How the spirit of Brexit scuppered the dream of a Victorian chunnel.
In 1851, a telegraph wire linked London and Paris directly. Might it be possible for a railway to follow? Many engineers believed it was: they proposed a tunnel, joining the roads and railways of Britain to those of mainland Europe.
Ainissa Ramirez recounts the story of the transatlantic telegraph cable, the Apollo project of its day.
As a resident of Brighton—home to the most beautiful of bandstands—this bit of background to their history is fascinating.
The Victorian Internet indeed.
What if the Wire were a serialised Dickensian story? …which, let’s face it, it kinda is.
Instruction manual to operate and maintain Charles Babbage's 2nd Difference Engine built by Barrie Holloway and Reg Crick, June 1991 for the Science Museum, London SW7 2DD.
I love the idea of this bit of real-world steampunk alternative history. From May 22nd to June 15th you will be able to use the telectroscope to look into a tunnel through the earth from London to New York.
I would kill to get hold of this Steampunk Mac mini, flat panel monitor and brass keyboard.
