This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the Great Western Railway has changed and developed over the last century between Paddington and Swindon.

Robin Jones' history of the Great Western Railway line and its founding father.

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the GWR line between Bristol and Plymouth has changed and developed over the last century.

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the GWR line between Plymouth and Penzance has changed and developed since 1846.

This fascinating selection of photographs traces some of the many ways in which the Great Western Railway has changed and developed over the last century between Paddington and Swindon.

Perhaps more has been written about the Great Western Railway than any other, and the company is regarded with the most affection. The combination of an unbroken history, engineering icons of the Victorian era, holiday destinations and a visual appeal in their design work went a long way in keeping the GWR in pole position. The stations and other structures have long enjoyed the admiration of many and are a quintessential ingredient of the GWR recipe for remembrance. Change has always been with us on the railways and none more so than in the twenty-first century, where much of the GWR scene is to be swept away under the wires of electrification. The GWR proposed electrification of the Taunton to Penzance route in the 1930s and would have carried it out if they'd had the cash so, eighty years later, this change has an air of inevitability about it. Great Western Railway Stations is a last look at much of the GWR architecture, some of which is listed, and aims to present a lavishly illustrated overview of what remains of the old company.

The Great Western Railway struggled with what was called 'the women question' for many years. It had heartily agreed with The Railway Sheet and Official Gazette that 'the first aim of women's existence is marriage, that accomplished, the next is ordering her home'. Yet women were the cheapest form of labour, apart from young girls, presenting the company with a dilemma and the GWR finally succumbed to allowing women to work after heavy external pressures. Using over 100 pictures, Swindon author Rosa Matheson traces the development of this problematic relationship, from its beginnings in the 1870s when women were employed as sewers and netters at Swindon Works, through the changes wrought by the two world wars and the entry of women into railway offices - fiercely opposed by the company and by the unions and many men who resented sharing the lowly paid but prestigious title of 'clerk' with women. The book also uses many original documents and forms as well as written and oral testimonies providing first-hand insights into the women's experiences.