The book approaches the history of railway building and its impact upon economic change in a new way. Using a more granular approach than has been used in the past based upon detailed case studies, the book aims to establish the effect of railway building on local economies and individual sectors within those micro-economies. From the resulting analysis it has been possible to extrapolate the nuanced changes, not always growth as has often been suggested, to other places.

Whilst the book examines the micro-economies of one deliberately selected constrained area, the conclusions drawn from the research are relevant to the whole of the United Kingdom in the nineteenth century. The findings are also relevant to other evolving economies, including those in Europe and the United States, throughout the nineteenth century.

The volume is aimed at undergraduates, postgraduates and scholars who are examining the economic and social history of the Victorian period. It would also be of value to business schools. The book has also been written to be an accessible history of nineteenth century economic history which will be of general interest to book sellers, librarians, and the casual reader.