Navvies Collection

GWR navvies, Treffgarne, Pembrokeshire, South Wales
A group of ten Great Western Railway navvies working on the Treffgarne railway at Nant Y Coy, Pembrokeshire, Dyfed, South Wales

Construction of St Pancras Station, London, c 1867
Travelling Gantry and First Girder of Midland Station St Pancras. This station was completed in 1868, as the London terminus for the Midland Railway. The station was designed by William Barlow

Railway cutting works, discovery of fossilised trees
Railway cutting works on the Manchester to Bolton line, discovery of fossilised trees. Date: 1840s

GWR workings on a railway line in South Wales
Navvies working on a Great Western Railway line embankment, somewhere in South Wales. The navvy hut can be seen in the distance on the left

Navvies at Work
Navvies at work in a railway cutting

An engraving depicting navvies working on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway across Chat Moss Bog, 19th century
5310641 An engraving depicting navvies working on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway across Chat Moss Bog, 19th century; (add.info.: Date: 1859); Universal History Archive/UIG.

A navvy
5308524 A navvy.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting a navvy. Railway navvies were sent out to the Crimea to build a railway and to help with digging trenches. Dated 19th century)

Cartoon depicting a Navvy in heavy marching order: Railway navvies were sent out to the Crimea to build a railway
5308762 Cartoon depicting a Navvy in heavy marching order: Railway navvies were sent out to the Crimea to build a railway and to help with digging trenches, during the Crimean War

Navvies working on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway
5308493 Navvies working on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting navvies working on the Liverpool-Manchester Railway across the Chat Moss Bog. Dated 19th century)

Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line
5308402 Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line. Dated 19th century)

Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line
5308404 Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line. Dated 19th century)

Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line
5308403 Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line. Dated 19th century)

Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line
5308401 Navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line.; (add.info.: Illustration depicting navvies working on the Balaklava Railway Line. Dated 19th century)

Commencement of the Thames Embankment works near Westminster Bridge, 1864. Creator: Unknown
Commencement of the Thames Embankment works near Westminster Bridge, 1864. View of '...piles being driven in, and scaffolding of an extensive character being erected to support

The Bahia Railway, Brazil: Paripe Valley - from a photograph by B. Mulock, 1860. Creator: Unknown
The Bahia Railway, Brazil: Paripe Valley - from a photograph by B. Mulock, 1860. View of...the heavy works to carry the railway across the valley of Paripe

Return of the Army Works Corps from the Crimea, 1856. Creator: Unknown
Return of the Army Works Corps from the Crimea, 1856. Mechanics and labourers at Waterloo Station in London. The Army Works Corps...originated in a suggestion made by Sir Joseph Paxton

Culebra Cut, Culebra - Gang of 150 Men Shifting Track By Hand, January 1912. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Culebra Cut, Culebra - Gang of 150 Men Shifting Track By Hand, January 1912. Men working on the Panama Canal project

Culebra Cut - View at Base of Gold Hill, Showing Basaltic Columns Developed By Steam Shovel, 1913
Culebra Cut - View at Base of Gold Hill, Showing Basaltic Columns Developed By Steam Shovel, Cut in March 1913. Men working on the Panama Canal project

Panama Canal, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Panama Canal, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Panama Canal, 1913. The Panama Canal project was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken

Panama Canal, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing. Panama Canal, 1913. Creator: Harris & Ewing
Panama Canal, 1913. The Panama Canal project was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken

Navvies embarking at the Birkenhead Docks, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Navvies embarking at the Birkenhead Docks, 1854. Manual labourers leaving Britain for the seat of war in the Crimea....the ranks of the nomadic army of shovellers are continually recruited from

'The Manchester Ship Canal, lock gates at Eastham, 1891, 1891. Creator: Charles William Wyllie
'The Manchester Ship Canal, lock gates at Eastham, 1891, 1891. From "The Graphic. An Illustrated Weekly Newspaper", Volume 44. July to December, 1891

Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts Office, Waterloo-Road, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts Office, Waterloo-Road, 1854. After the British government requests a Civil Engineering Corps to build the Grand Crimean Central Railway, the London offices of Peto

The New Victoria Dock Works, Plaistow Marshes, 1854. Creator: Unknown
The New Victoria Dock Works, Plaistow Marshes, 1854. Expansion of the River Thames shipping trade capacity by Peto, Brassey and Betts

Navvies at the North-Western Railway Terminus, Euston-Square, 1854. Creator: Unknown
Navvies at the North-Western Railway Terminus, Euston-Square, 1854. Manual labourers leaving London for the seat of war in the Crimea....there are instances of men who have risen from the pick

Fallen Railway Arches in Copenhagen-Fields, 1850. Creator: Unknown
Fallen Railway Arches in Copenhagen-Fields, [London], 1850. Extension of the Birmingham Railway to Blackwall. Last week, one of the most important works on this line

Dock in course of construction at Boulogne, 1862. Creator: Unknown
Dock in course of construction at Boulogne, [France], 1862. The entire dock, including the sluice-entrance, will cover nearly seventy English acres...the total cost...is estimated at something like

The Metropolitan Railway and the Fleet Ditch, 1862. Creator: JM Williams
The Metropolitan Railway and the Fleet Ditch, [London], 1862. In a few months Paddington will be joined to the City by a new thoroughfare...This line has a width of nearly thirty feet

Members of the South Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps at work by torchlight in the gardens... 1862. Creator: Unknown
Members of the South Middlesex Rifle Volunteer Corps at work by torchlight in the gardens of Burlington House, Piccadilly, clearing the ground for a drill-shed, 1862

Navvies building a railway

Steam shovel and Navvies building a railway

Navvies building a railway line in the UK, early 1900s

Men working on Festival of Britain building site, London
Group of men working on the Festival of Britain building site, London. Seen here taking a break to read their favourite newspapers: the Daily Herald, the Daily Worker and the Daily Mirror

Railway construction, Berkhamsted, Herts. 1837
Navvies building a cutting near Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire in June 1837, part of the London to Birmingham railway line, engineered by Robert Stephenson. Date: 1837

View in Kingsway during the progress of the Improvement, 1905 (photo)
3038392 View in Kingsway during the progress of the Improvement, 1905 (photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

DDE-90033357
Norway, Flam. Views along the Navvies Road hiking trail between Vatnahalsen & Blomheller. Native ferns. Date: 01/12/2005

View of Charles Street, looking toward St
6339912 View of Charles Street, looking toward St by British School, (18th-19th century); (add.info.: View of Charles Street, looking toward St. Jamess Square, London)

View of the east end of the Guildhall and the Old Library, City of London, 1870 (litho)
5226793 View of the east end of the Guildhall and the Old Library, City of London, 1870 (litho) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Methode par section divisee, Achevement du ciel de l excavation (engraving)
3645189 Methode par section divisee, Achevement du ciel de l excavation (engraving) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Methode par section divisee)

Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b / w photo)
3637340 Road resurfacing work in Cornhill (b/w photo) by English Photographer, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Road resurfacing work in Cornhill)

The wheelbarrow (chromolitho)
977648 The wheelbarrow (chromolitho) by French School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: The wheelbarrow. French educational card, late 19th/early 20th century.); © Look and Learn

The social question. Illustration for Le Rire (colour litho)
2786391 The social question. Illustration for Le Rire (colour litho) by Flores, Ricardo (1878-1918); Private Collection; (add.info.: The social question)

A group of navvies discovering a soldier trapped underground for 28 days (colour litho)
2819168 A group of navvies discovering a soldier trapped underground for 28 days (colour litho) by French School, (20th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Chair-mender, News Boy, Flying Pieman and Blackfriar s
Chair-mender, News Boy, Flying Pieman and Blackfriars Bridge. Chair-mender repairing a chair seat with rushes in Punyer Alley 46

Sheds erected for supplying cheap coffee and cocoa for the "Navvies, "working on the Railway, at Pylle
6008101 Sheds erected for supplying cheap coffee and cocoa for the " Navvies, " working on the Railway, at Pylle, in Somersetshire (engraving) by English School

Railway cutting works in progress in the early days of rail expansion. Date: 1840s

Railway cutting works at Wormwood Scrubs, West London. Date: circa 1840s

Underground railway construction, London 1861
Underground railway construction in progress for the Metropolitan line, London, at Thames Embankment. 1861

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"Unsung Heroes: The GWR Navvies and their Remarkable Legacy" In the picturesque village of Treffgarne, nestled in the heart of Pembrokeshire, South Wales, a group of extraordinary men left an indelible mark on history. These were the legendary GWR navvies - hardworking laborers who dedicated their lives to shaping our modern world. Their story began amidst the railway cutting works in Treffgarne, where something truly remarkable unfolded. In this unassuming corner of South Wales, these intrepid workers stumbled upon fossilized trees that had been preserved for millions of years. Their discovery not only fascinated scientists but also shed light on Earth's ancient past. The navvies' prowess extended far beyond rural landscapes. They played a pivotal role in constructing one of London's architectural marvels - St Pancras Station - around 1867. With unwavering determination and unparalleled skill, they transformed mere blueprints into a grand structure that still stands tall today. But it was not just London that witnessed their tireless efforts; the GWR navvies worked tirelessly on numerous railway lines across South Wales as well. From laying tracks to building bridges and tunnels, these unsung heroes shaped the very infrastructure we rely on today. Captured through time-honored photographs are glimpses into their arduous endeavors – navvies at work with sweat-soaked brows and calloused hands meticulously crafting railways from scratch. Steam shovels became extensions of themselves as they deftly maneuvered heavy machinery while maintaining an unwavering focus on precision. As we delve deeper into history's annals, another snapshot emerges – men working diligently amidst the Festival of Britain building site in London during its early 1900s construction phase. Side by side with fellow craftsmen from various trades, these resilient navvies contributed to creating iconic structures that would forever define British heritage.