The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in Hampshire and Berkshire, including Portsmouth and Reading. In the grouping of railways in 1923 the L&SWR became part of the Southern Railway.
Among significant achievements of the L&SWR were the electrification of suburban lines, the introduction of power signalling, the development of Southampton Docks, the rebuilding of Waterloo Station as one of the great stations of the world, and the handling of the massive traffic involved in the First World War.
Read more about London And South Western Railway: Origins, Construction of The Southampton Line, Gauge Wars, Early Expansion, London Terminal Stations, West of Salisbury, Suburban Lines, Routes in Hampshire, Electrification, LSWR Infrastructure, Ships, Other Details
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—Gilbert Adair, British author, critic. quoted in: London Sunday Correspondent Magazine (Dec. 24, 1989)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Angela Carter (1940–1992)