Transport — canals and railways

Between 1830-1880, transport in Britain was transformed by the building of a huge railway network. The railways were needed for the transport of raw materials and manufactured goods. Railways brought changes to industry, society and politics.

Part of

Changing Britain (1760-1900)

Navvies

Navvies were the people who did the physical work to construct and maintain the railways. The word "navvy" was a shortened version of "navigator".

By the middle of the 19th century about 2,500 navvies worked on the railways.
Most of the work was done by hand, using picks and shovels.
Navvies lived in huts by the line they were working on. Some paid to sleep in a bed. Some paid less to sleep on the floor.
Working as a navvy was dangerous. Many navvies died due to accidents such as tunnels collapsing or explosions.