Cathedrals of Steam

''Fascinating'' ''Books of the Year'', Financial Times

''London''s twelve great rail termini are the epic survivors of the Victorian age... Wolmar brings them to life with the knowledge of an expert and the panache of a connoisseur.''Simon Jenkins

''A wonderful tour, full of vivid incident and surprising detail.'' Simon Bradley

London hosts twelve major railway stations, more than any other city in the world. They range from the grand and palatial, such as King''s Cross and Paddington, to the modest and lesser known, such as Fenchurch Street and Cannon Street. These monuments to the age of the train are the hub of London''s transport system and their development, decline and recent renewal have determined the history of the capital in many ways.

Built between 1836 and 1899 by competing private train companies seeking to outdo one another, the construction of these terminuses caused tremendous upheaval and had a widesprea