NEW DECEMBER 2023.  This book was produced in the early days of the LNER to encourage travel. It is undated, but judging by the LNER logo on the cover it was issued around the mid-1920s.

There are 38 pages of text, describing historic locations, grand buildings and ruins found over the whole of its system - from Colchester and Castle Rising to the ruins of Elgin Cathedral and the Pass of Glencoe. Every page also contains a black-and-white photograph. The final page provides a list of all the tourist publications available from the LNER at the time. At the back is a pictorial map of the complete area.

The author was Gordon Home.  He was not reticent in his praise of the area served by the LNER!

"Excluding the section of England south of the Thames, a very large proportion of the ancient buildings and sites of Great Britain famous in history are embraced in the far-flung network of this railway. When one adds the great array of notable places in Scotland which are also served by the system, there are not many of importance remaining. This is not in any way a surprising fact, for the western half of this Island being mountainous, and for so many centuries scarcely civilized, it is only natural to find those parts lacking in such monuments and the great cathedrals, castles and so on scattered over the fertile and peaceful lands of the eastern portion."

Although not explicitly aimed at the American tourist, the content and the style suggest this may have been the case.  On the map, the town of Boston bears the legend "Mayflower sailed from here".

We have Bill King to thank for making these scans available to us.

The file is word-searchable. It will be available to download as soon as payment has been made. You go to your account and click on ‘Downloads’. New customers create an account as they place their order.