The Northern and Eastern Railway

1831                                       1846 A possible Cambridge-London line was first surveyed as 1821. The countryside was reported to be ideal for a railway link. The Northern and Eastern Railway Company was incorporated in 1836. Henry's park was 12 miles from Cambridge. He clearly saw possibilities for financial reward and a reduced journey time to his London house and office. He became a director (and

presumable a shareholder) in 1837. The line was to run from Stratford East in London to Castle Hill in Cambridge. The opening was delayed because of the boggy ground at Shoreditch where a brick viaduct had to be built. The infringment of the marsh rights of the inhabitants of Walthamstow required compensation of £450. The first section was opened to traffic from Stratford to Broxborne on September 15th 1840 too late for Henry who had died six weeks earlier.  By 1843 the line had reached Bishops Stortford when the company was taken over by the Eastern Counties Railway. It reached Brandon in        and Cambridge by 1845. The Stratford terminal proved inadequate to handle all the trains, and remained so until the opening of Liverpool Street in 1874/5.