Monument record 442/2 - Blisworth Hill Tramway

Tramway over Bilsworth Hill, built 1800-1 to carry freight from the Grand Junction Canal, until a tunnel for the canal was completed in 1805. The line is traceable as a series of embankments and cuttings.

{1} Built 1800-1801 to carry freight of Grand Junction Canal over hill during construction of Blisworth Tunnel. Construction of the tunnel started in 1793 but work was held up by both flooding and contractors. An alternative road scheme fell through and in March 1799 it was decided to build a tramway. This was completed in 1801 and continued in use until February 1805 when the tunnel was finally completed. The tramway was then abandoned and its track re-used on the Northampton Tramway at Rothersthorpe. The rails used were L-shaped in section and fixed to stone sleepers. The gauge of the track was probably 4ft 2ins [more details of track and wagons is given]. The south end of the tramway lay south-east of Stoke Bruerne and on the east side of the canal where the Northampton to Stony Stratford road crosses it. No trace survives for the southernmost 1200m but it probably ran north-west alongside the existing towpath. Athough no record survives it seems likely that north end of tramway was later used to carry stone from Blisworth quarries to the canal wharves. Above the Blisworth entrance into the tunnel a secondary cutting runs south and east, and then eastwards possibly in the direction of the stone quarries. A cast iron chair to take rail of conventional type also suggests the later track had at some time replaced that of 1800-1805.

{4} The Blisworth Hill Railway connected the canal at the bottom lock, Stoke Bruerne, with the canal at Blisworth from 1800 until 1805 when the Blisworth Tunnel was completed. On the west side of the canal the route can be distinguished by a path between property boundaries and the edge of the canal and in the fields by a level width of ground with a fairly constant gradient up the hill, cutting across the natural contours of the land. In the field above the north entrance to the tunnel (SP 729528) is an embankment for the tramroad.

{8} A metal detector survey did not find any remains of the former plateway. The earthwork survey identified a low bank and ditch which survived intermittently on the SW side of the track. At the S end of the survey area a further probable small ditch was observed on the NE side of the causeway. At the northern end of the survey a series of seemingly later irregular mounds run across the bed of the plateway obscuring the orginal profile. The plateway was slightly inclined rising from a height of about 90.0m OD close to the towpath at its S end. To 110.0m OD high above the entrance to Blisworth Tunnel. In each of the three trenches the tackbed of the plateway survived , no sleeper blocks or rails were found. In trench 3 roughly rectangular clay areas were noted possibly indicating their former position. The bed comprised of medium sizsed limestone and broken bricks compacted to form a hard surface. At each side of Trench 2 ran a small gully. Preservation of the trackbed was better towards the N indicating the more accessible S end may have been used as a source of hardcore.

{9} At point where canal enters cutting leading to southern entrance of Blisworth Tunnel line of tramway is visible as a ledge or terrace c.4-5m wide and climbing the hillside parallel to cutting. The terrace continues beyond the tunnel entrance until it meets the lane running southwards from the Blisworth to Stoke Bruerne Road. For the next 300m the lane takes the original line of the tramway as it ascends the steep south side of the hill and no trace of tramway is visible at this point. The lane then swings north-west and in a small triangular copse the tramway is again visible as a 5m wide terrace. Beyond the copse towards the top of the hill the only trace of the tramway is line of stones c.5-6m wide which runs across the arable field. Entering Blisworth parish the tramway appears as broad stony ridge 10m wide x 0.25m high which crosses a green lane. This ridge continues north-west for 350m through a pasture field and across ridge and furrow. It then continues a further 140m until reaching the Blisworth to Stoke Bruerne Road. Here the remains have been ploughed but survive as low embankment and shallow cutting 15m wide. North-west of the road it continues for the next 230m as a low embankment 0.25m high x 12m wide. The tramway starts descent of the hill in the form of a shallow cutting of 200m length and crossing the ridge and furrow. At Blisworth Hill Farm the tramway turns northwards and for 500m its remains survive only as a ploughed-out cutting 20m wide x 1.5m deep. South-west of Tunnel Hill Farm the alignment again turns north-west and is visible for 230m as a broad cutting beyond which a massive embankment over 3m high and 70m long crosses a small valley; the incline to the north is traced as a cutting or terrace which eventually reaches the level of the canal just south of Blisworth village. It then continued along the embankment on the west side of the canal until reaching the wharves. The 1969 excavation of a section of tramway at SP736513 revealed four rows of stone sleeper blocks; two blocks were used for each track.

<1> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.17-18 site 6 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<2> FAULKNER A.H., 1972, The Grand Junction Canal, p.42-60 (unchecked) (Book). SNN55309.

<3> 1963, Northamptonshire Archaeology, 14-26 (unchecked) (Series). SNN60853.

<4> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2001, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage Of Northamptonshire, p.12 (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN104759.

<5> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2011, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage of Northamptonshire (2nd Edition), p.15 (checked) (Gazetteer). SNN107622.

<6> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 1996-2013, Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Newsletter, Issue 112 p.14 (unchecked) (Newsletter). SNN55360.

<7> Blisworth Heritage Society, 2005, A Grand Exhibition of Blisworth Images, (checked) (Website). SNN107535.

<8> Zeepvat B.; Wilson N., 2001, An Archaeological Survey & Evaluation on The Stoke Bruerne to Blisworth Plateway, Northamptonshire, Section 5 (Report). SNN102492.

<9> Starmer G.H.; O'Rourke R.; Martin D.; Steadman et al., 1970, Industrial Archaeology: Current Work of the Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, p.30 (unchecked) (Article). SNN55717.

<10> Starmer G., 2001, Visits To Work On Course Of Blisworth Hill Railway South Of Blisworth Tunnel, (unchecked) (Notes). SNN101405.

<11> Northamptonshire Antiquarian Society, 1962, The Northamptonshire Antiquarian Society reports and papers, p. 14-26 (Minutes). SNN63626.

<12> Royal Air Force, Vertical Aerial Photography, A/P (RAF VAP CPE/UK/1926, 1029-30, 1242-3, 3029-1) (Photographs). SNN104890.

<13> Brown, A.E. (Ed.), 1970, Archaeology in Northamptonshire 1969 (Industrial Archaeology), p. 30 (Article). SNN30724.

<14> Cadman, G, 2001, Stoke Bruerne Plateway Evaluation (Photographic prints (COL)). SNN115124.

Record last edited

Feb 10 2025 8:20PM