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Title
Price & Reeves Archive
Reference
P&R
Production date
1897 - 1927

Creator

Price & Reeves Biography Biography
Price & Reeves were a partnership of Mr John Henry Price and Mr T J Reeves, based at 12 Waterloo Place SW1, London. It is not known when the company came into existence, however the earliest date mentioned in the records is c 1897. Price & Reeves are most renowned for the construction of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, completed in 1908. This was to the design of Maurice Fitzmaurice, Chief Engineer to London County Council. They also worked on the London Electric Railway, Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, and Gosport Wharf. In later years they completed a number of projects overseas in Belgium, Kenya, Australia and India and also worked on some housing projects. It is not known when the company ceased to exist, the latest date found in the records held by the the National Railway Museum is 1927.

Scope and Content
The archive consists of drawings prepared for contract work on the London Electric Railway, Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway, Gosport Wharf, Rotherhithe Tunnel and other dock and drainage projects. The collection also contains stereoscopic photographs of construction on the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway and the Rotherhithe Tunnel as well as material that documents the work of the company and the life of John Price.
Extent
4 boxes, 11 folders
Physical description
The items range from good to poor condition. Some items are fragile, torn or have benign mould staining.
Language
English
Archival history
Originally the collection came to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre from Mr Barlow, who was chief draughtsman at Price & Reeves. The collection was purchased by the Science Museum in 1988 and it was then transferred to the National Railway Museum in 2005, P&R12/5 and P&R/12/6 were transferred in 2016. There were additional items that were retained by the Buckinghamshire Railway Society.
Level of description
TOP
Repository name
National Railway Museum, York

Associated people and organisations

Price, John Biography Biography
John Price was born in 1846 in Alberbury in Shropshire. He began engineering work in 1861 on the Shrewsbury and Welshpool Railway. He went to work on numerous railway construction schemes across Britain employed by a number of different firms, even travelling to Hungary in 1868. He was a partner in at least two public works contracting firms, namely Price & Reeves, with T J Reeves and Price, Wills & Reeves alongside C J Wills as well. In his work with these the two companies he worked a number of Underground projects including the Central London Railway, the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway and the Great Northern Bromption and Piccadilly Railway. The Rotherhithe Tunnel is possibly his most well known project today and other notable projects included the Immingham Docks and Admiralty Docks 14 and 15 at Portsmouth. He made an associate member of the Insitution of Civil Engineers on the 7th December 1897 and had a superlative professional reputation as a contractor. He was the inventor of the Price Rotary Excavator, first developed in 1896 on the Central London Railway contract and refined in 1906 and put to great effect on the Rotherhithe Tunnel contract. The Price Rotary Excavator was the first fully-automated soft-ground tunneling machine and London Underground procured 40 for the construction of their network in the inter-war period. It was also considered as suitable plant for use in the putative 1907 Channel Tunnel scheme. Another of his inventions was a transporter to convey dreged material to the shore. He passed away on the 25th June 1913, his funeral was held on the 28th June at Christ Church and he was laid to rest at Wimbledon Cemetary.

Subject
Civil engineering
Tunnelling
Underground railway stations
Docks
Conditions governing access
Access is given in accordance with the NRM access policy. Material from this archive is available to researchers through Search Engine. All requests for access to this collection should referred to the NRM Archives Manager for approval
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied of items from this archive provided that the copying process used does not damage the item or is not detrimental to its preservation. Copies will be supplied in accordance with the NRM’s terms and conditions for the supply and reproduction of copies, and the provisions of any relevant copyright legislation.

Related Archives

1987-690 - 50 photographs (gelatine silver gloss prints) showing construction sequence of the Rotherhithe Tunnel, London, 1906-1907. Including opening ceremony, driving shield, workers, locality views, Woolwich ferry. 27x34cm or smaller.

Related items
2011-19 Working demonstration model, scale 1:16, of tunnelling shield used to excavate Rotherhithe Tunnel, London, and inspected by Prince and Princess of Wales at opening of tunnel on 12 June 1908, constructed in aluminium and brass loose on an ebonised wooden base, made by tunnel engineer J. Henry Price, c.1908, with plate inscribed MODEL OF THE TUNNELLING SHIELD / 30 FEET 8 INCHES IN DIAMETER / USED IN DRIVING THE / ROTHERHITHE TUNNEL / UNDER THE RIVER THAMES. / PRESENTED BY / J. HENRY PRICE / ASSOC. M. INST. C. E.