Sir Edward Watkin, Bart.

[nickf]

I found these verses in a book written by a descendent of Sir Edward Watkin, David Watkin the renowned cinematographer (Why is there only one word for Thesaurus, published by The Trouser Press 1998). He tells how Sir Edward married a wealthy widow and shortly afterwards these verses (set perhaps to the music of the hymn The Church's One Foundation)appeared. They allude to Sir Edward's recent marriage, his chairmanship of the Great Central, Metropolitan and South Eastern Railways, the Channel Tunnel and the Metropolitan Tower. Also to his fascination with Snowdon, at the foot of which he bought land and built a cottage as well as having a path to the summit made.

From Snowdon's breezy summit
To Dover's chalky strand,
He carries us the slower
Of any in the land.
He bores the Channel Tunnel
He builds the Watkin Tower;
But neither helps his income
Like Mrs Ingram's dower.

He'd blacken Kent with coal-pits,
And cave St John's Wood in,
But these are merely trifles
In his career of sin.
For he doth run the Underground
In whose mephitic air,
The gasping, choking Londoner
Doth think of him and swear.

[theblackferret]

Looks like these were written between 1892-94.

Watkin resigned all his positions in 1894 & retired to Wales-well, he was 74 & the GCR Bill had finally been passed in Parliament in 1893.

The reference to caving in St John's Wood implies it was after the scheme to extend the last bit into Marylebone by buying Lords cricket ground was shelved(wonder why? ) and it was decided to tunnel under the Nursery Ground end of it instead, which was part of the amended bill passed by Parliament, but didn't actually happen until 1897.