Monument record 7357/1/2 - Railway embankment and bridge over Wootton Road

{1} Two revetted embankments which bridged the railway over Wootton Road were archaeologically recorded as they were removed to provide access to a windfarm development.
Bridge abutments comprise two surviving sides of a railway bridge spanning Wootton Road. The abutments act as retaining terminals for two embankments which are aligned NE-SW. The bridge arch would have measured 6.1m span and 4.88m height.
The embankments were flat topped with 45 degree angled sides. In order to comopensate for the natural topography the embankment is shorter on the north east side. The north eastern embankment measured c.155m in length, 5.5m in width at the top. 13m in width at the base and 4.7m in maximum height. The south western embankment measured 315m in length, 5.5m/13m in width and 4.7m in maximum height.
Both embankments were revetted at the road crossing with brick walls with flanking, angled side walls for stability. Red bricks topped by blue engineering bricks were used, with a build style of English garden wall bond, comprising alternate header and stretcher courses. The flanking walls angled downwards and terminated with a rectangular pillar 0.94m square and 1.08m hgih.
Both embankments were raised using redeposited material, uncoursed limestone rubble with a plave silty clay matrix. No evidence was recovered to suggest the engineering methodology used for their raising, but a likely method would have been to thoroughly drain the land first, and then use a combination of end-tipping and side-tippping. It may be assumed that material used was excavated from a cutting somewhere else on the line, and transported along the railway in wagons where it was tipped over the edge.

<1> Raybould, O., 2014, M1 Wind Farm, Roade: Railway Embankment Removal Archaeological Watching Brief Report, (checked) (Report). SNN109427.

<2> Evelyn, H., 1971, The Making of a Railway, (unchecked) (Book). SNN109438.

Record last edited

Apr 2 2014 4:34PM