| Re: UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by TaplowGreen at 21:09, 24th August 2026 |     |
For the record, I was born in Devon, of native UK parents (through several generations, on both sides) in 1959.
CfN.
CfN.
That makes two of us! (Although in my case 1970!)
| Re: UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:58, 24th August 2026 | |
For the record, I was born in Devon, of native UK parents (through several generations, on both sides) in 1959.
I don't think I have managed to change society. Well, not much, anyway.
CfN.
| Re: UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by TaplowGreen at 20:32, 24th August 2026 | |
Why's that matter?
I think the demographics are as of much interest as the headline numbers, to help understand how society has changed.
| Re: UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by ChrisB at 19:52, 24th August 2026 | |
Why's that matter?
| Re: UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by TaplowGreen at 19:35, 24th August 2026 | |
The BBC reported on 24th August 2006 that the UK population had exceeded 60 million - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5281360.stm . The report was from the Office Of National Statistics for the year ended 30th June 2005.
I have looked back - in 30 year increments
33,200,000 1876 (includes Ireland)
43,400,000 1906 (includes Ireland)
47,100,000 1936
54,600,000 1966 Railway modernisation as per the Beeching report
58,200,000 1996 Privatisation
70,000,000 2026 (guestimated as of 30th June)
At Sheffield Park on Saturday, I picked up an old timetable for British Rail's Western Region dated 1965, showing services on lines lost over following years. Some were - dire - in their frequency, not fast, and looking at the "diagrams" there were a lot of trains busy doing nothing for hours on end. I find myself wondering with a 28% increase in population since then, and modern environmental concerns at the inefficiency of modern cars for transporting people (not only fuel use, but congestion and the need for road and parking capacity) how different things might have been had the population been so much greater in those days.
I have looked back - in 30 year increments
33,200,000 1876 (includes Ireland)
43,400,000 1906 (includes Ireland)
47,100,000 1936
54,600,000 1966 Railway modernisation as per the Beeching report
58,200,000 1996 Privatisation
70,000,000 2026 (guestimated as of 30th June)
At Sheffield Park on Saturday, I picked up an old timetable for British Rail's Western Region dated 1965, showing services on lines lost over following years. Some were - dire - in their frequency, not fast, and looking at the "diagrams" there were a lot of trains busy doing nothing for hours on end. I find myself wondering with a 28% increase in population since then, and modern environmental concerns at the inefficiency of modern cars for transporting people (not only fuel use, but congestion and the need for road and parking capacity) how different things might have been had the population been so much greater in those days.
I wonder how many/what % of that number in 1966 were UK born, compared to today's figure.
| UK population exceeds 60 million - BBC report, 24th August 2006 Posted by grahame at 09:37, 24th August 2026 | |
The BBC reported on 24th August 2006 that the UK population had exceeded 60 million - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5281360.stm . The report was from the Office Of National Statistics for the year ended 30th June 2005.
I have looked back - in 30 year increments
33,200,000 1876 (includes Ireland)
43,400,000 1906 (includes Ireland)
47,100,000 1936
54,600,000 1966 Railway modernisation as per the Beeching report
58,200,000 1996 Privatisation
70,000,000 2026 (guestimated as of 30th June)
At Sheffield Park on Saturday, I picked up an old timetable for British Rail's Western Region dated 1965, showing services on lines lost over following years. Some were - dire - in their frequency, not fast, and looking at the "diagrams" there were a lot of trains busy doing nothing for hours on end. I find myself wondering with a 28% increase in population since then, and modern environmental concerns at the inefficiency of modern cars for transporting people (not only fuel use, but congestion and the need for road and parking capacity) how different things might have been had the population been so much greater in those days.
