Joseph Sandars facts for kids

Joseph Sandars (1785-1860) was a wealthy corn merchant from Liverpool, UK. He played a big part in starting the amazing Liverpool & Manchester Railway. This railway opened in 1830 and was a huge step forward for transport.

Joseph Sandars' Early Life

Joseph Sandars was born in 1785. His father, also named Joseph, was a corn merchant. The family moved from Mackworth to Derby. Joseph had two siblings, twins Samuel and Elizabeth. Later in his life, Joseph Sandars lived at Taplow House in Buckinghamshire.

Moving to Liverpool and Business Success

When he was 20, Joseph Sandars moved to Liverpool. He continued his father's business as a corn merchant. He worked with partners, first as Sandars & Blain. Later, from 1826, his company was called Sandars & Claxton. By 1860, it was Sandars & Smith.

Joseph was a very successful businessman. He was involved in many important groups in Liverpool. These included the Corn Exchange committee and the Lyceum newsroom committee. His company kept detailed records of wheat harvests. He even shared this information with government committees. This helped them understand crop yields and their economic impact.

Sandars was a Quaker, a member of a Christian group. He also had political ideas similar to the Whig party. Like many merchants in Liverpool, he was active in choosing the city's two Members of Parliament. He also helped buy 37 artworks in 1819. These paintings became a key part of the Walker Art Gallery collection.

Starting the Liverpool & Manchester Railway

As a merchant, Joseph Sandars was unhappy with how slow and expensive it was to move goods. Transport between the port of Liverpool and the big industrial city of Manchester mostly relied on canals and roads.

Sandars met with an engineer named William James. James was a strong supporter of railways. Sandars became convinced that a railway should connect Liverpool and Manchester. James was hired to survey the route. However, he didn't finish his reports on time. So, in 1824, George Stephenson took over as the engineer.

Sandars was very important in getting the railway project started. He helped create the plan for the railway. He also put together the committee that would guide the necessary laws through parliament. From 1824, he served as one of four deputy chairmen. He became a director in 1826. On the railway's opening day, 15 September 1830, Sandars was the director in charge of the locomotive called Dart.

Continued Involvement in Railways

Joseph Sandars stayed interested in railways and how they could be used. He continued as a director when the Liverpool & Manchester Railway joined with the Grand Junction Railway in 1845. Later, he served on committees for the London & North Western Railway after another merger in 1846.

While still active in Liverpool, he also worked with George Stephenson on mining and industrial projects elsewhere. These included projects in Snibston in Leicestershire and Clay Cross in Derbyshire.

Joseph Sandars' Portrait

There was a painting of Sandars by Spiridione Gambardella. It showed him with George Stephenson and Charles Sylvester. Sadly, the original painting was destroyed during World War 2 bombings in Liverpool. Only black and white photos of it remain today.

Family and Later Life

While in Liverpool, Joseph Sandars lived in Pembroke Place. On June 22, 1812, he married Anna McKenzie Richards. His later years are not as well known. He had a son, also named Joseph Sandars, who became a Member of Parliament.

Joseph Sandars also had two daughters, Eliza Rose and Anna-Louisa. Eliza Rose married Thomas Clement Sneyd-Kynnersley in 1834. Anna-Louisa married Rev. Clement Francis Broughton in 1843. At the time of Anna-Louisa's marriage, Sandars lived at Johnstone Hall in Staffordshire.

In 1851, Sandars moved to Taplow House in Taplow, Buckinghamshire. This house is now a hotel. Newspaper reports show he attended the funeral of Robert Stephenson in 1859. Joseph Sandars himself passed away in London on October 4, 1860. He was buried in Taplow.