Pickering, East Yorkshire

Something to read on the trainThe story is quite well known. William Henry Smith took over the business selling newspapers that had been founded by his parents, Henry Walton Smith and his wife Anna. William Henry not only gave the business its long-standing name, W. H. Smith, but also took advantage of the railway boom of the 1840s by doing a series of deals with railway companies to establish news-stands on station platforms all over the country. An increasing number of branches on Britain’s High Streets followed, and Smith became both very rich and a household name.Smith’s brilliance was to spot that not only were there railway lines springing up everywhere, but there were millions of train passengers who realised too late that they could do with something to read on their journey. Newspapers and magazines were soon followed on Smith’s news-stands by books. The typical station news-stand had taken an enduring form. The company was also very good at design and branding. I’ve blogged…