The changes to the lifestyle and prosperity of the town of Kirkby Stephen that were brought by the arrival of the railway cannot be underestimated. With the possibility of rapid and cheap movement of people and goods in the 1860's the residents of the town suddenly found themselves in the completely new world of the outward looking and industrialised Victorian 'Age of Empire'.
The population of the town was augmented by the arrival of railway workers, and there was construction of new and superior housing. Shopping becomes an experience with plentiful manufactured consumer goods as the boozers and inns of a former farming lifestyle give way to hotels for Temperance or tourists, and the tea rooms of a successful community.
This exhibition will be on site at Kirkby Stephen East in in August and at other locations in the area, including Kirkby Stephen Parish Church, during the summer. Check back here for further details.
The changes to the lifestyle and prosperity of the town of Kirkby Stephen that were brought by the arrival of the railway cannot be underestimated. With the possibility of rapid and cheap movement of people and goods in the 1860's the residents of the town suddenly found themselves in the completely new world of the outward looking and industrialised Victorian 'Age of Empire'. 
