Henry Archer
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Henry Archer (1799 – 2 March 1863) was the son of an
Ffestiniog Railway
In railway circles, Archer is known mostly for the
The Ffestiniog slate industry should be grateful to Henry Archer for being in the right place at the right time. It was at the Penygroes Inn in 1829 that Archer met Samuel Holland Jnr., of Rhiwbryfdir slate mine at Blaenau Ffestiniog who was returning from Caernarfon where he banked with Williams and Co. He had travelled between Caernarfon and Penygroes as a passenger on the horse drawn Nantlle Tramway and had called at the Inn for a cup of tea before collecting his horse and riding home.
In conversation, Archer expressed an interest in the Nantlle Railway that was apparently quietly seeking a purchaser. Holland, it is said, suggested that Archer should leave Nantlle to its fate and turn his energies to building a proper railway from Ffestiniog to Porthmadog. A detailed discussion followed and Archer became involved with Holland in the promotion of the Ffestiniog Railway Company.
It was left to Archer as the Managing Director designate to raise the initial capital of £24,185 largely on the
Philately
Philatelists know Henry Archer as the inventor of the first postage stamp perforating machine, which he patented in 1848, to facilitate
Archer died at Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France on 2 March 1863.
References
- Boyd, J.I.C. (1960). The Festiniog Railway, volume 1. The Oakwood Press.
- Lewis, M.J.T. Lewis (1965). How Ffestiniog Got Its Railway. The Railway & Canal Historical Society.