Atmospheric Railway
Atmospheric railway services reach Newton Abbot as Brunel continues testing the experimental system.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1848 in Great Britain
Explore 39 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1848.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1848
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 39 of 39 unique records.
39Unique records
1 of 1Page
35Named events on this page
23Named people on this page
15Places on this page
January
Atmospheric Service Extended to Newton
Atmospheric passenger working extends from Teignmouth to Newton on Brunel's South Devon system.
February
Entire Exeter-Newton Timetable Goes Atmospheric
All scheduled trains between Exeter and Newton temporarily operate using Brunel's atmospheric traction system.
March
Birth of Louise
Birth of Louise, 6th child of Victoria & Albert
Birth of Louise
Birth of Louise, 6th child of Victoria & Albert
April
Royal Albert Bridge
Brunel launches a survey cylinder into the River Tamar to investigate foundations for the future bridge.
July
Birth of Arthur James Balfour
Birth of Arthur James Balfour, East Lothian
August
Death of George Stephenson
Death of George Stephenson
September
Atmospheric Railway
The atmospheric railway closes after persistent leakage and high maintenance costs make it impractical.
Atmospheric Working Abandoned
Persistent leakage, unreliable equipment and high operating costs lead to abandonment of atmospheric traction on the South Devon Railway.
November
Death of William Lamb
Death of William Lamb, suffers a stroke
Other events (month unknown)
Absolute Temperature Scale
Proposes an absolute thermodynamic temperature scale while professor at Glasgow.
Birth of Louise
Birth of Louise, 6th child of Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
Capture of Punjab
Captures the Punjab
Church Penitentiary Association
Founds the Church Penitentiary Association for the Reclamation of Fallen Women
Church Penitentiary Association
Gladstone founds the Church Penitentiary Association for the Reclamation of Fallen Women
Discovery of Kelvin Scale
Proposes the absolute Kelvin scale for measuring temperature
Discovery of Nova Ophiuchi
Hind discovers Nova Ophiuchi 1848
Education
Receives an honorary degree from Oxford University
Engineer
Appointed as consulting engineer to the Punjab resident and Council of Regency
European Revolutions Economic Debate
The revolutions across continental Europe challenged the liberal economic order that Wilson defended in the pages of The Economist.
Fifteen-Inch Atmospheric Pipe Used
The relatively level Exeter-to-Newton section uses fifteen-inch traction pipes to propel atmospheric trains.
Governor
Appointed Governor General of India, 2nd term
Great Western Caribbean Routes Develop
The steamship entered service associated with West Indian mail and passenger routes under its new owners.
Hannah Greener Dies Under Chloroform
Hannah Greener died following chloroform administration for a minor operation, highlighting anaesthetic safety concerns.
Hungerford Footbridge Remains In Commercial Use
The suspension bridge provided a toll based crossing during the expansion of central London transport.
Impeachment
Anstey wants Palmerston impeached for being a foreign agent since 1828
Ivybridge Timber Viaduct Opens
A Brunel-designed viaduct opens on the South Devon route as part of the extension toward Plymouth.
Larger Atmospheric Pipes Planned for South Devon Banks
Brunel plans larger traction pipes for the steeper section beyond Newton where greater pulling force is required.
Municipal Dock Management Begins
Bristol Corporation assumed responsibility for harbour management after the Bristol Dock Company ceased to administer the docks.
Oxford University
Receives an honorary degree from Oxford University
Plymbridge Road Overbridge Completed
A Brunel-designed elliptical railway overbridge is completed for the South Devon Railway near Plympton.
Reclamation of Fallen Women
Gladstone founds the Church Penitentiary Association for the Reclamation of Fallen Women. Aids the House of Mercy at Clewer near Windsor (which exercised extreme in-house discipline) and spends much time arranging employment for ex-prostitutes
Relay System Undermines Factory Hours Rules
The use of staggered shifts complicated enforcement of the statutory limits and renewed demands for clearer rules.
Royal Society
Elected to the Royal Society
Snow Publishes Chloroform Guidance
John Snow published research on chloroform dosage and administration as physicians sought safer clinical techniques.
Tamar Bridge Preliminary Works Begin
Early work begins on Brunel's proposed railway crossing of the River Tamar before the project is later restarted.
Ten Hour Factory Limit Takes Effect
The ten hour limit under the 1847 act took effect for women and young persons employed in textile factories.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Publication of "The Tennant of Wildfell Hall"
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.