Sir Edward Watkin | |
|---|---|
 Watkin by Augustus Henry Fox now in the National Railway Museum | |
| Born | 26 September 1819 |
| Died | 13 April 1901 (aged 81) |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Mary Briggs Mellor (d.1888); (2) Ann Ingram |
| Children | 2: Alfred Mellor Watkin (son) |
| Relatives | William Thompson Watkin (cousin) |
Sir Edward William Watkin, 1st Baronet (26 September 1819 – 13 April 1901) was a British Member of Parliament and railway entrepreneur. He was an ambitious visionary, and presided over large-scale railway engineering projects to fulfil his business aspirations, eventually rising to become chairman of nine different British railway companies.
Among his more notable projects were: his expansion of the Metropolitan Railway, part of today's London Underground; the construction of the Great Central Main Line, a purpose-built high-speed railway line; the creation of a pleasure garden with a partially constructed iron tower at Wembley; and a failed attempt to dig a Channel Tunnel under the English Channel to connect his railway empire to the French rail network.