York

Railway time, clock timeThe industrial revolution, it’s often said, brought about a new perception of time for vast swathes of the population. It was no longer good enough to base one’s day on the rising and setting of the sun, as farmers and their workers did. Industrial workers had to turn up when the factory gates opened in the morning, and there were severe penalties for lateness. Clock time, accurate to the minute, became essential. The same was true for the railways, although here there was an added complication. Until 1840, clock time was set according to the local position of the sun, so the time in, say, Bristol was different from that in London. This began to change in 1840, when the Great Western Railway introduced standard time, setting all their clocks to London time. This simplified railway working – and made it safer, as there was a greater risk of accidents when different time standards were in use.As a result of all this, clocks became essential at railway stations.…

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