Genre:

Poetry

Subjects:

Environmentalism, Railways

People mentioned:

George Stephenson , Joseph Paxton

    Begins by explaining that the lessee of the Scilly Isles, Augustus J Smith, supported the attempt to build a railway on the land of 'the proud Lord of Brownlow'—Berkhampstead Common. Describes how the railway navvies, armed with crowbars, congregated together and travelled through the night on the 'steam demon', and how Smith challenged the rights of Brownlow to the land and the navvies began removing the iron railings that protected the common.