Music, history and storytelling came together for an unforgettable evening at Liverpool’s Tung Auditorium, celebrating 200 years since work began on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
On Friday 18 September 2026, a packed auditorium welcomed Heswall Concert Band for The Dawn of the Railway, a special concert marking the beginning of one of the most remarkable chapters in railway history.
The highlight of the evening was the world premiere of Dawn of the Iron Road 1826, a powerful new composition by young Liverpool composer and University of Liverpool graduate Matthew Holroyd.
Performed by Heswall Concert Band under the musical direction of Greg Williams, the new work brought the pioneering spirit of the early railway vividly to life through music. The audience’s response was extraordinary, culminating in a standing ovation, a fitting tribute to the composer and musicians who had created something truly special.
The evening was about much more than music. Broadcaster Roger Phillips guided audiences through a programme combining historical insights from railway historian Dr David Gwyn OBE, poetry from Alison Schultz and stirring musical performances, including The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith and Extraordinary Machines of Clockwork and Steam by Scott Watson.
Together, they created an imaginative journey back to 1826, when construction began on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, a pioneering undertaking that would transform how people, goods and ideas moved across the world.
The location itself was particularly significant. The Tung Auditorium stands just a short distance from Crown Street, where construction of the railway began two centuries ago.
