England’s Railway Heritage from the Air

different options to improve the route from the Eurostar terminal at Waterloo to Folkestone, but it was only when the multi-disciplinary consultant Ove Arup developed the idea of regenerating run-down areas east of London and in north Kent, using the Link, that progress was made, and public money became available. This convoluted process is described very well in the book. The final chapter in Part 4 is a panegyric on the conversion of St Pancras Station into the new Channel Tunnel Terminal in London; a conversion with which Nicholas Faith is obviously in full sympathy. The book does contain some faults. The author has a habit of quoting persons or organisations, usually by name, without explaining who they are and what relevance they have to the whole picture. It is also peppered with unexplained acronyms which, with the myriad of organisations involved in the project, are often difficult to interpret. The book’s illustrations are all collected into eight pages in the centre and are mainly portraits of personalities or pictures of Eurostar trains. There is only one diagram whereas the nature of the subject, especially tunnel routes and the layout of terminals, would, in many cases, be better explained by simple line drawings rather than the extensive explanations in the text. There are also numerous glaring typographical errors throughout the book which should have been edited out. It gives the distinct impression of having been completed and published in a hurry. There is, however, an excellent index and a good bibliography. Although this is obviously a book by an investigative journalist in its style and content, it does provide a valuable insight into the difficulties that were encountered in this multi-disciplinary and international infrastructure project. The extent of the research carried out by the author is very impressive and his technical descriptions of tunnelling and railway engineering are largely accurate and well adapted for a lay readership. On the political and financial aspects the ‘gentleman mischief maker’ has also stirred up a few contentious points which will no doubt provide interest for future scholars studying this major project as part of our recent history.