British Railways Board Records Centre Records

Records collected by the British Railways Board, 1852-1974, including British Railway Board, estates managers' files, 1971-1974; Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company records, 1857-1895; Milford, Fishguard and Cardigan Junction Railway Company records, 1860-1861; Milford Haven Dock and Railway Company records, 1852-1864; North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway Company records, 1892-1898; Great Western Railway records, 1921-1966; New Milford Docks records, 1862-1875; and Fishguard & Rosslare Rlys and Harbours Company records, 1857-1959.

The British Transport Commission was created by the Transport Act 1947 by the nationalisation of private railway companies, succeeded in 1962 by the British Railways Board. The Board was responsible for managing railway property, and also accumulated the records of the private companies; in Pembrokeshire, these included: Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company (opened 1864); Milford Haven Dock and Railway Company (established 1837); Great Western Railway and the South Wales Railway; Milford Railway (opened 1863); Milford, Fishguard and Cardigan Junction Railway Company (active 1861); Rosebush and Fishguard Railway (never built); and North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway (opened 1884). These railways were brought into the Great Western Railway in the 1923 Grouping. The Fishguard & Rosslare Rlys and Harbours Company was incorporated under the Fishguard Bay Railway & Pier Act 1893. Its name was changed to Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Company by the Fishguard & Rosslare Railways & Harbours Act 1894. After nationalisation, the company was still in existence, worked by British Transport Commission and Coras Iompair Eireann, capital being held by these bodies and members of the public.

Arranged into six groups: Group One, British Railways Board estate managers' files; Group Two, Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company records; Milford, Fishguard and Cardigan Junction Railway Company records; and Milford Haven Dock and Railway Company records and South Wales, Pembroke and Tenby Junction Railway Company records; Group Three, Milford Haven Dock and Railway Company records; and bill for docks at New Milford and Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company records; Group Four, North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway Company records; Group Five, Great Western Railway Company records; and Group Six, Fishguard Bay Railway and Pier Bill, and Fishguard & Rosslare Rlys and Harbours Company records.

No restrictions

Deposited by the British Railways Board Records Centre, London, 1999-2003.

Compiled by Richard Burman for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Pembrokeshire Record Office, British Railways Board Records Centre, catalogue; Railscot: Railway History, (http://www.railscot.co.uk/index.htm), viewed 8 July 2005; The Colonel Stephens Museum Homepage (http://www.hfstephens-museum.org.uk/index.htm), viewed 8 July 2005.

A hard copy is available in Pembrokeshire Record Office and the National Register of Archives.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

All records deposited at Pembrokeshire Record Office have been retained.

Records of individual railway companies were acquired by the British Railways Board and held at the Board's Records Centre in London.

Accruals are possible

Futher material relating to the British Railway Board are West Glamorgan Record Office, British Railways Board Records. Further records of the Pembroke and Tenby Railway Company are the National Archives, 1861-98: directors and shareholders minutes, stocktaking register, papers rel to locomotives and rolling stock, ledgers, journals, cash books; NLW, contracts, account books and ledgers. Further records of the Milford Haven Dock and Railway Company are Pembrokeshire Record Office, HDB/42 and NLW, British Records Association, deeds relating to Wales. Further papers of the North Pembrokeshire and Fishguard Railway Company are Carmarthenshire Archive Service, plans and sections and the National Archives, directors and shareholders minutes, ledger, journal, cash book, lists of locomotive and rolling stock etc. Further records of Fishguard & Rosslare Rlys and Harbours Company are at the National Archives.