Commemorative Liverpool & Manchester Railway handkerchief

Cotton handkerchief produced to commemorate the opening of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, 1830-1831.

The designer of this piece of early railway memorabilia had an international audience in mind, as they included text in both French and German.

This cotton handkerchief was made as a souvenir to commemorate the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830. It was the world's first steam powered, inter-urban railway, designed to transport both passengers and goods. Its Manchester terminus was Liverpool Road Station, now home to the Science and Industry Museum. Many souvenirs were produced to commemorate the opening, including jugs, mugs, medallions, as well as printed handkerchiefs like this example.

The illustrations are taken from various sources, including British architect and lithographer Thomas Talbot Bury. They show many of the innovative ways the railway’s engineer George Stephenson overcame the challenges of the landscape along the route from Manchester to Liverpool.

The illustrations are explained as ‘Train of first class carriages’, ‘Train of second class carriages’, ‘Train of carriages with cattle’, ‘Railway office Liverpool’, ‘Entrance to Manchester across Water Street’, ‘Viaduct across the Sankey Valley, ‘Rainhill Bridge’, ‘End of the tunnel towards Wapping Liverpool’, ‘Moorish Arch looking from the tunnel’, ‘View near Liverpool looking towards Manchester’ and ‘Parkside the station where Mr Huskison fell’ (sic). The key to the illustrations is written in both English and French. There is also some German text.

The reference to William Huskisson, MP for Liverpool, shows that the handkerchief was made after the opening day of the railway on the 15th September 1830. On the opening day, the locomotive carrying special guests and dignitaries made a scheduled stop at Parkside station to take on fuel and water. Passengers, including Huskisson, clambered down onto the tracks, there being no platforms at this time. They did not realise there were other engines also running on the tracks. Seeing the locomotive engine Rocket coming towards them, confusion and panic arose and Huskisson fell with his leg beneath Rocket's wheels. He was taken to a nearby doctor, but later died from his wounds.