Victor Canning: characters, themes and locations

Ankers (The Viaduct)

Seabright's ineffective predecessor. Dead from pneumonia.

Bere Halt (The Viaduct)

The station at which passengers for Caradon alight. There are several real plces in the area which include "Bere" in their names, but not Bere on its own.

Bramyard (The Viaduct)

Owner of the engineering firm for which Seabright works. His head office is in Holborn.

Caradon (The Viaduct)

Village where the viaduct is being built. Based on the real-life village of Calstock, where Victor Canning spent part of his childhood.

Holborn (The Viaduct)

Location of Bramyard's office where he interviews Seabright hen sending him to Caradon.

London, Chatham and Dover Line (The Viaduct)

John Seabright's previous engineering assignment.

Plymouth (The Viaduct)

The nearest city to Calstock. "In my father’s time it would have been hard to believe that Plymouth would be less than twelve hours’ journey from London one day" says an elderly traveller at the start of the book.

Pride o' Devon (The Viaduct)

Paddle steamer that runs a ferry service from Caradon to Plymouth once on each tide. A previous steamer with the same name had been burnt at talbot Quay.

Seabright,John (The Viaduct)

Hero of the novel. Chief engineer on the Caradon Viaduct.

Talbot Quay (The Viaduct)

On the river below Maddacleave House. Where the previous Pride o' Devon had been burnt.

Tamar (The Viaduct)

River which rises near the Bristol Channel and forms most of the boundary between Devon and Cornwall. The Caradon Viaduct is being built to span it. "For nearly twenty miles of its course from the sea, the Tamar is tidal and Caradon is the last of the tide-served villages."

Tavy Bridge (The Viaduct)

Seabright's train journey crosses this bridge.

Bearsted, Oliver (The Viaduct)

John Seabright's deputy

Harelip Tunnel (The Viaduct)

A previous engineering assignment for Seabright. "I was in Gloucester when Bramyards did the Harelip tunnel. You was there, guv’nor," says the workman who meets Seabright at the station.

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)

(The Viaduct)