GEORGE STEPHENSON. 155 



named place prevented the company going through 

 their properties, and drove them to the other side of 

 Watford, necessitating the viaduct near Bushey, the 

 long Watford tunnel, the heavy Boxmoor embank- 

 ment, and the deep chalk cuttings at Tring. It is said 

 that compelling the line to go on the present side of 

 Watford caused an excess in the outlay of a quarter of 

 a million of money more than was contemplated in the 

 original estimate. It was not the landowners only who 

 were at fault ; even the great town of Northampton 

 refused the railway access to their town, and banished 

 it to Blisworth, four miles away ; while the University 

 authorities at Oxford forced the Great Western to go 

 to Didcot, seven miles distant from their ancient city. 



The little Aylesbury railway to Cheddington was 

 the first branch which directly opened into the main 

 line. At the dinner to celebrate the opening of the 

 Aylesbury railway, in responding to his health, Robert 

 Stephenson said, " Whatever may occur, you ma}^ rely 

 upon it that the London and Birmingham Railway will 

 never forget its ' eldest child,' " a statement that has 

 been amply fulfilled ; it never has forgotten to oppress 

 and injure its poor bantling. It was not till the year 

 1889, nearly fifty years afterwards, that a new station 

 was built at Aylesbury, the wretchedly small and 

 inconvenient station remaining as it was built at first, 

 although the traffic had increased twenty-fold. 



Development of traffic ! — The old Aylesbury coach 

 " The Despatch " used to leave the town, previously to the 

 opening of the railway, with wdiat was considered a good 

 fair load of four outside and two inside passengers daily. 



