Contracts & Tenders 1841 - 1870 (Popplewell)

Extracts relating to Robert Sharpe, contracts and tenders 1841 - 1870,  from British Railway Contractors (Lawrence Popplewell), NRM GR/117

 

 

Distribution of Contractors Projects:

 

1841 - 1850

R & J Sharpe: 4 (Wales)

 

1851 - 1870

Sharpe & Sons: 1 (Central Southern England), 3 (West Country), 1 (South East)

 

1871 - 1914

None

1850 - South Wales Railway (Chepstow - Swansea)

Contractors - Newport Division: Contract No. 1 James Rennie & Co and Robert Sharpe and J. Morgan; Contract 3 & 4 & 10 - Robert Sharpe; Swansea Division: Contract No. 1 J. Sharpe & I. Fussell, No. 14 J. Sharpe

Tenders Received: Newport Division; 8th April 1846, Robert Sharpe £94,752; 10th February 1847, R. Sharpe, £118,000

Engineer: I. K. Brunell

 

1859, 4th May (opened) - The Cornwall Railway (Truro - Liskeard)

Formations: Messrs. Sharpe & Sons

Engineer: I. K. Brunell

Sources West Briton (supp.), 6th May 1859

Royal Cornwall Gazette, 6th May 1859

Falmouth & Penryn Weekly News, 22nd August 1863

 

1863 - Falmouth Branch (CR)

Contractors: (1) Samuel Garrett (c1854), (2) Sharpe & Sons (for £172,000)

Sources: Falmouth & Penryn Weekly Times, 22 August 1863

West Briton, 22nd August 1863

 

c1863 - North Taunton - Okehampton Road (London & South Western Railway)

Contractors: Messrs Sharpe & Sons

Sources: Tavistock Gazette, 30th June 1863

Torquay Chronicle, 16th July 1864

Note: Messrs Sharpe & Sons were quoted in the Tavistock Gazette 30th June 1863 as being about to take on the North Taunton - Bude line, an intention thwarted, presumably, by the financial crash of 1866

 

1866, March 5th (opened) - Southampton & Netley Railway

Contractors: Sharpe & Sons

Sources: Railway News, 10th March 1866

E. Course, The Southampton & Netley Railway, 1873, pp18-19

 

1867 (opened) Letterhead - Dorking (LBSCR)

Contractor: (1) Messrs. Tweedy & Co.

(2) Messrs Sharpe & Sons

 

1874 (opened) - Barnstaple - Infracombe

Tender: Robert Sharpe & Sons (£212,000)

Contractor: James Taylor (£90,000)

 

 

Researched by Stephen Tonge & Roy Gargan - 2003