Bradshaw's History

The story begins in the early 19th century with the young George Bradshaw perfecting his skills as a cartographer, in the canal era. This he extended to railways as they began to expand and railway timetables were added to his output from 1839. Told herein is how he created a massive business with the help of others and how it became international. His early death in Norway did not stop the product range growing. Its demise in the 1960's is chronicled. The story of the revival of the Bradshaw name in the early 21st century is outlined, this culminating in around 20 references per hour in the BBC TV series Great British Railway Journeys, which Mr Portillo began introducing in 2009. The first five chapters date from 1939 and were written for the centenary of Bradshaw's first timetable. The remainder tell the subsequent story of the famous name.