of 1605) and Huntingdon Beaumont the man who built it as that is the research strand of the main contributors. The site is effectively an "on-line magazine" and all articles within the site represent the credited author(s)'s own personal views and interpretations. The site may therefore, at times, hold articles presenting conflicting interpretations.
- Also note that although the website is maintained by the SLS Webmaster, with some links to SLS web-site pages, it is not an SLS project. The website editor/coordinator is also a regular contributor to Wikipedia.
Recent updates | Back to top of page
29) 14 Jun - Additional material added to the Waggonways general information page. The Early Railways Conference page updated too as the ER4 Conference papers have now been published and provisional date/venue announced for ER5 (June 2012 - Caernafon). Additional material added to the Resources section.
28) 20 May 2010 - Firstly apologies for the static nature of the site over the last few months. Our interest in waggonways has not waned, it is just other workload had to take precedence over website updates. Firstly repairs to the external link to Carolyn Dougherty's paper on plateways repaired following a report to me the link was broken. (Outside our control - she changed web hosts) Secondly a link to John New's fotopic gallery covering the Pockerly Waggonway at Beamish Museum also added. Finally references also added covering the Haytor Granite Tramway; recently visited by a WRC member, a photo feature will appear on the site in due course.
27) 15 July 2009 - The longer biography of Huntingdon Beaumont significantly updated with newly found details relating to the third sister (Margery) mentioned in some genealogical lists. Former Beaumont contents page closed and content added to the short biography page/resources about HB (Improves the site's navigation and for ease of future site maintenance) Links throughout site globally updated to refer to Huntingdon Beaumont - short bio' and further links index rather than as previously. Other minor revisions elsewhere too. Additional entry added to the Bibliography/prosopography page.
26) 6 June 2009 - Revised link to the Northumberland and Durham waggonways website.
1 to 25) - Now removed as obsolete.