Swindon Railway Works
The Great Western Railway works open at New Swindon and become a major centre for locomotive engineering.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1843 in Great Britain
Explore 52 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1843.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1843
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 52 unique records.
52Unique records
1 of 2Page
36Named events on this page
22Named people on this page
15Places on this page
January
March
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel opens to pedestrians after eighteen years of construction begun under Marc and Isambard Brunel.
Thames Tunnel
The Thames Tunnel opens to the public as the first successful tunnel beneath a navigable river.
April
Medical Emergency
Brunel accidentally inhales a half-sovereign coin and later designs equipment to help remove it.
Poet Laureate Appointment
Appointed Poet Laureate
Birth of Alice
Birth of Alice, 2nd child of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
Birth of Alice
Birth of Alice, 2nd child of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
July
Prince Albert Attends Great Britain Launch
Prince Albert attends the public launch of SS Great Britain in Bristol's Floating Harbour.
SS Great Britain
SS Great Britain is launched as the largest ship in the world and a pioneering iron screw steamship.
November
Nelson Column Completed
Nelson's Column is completed in Trafalgar Square.
Nelson Statue
Nelson's statue is raised at the top of the column.
December
A Christmas Carol
Publication of "A Christmas Carol"
Other events (month unknown)
Bath Railway Operations Consolidate
The Bath section became part of the established London to Bristol route serving passengers and freight.
Board of Trade
Appointed President of the Board of Trade
Bright Enters Commons As Repealer
John Bright won election for Durham and became a powerful parliamentary advocate of Corn Law repeal.
Buxton Extends Campaign Against Slave Trade
Thomas Fowell Buxton continued advocating international measures against slavery and the slave trade after British colonial emancipation.
Chippenham Rail Freight Trade Develops
Businesses around Chippenham gained access to wider markets using the new rail freight connection.
Clifton Bridge Funds Run Short
Construction slowed dramatically when available capital proved insufficient to complete the deck and ironwork.
Clifton Ironwork Funding Shortfall
Construction stalls because the bridge company lacks the funds needed to complete the chains and roadway.
Clifton Suspension Bridge
Funds are exhausted and construction stops before the chains and roadway can be completed.
Coal Vendors Act
Gladstone passed the Coal Vendors Act 1843 to set up a central office for employment
Coal Whippers
Gladstone became concerned with the situation of "coal whippers". These were the men who worked on London docks, "whipping" in baskets from ships to barges or wharves all incoming coal from the sea. They were called up and relieved through public-houses and therefore a man could not get this job unless he possessed the favourable opinion of the publican, who looked upon most favourably those who drank
Coal Whippers
Gladstone passed the Coal Vendors Act 1843 to set up a central office for employment
Death of John Biscoe
Death of John Briscoe
Economist
Founds The Economist
Editor
Appointed Editor of The Economist
Fielden Presses Ten Hour Legislative Principle
Fielden continued advocating the principle of restricting daily factory work to ten hours for protected employees.
Gold Medal of the Societe de Geographie
Awarded the Gold Medal of the Societe de Geographie
Governor
Appointed Governor of Hong Kong
Great Britain Six-Masted Rig Completed
SS Great Britain is equipped with a six-masted schooner rig designed to reduce the sailing manpower required.
Great Western Ocean Trade Continues
The vessel remained an experienced Atlantic steamship while investors pursued larger and more advanced successors.
Hungerford Bridge Suspension Chains Assembled
Workers installed or prepared the massive iron links required to suspend the bridge across the river.
League Expands Fundraising Campaign
Large subscriptions financed League speakers publications and organization across the country.
Legislation
Gladstone passed the Coal Vendors Act 1843 to set up a central office for employment
Legislation
Gladstone passes the Coal Vendors Act 1843 to set up a central office for employment
Liverpool Becomes Main Western Terminus
From 1843 Great Western operated her North Atlantic voyages primarily from Liverpool rather than Bristol.
Lloyds Underwriters Honour Captain Hosken
Lloyd's underwriters gave Captain Hosken a gold watch in recognition of his safe navigation of many Atlantic passages aboard Great Western.
May Westbound Passage Wins New Record
Great Western briefly regained a leading westbound Atlantic passage record during May 1843.
Mechanical Equivalent Of Heat Investigated
James Prescott Joule's experiments advanced the quantitative relationship between work and heat. Its methods affected the scale or precision of subsequent work.
Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column is completed as a major London memorial.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.