About the Case Study
This case study looks at the impact of the passage of the South Eastern Railway Act and the building of the line on the community of Marden. It is the result of investigations carried out by members of Marden History Group.
The South Eastern Railway Act was passed in 1836. The Parliamentary Archives holds the original Act as well as a plan of the route and a book of reference which details the owners and occupiers of land affected by the railway.
Our volunteers were members of Marden History Group. They used the Parliamentary records as a starting point to investigate the impact that the railway had on their community. They investigated three aspects to this impact: on the people, on the landscape, and on the area's economy. Activities took places over a month with small groups meeting for a few hours a week to investigate one of the themes. They were based at Marden Heritage Centre and the Centre for Kentish Studies. The project concluded with a visit to the Parliamentary Archives to examine the records there, and to have a tour of the Houses of Parliament.
