The Shallows

In the early 1870s a night-time view over Britain would have revealed towns lit by the warm glow of gas and oil lamps and a much darker countryside, the only light emanating from the fiery sparks of late running steam trains. However, by the end of this same decade that Victorian Britons would experience a new brilliance in their streets, town halls, and other public places. Electricity had come to town. This book tells the story of how the discovery of electricity changed Britain forever.