A64 road
A64 flyover located south of Fulford
Route information
Length:	70 mi (110 km)
Major junctions
West end:	Leeds
	A1(M) motorway A19 road A162 road A165 road A166 road A171 road A169 road A170 road A1036 road A1039 road A1079 road A1237 road A61 road A63 road A653 road A659 road A6120 road
East end:	Scarborough
Location
Primary destinations:	York, Scarborough
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways • A and B road zones

The A64 is a major road in North and West Yorkshire, England which links Leeds, York and Scarborough. The A64 starts as the A64(M) ring road motorway in Leeds, then towards York it becomes a high quality dual carriageway for the remainder of its route, except sections of the road from Malton to Scarborough.

The road approximates a section of the old Roman road running from Chester to Bridlington, intersecting Ermine Street - the Old North Road - at York.

Route[link]

Leeds-York[link]

Towards the A1

The road begins in Leeds as the A64(M) at Richmond Hill and the Woodpecker Junction, and close to the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the NHS's imposing Quarry House. It leads onto the York Road, passing All Saints Richmond Hill CE Primary School where there is a flyover for Lupton Avenue, and a left turn for the B6159 Harehills Lane near the Victoria Primary School. At Killingbeck, the A63 forks to the right at its western terminus. It passes Asda on the left, with the Killingbeck Retail Park, and Seacroft Hospital on the right. It meets Foundry Lane and Cross Gates Road at a roundabout next to Killingbeck police station. It meets, and overlaps with, the Leeds Outer Ring Road (A6120) at a roundabout near Swarcliffe next to St Theresa's RC Primary School, and at Seacroft there is a roundabout where the A64 leaves to the right, with the Ramada Leeds North hotel to the east.

At Arthursdale it passes over the former Wetherby - Cross Gates railway line. At Saw Wood it is crossed by the Leeds Country Way. The section from Leeds to Bramham was scheduled for improvement in two stages, but this was cancelled in the mid-1980s. Just before junction 45 of the A1(M), the road enters North Yorkshire, and the district of Selby. At the Bramham Moor Interchange there are access roads to Aberford and Bramham (former A1). Where the road meets the A1, it used to pass unhindered as a dual carriageway, but since the motorway section of the A1(M) was opened on 4 February 1999, the road now has a roundabout. East of the junction in Stutton with Hazlewood, the Roman Ridge joins the road, which the A64 follows until the Tadcaster bypass. The four-mile £8.9 million dual carriageway Tadcaster Bypass opened in September 1978. The A659 (former route) is to the left, with Askham Bryan College's Headley Hall Farm (former University of Leeds) to the west. On the bypass there is a junction for the A162 (for Towton) near Stutton.

View over the Vale of York

It crosses the River Wharfe south of the breweries of Samuel Smith and John Smith. Near to the right is Oxton Hall, home of Humphrey Smith. At Oxton the road rejoins the former route. On the eastbound side is the Total Bilbrough Filling Station, with the York East Little Chef and Travelodge at the point where the Roman road (and Ebor Way) join from the west, briefly following the road. In February 2004, work began on a new £11 million flyover at the Colton Lane/Bilbrough Top junction, allowing for the closing of the central reserve. The central reserve had long been an accident blackspot, and residents of the local villages had campaigned for its closure. The flyover was opened on 9 June 2005 by Dr Stephen Ladyman.^[1] The BP Bilbrough Top Service Station on the west-bound side was built as well, with a McDonald's. At the turn-off for Askham Richard, the road enters the City of York next to the Buckles Inn. On the left is Askham Bryan College (agricultural), then Copmanthorpe is on the right, followed by Bishopthorpe (where the Archbishop of York lives). There is a junction for York's northern bypass (A1237), which was built in the late 1980s, and on the left is Pike Hills golf club and Askham Bogs nature reserve where the road is followed by NCN 66. The East Coast Main Line (Selby diversion) passes under the A1036 junction for York to the left. To the east of the junction, the former ECML (through Selby, now NCN 65) is crossed, south of York College. The road then crosses the River Ouse. The nine-mile £12 million dual carriageway York Bypass opened in April 1976. It passes under the B1222 and meets the A19 at the Fulford Interchange, near the headquarters of Persimmon plc, and is crossed by the Minster Way, then the Wilberforce Way.

York-Scarborough[link]

Seamer Bypass

It passes close to the University of York, near the busy A1079 Hull road/A166 junction in Dunnington. The University is now much closer to the bypass due to its new Heslington East campus, and the Grimston Bar Park and Ride is accessed from the same junction. At Murton it crosses the Derwent Valley Light Railway. The York bypass terminates at the Hopgrove Roundabout (named after the nearby Hopgrove pub) in Stockton-on-the-Forest with the A1036 (former route) and A1237 near Forest Park golf club. This roundabout has lengthy queues at peak time, and is scheduled to eventually become a grade separated junction. Going east in the direction of Scarborough, it passes the Highwayman cafe on the left, and the Vertigrow Garden Centre, close to where the former York to Beverley Line crossed. Next is the Four Alls Inn at Stockton-on-the-Forest, followed by The Tanglewood. At the turn-off for Sand Hutton is an agricultural research laboratory (Food and Environment Research Agency), where the road enters the district of Ryedale and re-enters North Yorkshire. It passes Claxton Hall and a right turn for Claxton, and left turn for Flaxton.

Park and Ride junction at Scarborough

At Harton there is the Malton Little Chef on the left, opposite the Gulf Coastways Service Station at Flaxton, just after a turn-off to the right for Harton. There is a dual carriageway section near Barton-le-Willows which includes Barton Hill, a steep section just before Whitwell-on-the-Hill, crossing the York to Scarborough Line. From here to Malton, the road follows the River Derwent (former boundary between the North and East ridings). It passes through Crambeck, where it is crossed by the Centenary Way and there is a right turn for High Hutton at Huttons Ambo. The road and avenue towards Castle Howard, including the arboretum, are here on the left. The five-mile £8.2 million dual carriageway Malton Bypass opened in December 1978. The former route is the B1257 and B1248. There is an intersection with the A169 (for Pickering, Whitby and the North York Moors) near Eden Camp Museum. The bypass crosses the River Derwent and the railway. It meets the former route at Scagglethorpe. Before Scagglethorpe village, the road has been improved to the north to reduce curvature. The single carriageway sections of this road are dangerous, and local people hope for a new dual carriageway. There are plans for a bypass of Rillington. In Rillington it passes The Fleece and the Coach and Horses. There is a left turn for Scampston. At West Knapton there is a left turn for the B1258. It passes through West Heslerton and East Heslerton, then passes the Snooty Fox. In Sherburn it passes the East Riding. Sherburn was formerly in the (historic) East Riding, being south of the Derwent. East of the village is the large Atlas Ward Structures factory.

At Ganton it passes the Greyhound. To the south, the road follows the northern edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. At Willerby, it meets the B1249 from the south. At neighbouring Staxton it meets the A1039 for Filey. On top of the hill to the south is RAF Staxton Wold, a radar station. A three-mile Staxton Diversion has been planned. The road passes the Hare and Hounds and the Shell Staxton and a mile northwards from the A1039 roundabout, it follows the district boundary with Scarborough, across the River Hertford. The two-mile £7 million single carriageway Seamer and Crossgates Bypass opened in February 1988. It leaves the former route (B1261) at a roundabout, following the railway to Scarborough. It crosses the Yorkshire Coast Line to Filey, next to Seamer Junction where both lines meet for Scarborough, and passes Seamer railway station. There is a roundabout for Eastfield and the B1261. There is the TOTAL Musham Bank Service Station on the left. Near Oliver's Mount, there is a right turn for the B1427. The route travels through the Edgehill and Falsgrave areas of the town, passing the derelict McCain Stadium and Seamer Road Retail Park. The A64 ends at the junction with the A165, outside Scarborough railway station and the Stephen Joseph Theatre

Junctions[link]

A64(M)[link]

Passing Leeds General Infirmary

A64(M) motorway
Route information
Length:	0.7 mi (1.1 km)
Existed:	1969 – present
Major junctions
From:	Quarry Hill, Leeds
To:	Brunswick
Location
Primary destinations:	Leeds
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways • A and B road zones

The A66(M), together with the A58(M), form a ring road around city centre of Leeds. It was built as an extension from the existing ring road, to relieve Leeds from severe traffic congestion. The motorway section of the ring road forms a semicircle around the north of the city centre. It is classified as a motorway to prohibit certain types of traffic and pedestrians but is not designed to modern motorway standards: it has no hard shoulders and many exits are unsuitable for a true motorway, including a right-side (fast lane) slip road exit. Most of it runs in a concrete-walled cutting, but it goes into a tunnel under the Leeds General Infirmary. The motorway cuts through inner-city neighbourhoods such as Woodhouse, Sheepscar, and Buslingthorpe, forming an important link in the road network by allowing traffic from the A65, A660, A58, A61 and A64 to bypass the city centre completely.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: A64 road

• Roman Roads in Britain (large map, recommended that this is opened in a separate window)
• SABRE
• Passing through Ryedale
• Tornado near the road in 2005.

v t e A roads in Zone 6 of the Great Britain road numbering scheme A6 A60 A61 A62 A63 A64 A65 A66 A67 A68 A69 A602 A605 A606 A607 A612 A614 A616 A625 A628 A630 A631 A632 A635 A636 A638 A640 A642 A643 A647 A657 A658 A660 A661 A666 A671 A678 A684 A685 A686 A688 A689 A690 A695 A696 A697 A6003 A6030 A6055 A6079 A6108 A6121 A6136 A6177 A6182 List of A roads in Zone 6 List of B roads in Zone 6

Coordinates: 54°02′02″N 0°57′30″W / 54.0339°N 0.9584°W / 54.0339; -0.9584

Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Background information
Birth name	Edward Christopher Sheeran
Born	(1991-02-17) 17 February 1991 (age 21)
Origin	Halifax, England
Genres	Folk, acoustic, hip hop, grime
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, producer, rapper, beatboxer
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, BOSS Loop Pedal RC-30
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Asylum, Atlantic Records
Associated acts	Yelawolf, Devlin, Wiley, Ghetts, P Money, Wretch 32, Sway DaSafo, Jamie Woon, Yasmin, Amy Wadge[1]
Website	edsheeran.com

Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter who is currently signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records.^[2] Sheeran broke through commercially in June 2011, when his debut single "The A Team" debuted at number 3 on the UK chart.^[3]

Life and career[link]

1991–2011: Early life and career beginnings[link]

Sheeran was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire to Irish^[4] and English^[5] parents, before moving to Framlingham, Suffolk; he is a cousin of TV journalist and presenter Gordon Burns.^[6] He learned guitar at a very young age, and began writing songs during his time at Thomas Mills High School in Framlingham.^[7] His early childhood memories, referred to in a interview on the Zane Lowe show, included listening to Van Morrison on his countless trips to London with his parents and going to an intimate gig with Damien Rice in Ireland when he was 11.^[8] He also opened for Nizlopi in Norwich in April 2008 after being one of their guitar technicians.^[7] Sheeran began recording in 2005, which led to the release of his first EP, The Orange Room EP. Sheeran also released 2 albums, a self-titled one in 2006 and Want Some? in 2007. He moved to London in 2008 to play gigs, starting off in very small venues, playing every day, to as little as five people. In 2008, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High.^[9]

In 2009, Sheeran played 312 gigs. He said that he read an interview with James Morrison that said that Morrison had done 200 gigs in a year, and Sheeran wanted to beat him on this number.^[10] Also in 2009, he released another EP, You Need Me, just before going on tour with Just Jack. He also did a few collaborations with Leddra Chapman, including Cee Lo Green's Fuck You. In February 2010 Sheeran posted a video through SB.TV, which led to mainstream rapper Example asking Sheeran to tour with him. Also in February 2010 he released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his later debut single "The A Team".

In April 2010, after leaving his old management company, Sheeran bought a ticket to Los Angeles, with no contacts other than one poetry night. He played open mic nights all over the city, before his talent was spotted at The Foxxhole by Jamie Foxx, who was so impressed that he offered Sheeran the use of his recording studio and the run of his Hollywood home for the rest of his stay. Throughout 2010, Sheeran began to be seen by more people over the internet through YouTube and his fan-base grew, with him also getting credit from The Independent newspaper, England football captain Rio Ferdinand and Elton John.^[11] Sheeran also self-released two other EPs in 2010; Ed Sheeran: Live at the Bedford and Songs I Wrote With Amy, which is a collection of love songs he wrote in Wales with fellow singer songwriter Amy Wadge.

Sheeran at Academy 1, Manchester Dot to Dot Festival on Monday 30 May 2011

On 8 January 2011, Sheeran released his final independent EP, No. 5 Collaborations Project featuring appearances by grime artists including Wiley, JME, Devlin, Sway and Ghetts.^[2] With this EP, Sheeran gained mainstream attention for reaching number 2 in the iTunes chart without any promotion or label, selling over 7,000 copies in its first week.^[12] Three months later, Sheeran put on a free show to fans at the Barfly in Camden. Over 1,000 fans turned up to see the show, so Sheeran ended up playing four different shows to make sure everyone saw a gig, including a gig outside on the street after the venue had closed. Later that month, Sheeran was signed to Asylum / Atlantic Records.

[edit] 2011–present: + and commercial success

On 26 April, Sheeran appeared on the TV music show Later... with Jools Holland – where he performed his debut single "The A Team". Six weeks later, "The A Team" was released as a digital download in the UK. The release served as the lead single from Sheeran's debut studio album, entitled +. "The A Team" entered the UK Singles Chart at number three, selling over 58,000 copies in the first week. It was congratulated on being the best selling debut single and the overall eight best selling single of 2011, shifting 801,000 copies.^[13] The lead single also became a top ten hit in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands. During a headline set in the BBC Introducing tent at Glastonbury Festival 2011, Sheeran announced that "You Need Me, I Don't Need You" would be released on 28 August as the second single from the album. The second single peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.^[14]

Sheeran's debut album + was released on 12 September 2011. + received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[15] + debuted number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 102,000 copies in its first week.^[16] It became the second best selling debut album and the ninth biggest-selling album of 2011 in the UK, shifting 791,000 copies.^[17] The album climbed back up to number one on the UK Albums Chart on 1 January 2012, fifteen weeks after it last peaked at the top. The album has been certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 900,000 units.^[18] As of March 2012, the album had sold 1,021,072 copies in the UK.^[19] The album also reached the top ten on the Australian Albums Chart, Flanders Belgian Albums Chart,^[20] Dutch Albums Chart,^[21] Irish Albums Chart,^[22] New Zealand Albums Chart^[23] and the Swiss Albums Chart.^[24]

On 11 November 2011, soul ballad "Lego House" was released as the third single lifted from the debut studio album +.^[25] It received its first radio play on BBC Radio 1 on 8 September 2011.^[26][27] It entered the UK Singles Chart at number five, on 17 November. "Lego House" also reached the top ten on Australian, Irish, Scottish, New Zealand Singles Charts, Flemish Ultratop 50 and the Wallonian Ultratip. "Drunk" was released on 19 February 2012 as the fourth single lifted from +.^[28] "Drunk" became the Sheeran's fourth consecutive top ten single in the UK, when it peaked at number nine.^[29] "Small Bump" is scheduled for a release in late May 2012 as the fifth single.^[30]

The song "Moments" on the debut album by boy band One Direction was co-written by Sheeran.^[31] On 21 February 2012, Sheeran attended the 2012 Brit Awards, he received the Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist, and British Breaktrough of the Year.^[32][33]

On 10 January 2012, it was announced Sheeran would support Snow Patrol on their United States tour from late March until May. On the band's Fallen Empires Tour.^[34]

His song "Give Me Love" was featured in the episode "Dangerous Liaisons" of The Vampire Diaries.^[35][36] At the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards in May 2012, Sheeran's "The A Team" beat Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" and Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Out", winning the award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.^[37]

Philanthropy[link]

Sheeran will perform a gig in Bristol, which has raised £40,000 for a charity that reaches out to street sex workers. Sheeran agreed to the event after one of the women One25 helps contacted him. "It's good to show insight that these people are real people with real emotions and they deserve the same charity work as anyone else," Sheeran said. "There's a lot more popular charities that get a lot of attention. And with certain subjects like this they're often washed over and people don't necessarily give them the attention they deserve." Tickets were available to those taking part in the charity's Give it up for One25 campaign by giving something up for 125 hours and hitting the £125 fundraising mark. Louise Willott, who organised the event at The Fleece, said of Sheeran: "He had volunteered in Crisis in London. which is a homeless shelter, and he had met a woman who told him her story. Her name was Angel. "He then went and did some more research about the issues and obviously he must have been moved and inspired to have written The A Team." Willott added: "The Fleece is quite a small venue - it only holds about 400, which makes it extra exciting as it's really intimate and Ed's not playing those size venues anymore. In total this has raised about £40,000 for the project. Its just going to give us such a boost. This is a difficult time for any charity. There's less money available and there's more competition for it, so to have one event raise £40,000 is just incredible."^[38]

Discography[link]

Album[link]

• + (2011)

Tour[link]

Opening act

• Fallen Empires Tour (North American select dates) (2012)

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] BRIT Awards

[edit] BT Digital Music Awards

[edit] Ivor Novello Awards

[edit] MOBO Awards

[edit] Q Awards

[edit] UK Music Video Awards

See also[link]

• List of Official Subscription Plays Chart number-one songs from the 2010s

References[link]

External links[link]

• Interview
• Official website
• Ed Sheeran on Myspace
• Ed Sheeran on Facebook
• Ed Sheeran on Twitter
• Ed Sheeran's channel on YouTube

Loick Mark Essien (born 29 April 1990) is an English singer signed to record label Sony Music. Essien began his musical career after featuring on rapper Chipmunk's single "Beast". He released his debut album, Identity, on 5 March 2012.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Loick is from Harrow, North West London, and went to school at Hatch End High School in Harrow. He studied vocals at The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. His mother is Nigerian

and his father is Ghanaian.[3]

Career[link]

Essien began his musical career in 2007 when he sang the chorus on Bashy's controversial track, "Black Boys". Essien was uncredited on the track, however. His next appearance was in 2008 when he appeared on rapper Chipmunk's debut single "Beast". The single, released on 8 October 2008,^[4] debuted at number 181 in the UK Singles Chart^[5] and later appeared on the album I Am Chipmunk. Essien also featured on artist Bashy's lead single from his upcoming second album, "When the Sky Falls". The single, which was released independently on 12 March 2010,^[6] debuted at number 114 in the United Kingdom. On 12 October 2010, Essien released his debut solo single "Love Drunk" in the United Kingdom through Sony Music, where it debuted at number 56 in the UK chart. It was then confirmed in February 2011 that Essien would release his debut album, entitled Identity later that year.^[7] The second single to be released from the album, entitled "Stuttering" was released on 6 February 2011 and featured rap group N-Dubz, although only Dappy and Fazer appeared in the single's accompanying music video. The single marked Essien's top 40 debut, when it charted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.^[8]

Essien released his third single "How We Roll" featuring singer Tanya Lacey on 3 July 2011. It entered at number two in the UK Singles Chart to become his biggest hit to date. It sold 52,010 copies in its first week. His fourth single from forthcoming album Identity called "Me Without You" was released on 6 November 2011 it debuted and peaked at number 14. On 3 October 2011, he appeared as a guest on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Later in 2012 Essien was dropped from Sony Music Entertainment.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

As featured artist[link]

Guest appearances[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2009)

David Swann B.MSc. M.D. MLA
David Swann, Leader of Alberta's Official Opposition
Leader of the Official Opposition in Alberta
In office December 15, 2008 – September 10, 2011
Preceded by	Kevin Taft
Succeeded by	Raj Sherman
Leader of the Alberta Liberal Party
In office December 13, 2008 – September 10, 2011
Preceded by	Kevin Taft
Succeeded by	Raj Sherman
MLA for Calgary Mountain View
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004 election
Preceded by	Mark Hlady
Personal details
Born	(1949-06-19) June 19, 1949 (age 63) Taber, Alberta[1]
Political party	Alberta Liberal Party
Spouse(s)	Laureen
Alma mater	University of Alberta University of Calgary
Profession	Medical doctor
Religion	United Church
Signature
Website	davidswann.ca

David Swann, MLA (born June 19, 1949)^[2] is a medical doctor and Alberta Liberal Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary Mountain View. He was the leader of the Alberta Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition in the Alberta Legislature from December 2008 until resigning as party leader in September 2011.

Family and early life[link]

Swann was born in Taber, Alberta, and was raised in a middle-class family on the edge of downtown Calgary. His father, Richard Swann, was head of oil and gas exploration for Canadian Fina for many years, before that company was sold to Petro-Canada. His mother Margaret was an active volunteer while raising him and his four siblings.

His summers as a child were spent enjoying the countryside and mountains of Alberta. As he grew up, he worked on farms, at gas plants and hospitals to finance his education.

Swann attended Western Canada High School before entering the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1967. While at the U of A, he was a member of the Golden Bears Basketball team that went to the national basketball finals in 1969. He is still a sports fan and considers himself an outdoorsman; Swann is a regular runner, biker, hiker and canoeist.^[3]

After graduating in Family Medicine in 1975, Swann worked in mission hospitals in South Africa for three years, where he met his future wife, Laureen Ross, also a doctor. There he discovered the deep connection between medicine and politics firsthand. He was deeply affected by the human rights abuses of apartheid, particularly the killing of Steve Biko, who lived near the mission where he worked.

Swann and his wife returned to Canada in 1979, were married and settled in Pincher Creek for seven years. This is where their three children were born, and where he participated in a private medical practice with four other physicians.^[4]

In 1984, he began specialty training in Public Health (Prevention) and, after graduating in 1989, co-ordinated a primary health care project for the University of Calgary in the Philippines. After returning to Canada, he joined the Alberta Association of Medical Health Officers, becoming their president in 2000 while serving as Medical Officer of Health for Palliser Health and Headwaters Health regions.

In 2002, the Alberta Society of Health Officers passed a resolution calling for real government action on climate change and reductions to air pollution. Swann supported this resolution, the government fired him from his position with Palliser Health within days. This led to widespread condemnation of the Alberta Environment Minister, Lorne Taylor, who had influenced Health Chairman Len Mitzel to terminate him.^[5]

Under intense public pressure, the Palliser Board was forced to offer Swann his job back. He declined, instead making humanitarian trips to Iraq, then returning to Alberta to run in the 2004 provincial election.^[6]

Political career[link]

Swann entered electoral politics as a candidate for the Alberta Liberals. He was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the Alberta general election on November 22, 2004. Along with Harry B. Chase, and Dave Taylor, Swann is part of a re-emergence of provincial Liberals in Calgary which had been completely held by the Progressive Conservatives. During his first term Swann was environment critic and also served as deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Resources and Environment and as a member of the Private Bills Committee and the Standing Committee on Health.^[7] Swann was re-elected in the March 3, 2008 election.

Swann won the 2008 Alberta Liberal leadership election on December 13, 2008, defeating Dave Taylor and Mo Elsalhy.^[8] On February 1, 2011, he announced his resignation as leader with effect after the spring session of the Legislative Assembly.^[9]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Swann

• Biography for Dr. David Swann on the website of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
• David Swann website
• David Swann on Alberta Liberal Party website

v t e Alberta Leaders of the Opposition Robertson Bennett Michener Hoadley Ramsey Boyle C. Mitchell Bowen Walker Speakman Mahaffy Walker Page Prowse MacEwan Maccagno Lougheed Strom Henderson Clark Speaker Notley Martin Decore G. Mitchell Sapers MacBeth Nicol Taft Swann Sherman Smith

Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941)^[1] was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). He was the designer of some of the most famous steam locomotives in Britain, including the LNER Class A1 and LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific engines. An A1, Flying Scotsman, was the first steam locomotive officially recorded over 100 mph in passenger service, and an A4, number 4468 Mallard, still holds the record for being the fastest steam locomotive in the world (126 mph).

Gresley's engines were considered elegant, both aesthetically and mechanically. His invention of a three-cylinder design with only two sets of Walschaerts valve gear, the Gresley conjugated valve gear, produced smooth running and power at lower cost than would have been achieved with a more conventional three sets of Walschaerts gear.

'Flying Scotsman

Biography[link]

Salisbury Hall, Gresley's home during the 1930s

Memorial plaque to Gresley's achievements displayed in the main hall of Edinburgh's Waverley railway station

Gresley was born in Edinburgh (due to his mother's ante-natal complications), but was raised in Netherseal, Derbyshire, a member of the cadet branch of a family long seated at Gresley, Derbyshire. After attending school in Sussex and at Marlborough College, Gresley served his apprenticeship at the Crewe works of the London and North Western Railway, afterwards becoming a pupil under John Aspinall at Horwich of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR). After several minor appointments with the L&YR he was made Outdoor Assistant in the Carriage and Wagon Department in 1901; in 1902 he was appointed Assistant Works Manager at Newton Heath depot, and Works Manager the following year.

This rapid rise in his career was maintained for, in 1904, he became Assistant Superintendent of the Carriage and Wagon Department of the L&YR. A year later, he moved to the Great Northern Railway (GNR) as Carriage and Wagon Superintendent. He succeeded Henry A. Ivatt as CME of the GNR on 1 October 1911. At the 1923 Grouping, he was appointed CME of the newly formed LNER (the post had originally been offered to the ageing John G. Robinson; Robinson declined and suggested the much younger Gresley). In 1936, Gresley was awarded an honorary DSc by Manchester University and a knighthood by King Edward VIII;^[2] also in that year he presided over the IMechE.

During the 1930s, Sir Nigel Gresley lived at Salisbury Hall, near St. Albans in Hertfordshire. In the moat, Gresley developed an interest in breeding wild birds and ducks, intriguingly amongst the species were Mallard ducks!^[3] The Hall still exists today as the home of the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre.

In 1936, Gresley designed the 1,500V DC locomotives for the proposed electrification of the Woodhead Line between Manchester and Sheffield. The Second World War forced the postponement of the project, which was completed in the early 1950s.

Gresley died after a short illness on 5 April 1941 and was buried in Netherseal, Derbyshire.

He was succeeded as the LNER CME by Edward Thompson.

A memorial plaque to Gresley's achievements was unveiled at Edinburgh Waverley railway station in 2001. It was created by the Gresley Society and incorporates line drawings of his "Flying Scotsman" and "Mallard" locomotives.

Innovations[link]

• Derived valve motion for 3-cylinder steam locomotives; Gresley Conjugated Valve Gear.
• The largest passenger steam locomotive in the UK, the P2 2-8-2.
• The largest steam locomotive in the UK, the U1 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt.
• The 'locomotive that won the war', the V2 2-6-2.
• The A3 'Flying Scotsman' 4-6-2.
• The fastest steam locomotive in the world, the A4 'Mallard' 4-6-2 (126.3 mph).
• Another A4, 'Silver Link', previously holding the world speed record for steam locomotives (112 mph)
• The experimental high-pressure LNER Class W1 'hush-hush' 4-6-4 locomotive
• Silver Jubilee train
• The articulated railway carriage, first used with some conversions of East Coast Joint Stock (ECJS) carriages in 1907, soon followed by conversions of GNR carriages; new articulated carriages being built for the GNR from 1911.^[4]

Locomotives designed by Gresley[link]

LNER Class A4 4488 Union of South Africa, a classic Gresley design, beautifully restored.

See: Locomotives of the London and North Eastern Railway

GNR[link]

• GNR 536 Class (LNER Class J6) 0-6-0 (1911)
• GNR Class K1 2-6-0 (1912)
• GNR Class J2 0-6-0 (1912)
• GNR Class O3 2-8-0 (1913)
• GNR Class H3 (LNER Class K2) 2-6-0 (1914)
• GNR Class J51 0-6-0T (1915)
• GNR Class H4 (LNER Class K3) 2-6-0 (1920)
• GNR Class N2 0-6-2T (1920)
• GNR Class O2 2-8-0 (1921)
• GNR Class J50 0-6-0T (1922)
• GNR Class A1 4-6-2 (1922)

LNER[link]

• LNER Class P1 2-8-2 (1925)
• LNER Class U1 Garratt 2-8-0+0-8-2 (1925)
• LNER Class J38 0-6-0 (1926)
• LNER Class J39 0-6-0 (1926)
• LNER Class A3 4-6-2 (1927)
• LNER Class D49 4-4-0 (1927)
• LNER Class B17 4-6-0 (1928)
• LNER Class V1 2-6-2T (1930)
• LNER Class P2 2-8-2 (1934)
• LNER Class A4 4-6-2 (1935)
• LNER Class V2 2-6-2 (1936)
• LNER Class W1 4-6-4 (1937)
• LNER Class K4 2-6-0 (1937)
• LNER Class V3 2-6-2T (1939)
• LNER Class V4 2-6-2 (1941)
• LNER No. 6701 Bo+Bo electric locomotive (1941)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Hughes, Geoffrey (2001). Sir Nigel Gresley: The Engineer and his Family. The Oakwood Library of Railway History. Usk: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-579-9. OL118. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley

• Comprehensive biography