Building of the railway through Wolverton
The Trustees of the Radcliffe Trust, which owned the land in the Wolverton area through which the railway would pass were not against the idea of the railway. They met at the home of Sir Robert Peel to consider the Railway Company’s plans. They were not opposed to the idea of the railway, indeed they could see the advantage to their tenants of speedy transport of produce to London markets. They were however concerned about the increased risk of flooding that would come from the building of embankments to take the railway line over the river Ouse. Chief Engineer Robert Stephenson agreed that a fourth arch should be added to the viaduct to minimise flooding and they gave their assent in June 1832. Later this was further amended to 6 arches and the river was diverted to follow a straighter course. The London to Birmingham Railway Bill was debated in Parliament and the Act was passed on May 6th 1833.
It wasn’t until July 1835 that work began on building the line around Wolverton, including the viaduct. The Wolverton area had to deal with the experience of the navvies. Most of them were accommodated in shacks at Denbigh Hall (where the railway line ended at that time), but there were some wooden shacks at Wolverton and many tales of rowdy behaviour.
There were considerable problems building the embankment outside Wolverton. The soil was composed of sand, gravel and blue clay which stood very well; but when the navvies went deeper into the cutting they excavated some black soapy clay. The embankment kept slipping and to make matters worse, there was some alum shale in part of the embankment which contained sulphate of iron and this decomposed and spontaneous combustion took place, resulting in fifty feet of embankment on fire, sleepers and all. It took three years in all to complete this work.
The viaduct itself is 660 feet in length and rises 57 feet above the river and comprises 6 arches, each with a 60 feet span. It is now a Grade 2 listed structure.
There were considerable problems building the embankment outside Wolverton. The soil was composed of sand, gravel and blue clay which stood very well; but when the navvies went deeper into the cutting they excavated some black soapy clay. The embankment kept slipping and to make matters worse, there was some alum shale in part of the embankment which contained sulphate of iron and this decomposed and spontaneous combustion took place, resulting in fifty feet of embankment on fire, sleepers and all. It took three years in all to complete this work.
The viaduct itself is 660 feet in length and rises 57 feet above the river and comprises 6 arches, each with a 60 feet span. It is now a Grade 2 listed structure.