Hockley Railway Viaduct

The Hockley Railway Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct to the south of Winchester in Hampshire, England.

History

The viaduct, originally called the Twyford Viaduct, was built in the 1880s by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR). It provided a link over the River Itchen and water meadows, from the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway (DNSR), to the LSWR's main line. The DNSR was originally intended to continue down the east side of the Itchen to Southampton, but had stalled at Winchester due to lack of funds. The viaduct crossed the valley to link the DNSR to the LSWR, which ran (and still runs) down the west side of the valley.

The viaduct was last used by the railway in the 1960s. It "fell" under the Beeching Axe, although almost all of it is still standing to this day, and parts of it may still be walked over.

Construction

The structure has 33 spans. Although it appears to be a brick structure, the viaduct in fact has a solid concrete core in its pillars, with the bricks simply performing an aesthetic function. The bricks came from the Blanchards Works at Bishop's Waltham. It was long suspected that the viaduct's structure contained concrete, but not until recent borings into the structure were made was it realised that the majority of the bridge was made of the material. This makes it amongst the earliest modern structures to have a solid concrete core.

Preservation

Unsuccessful attempts have been made to have the structure listed in order to attract National Lottery funding to assist in its preservation. The structure is of some historic interest due to its method of construction, and the importance of the route in the lead up to D-Day. It also provides a footpath and potential cycleway across the Itchen, and acts as a partial screen between the water meadows and the elevated M3 motorway at the foot of Twyford Down. In 2007 Winchester City Council announced a £500,000 rolling programme of repairs over 12 years.

External References

* [http://www.cityofwinchester.co.uk/history/html/viaduct.html Winchester City Council information about the viaduct]
* [http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/display.var.1700425.0.future_looks_bright_for_hockley_viaduct.php "Daily Echo" report 19th September 2007]