Saturday 4 August 2012

Underneath the Arches....

This week's Saturday Snapshot hasn't moved far from Tamworth Station, because on this day (August 4) in 1839, railway pioneer George Stephenson drove one of his engines across the newly constructed 19 Arches spanning the Anker Valley at Tamworth. Behind the engine (which was named after the town) were six carriages packed local VIPs and directors of the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway Company. They had left Curzon Street, in Birmingham, earlier in the day, en route for Derby, where they enjoyed a celebratory lunch at a hotel before setting off on their return journey.
But it's the Arches which fascinate me. When I was working I drove through one of them as I went backwards and forwards to the office, and each time I walk into town, or down to the station, I reach out to touch the stonework, and wonder anew at the skills of those Victorian engineers. At the time the railway viaduct, started by Stephenson, but completed by his son Robert, was one of the marvels of the age, enabling the new-fangled trains to cross the river and its low-lying flood plain.
It's 45-feet high (which is, I am reliably informed, around 7 metres), built of huge slabs of rustic-looking rock (though these may be facings on brickwork) and it runs across the landscape for 417 feet (that's more than 200 metres), crossing two busy roads, a park, the River Anker, and an area of open land. One arch is slightly lower and wider than the others, and two have small walls which once formed part of gateways.
It's a Grade Two Listed structure which, hopefully, means it is protected, but that protection doesn't seem to extend as far as keeping it clean and tidy, and some parts look sadly neglected, with weeds and bushes sprouting from the parapet (actually, I think this top bit may be called a cornice, but I'm not very familiar with architectural terms). One year a small tree flourished above an arch, until it was removed following complaints from residents.
The trains still run across the Arches (more correctly known as the Bolehall or Bolebridge Viaduct, but no-one ever calls them this) on their way from Birmingham to Derby on the West Coast Main Line, stopping at the upper level at Tamworth Station. But two major rail lines cross at Tamworth, so there's a lower level providing a stopping place for trains on the Cross Country Line travelling between York and Bristol.
This second route, originally the Trent Valley Line, was started by a new company whose chairman was Edmund Peel, brother of Sir Robert Peel (he and his family keep popping up in Tamworth's history) but they were taken over by the London and North Western Railway long before work finished. That, in turn, merged with other rail companies (including the Derby Junction) to form the Midland Railway in 1844, and it was three years later that the Trent Valley Line opened, along with Tamworth's first station (a gorgeous Victorian Gothic affair) which was demolished in 1961 and replaced by the very nasty concrete block which is still there today, and doesn't deserve to have its photo taken.


For more Saturday Snapshots see  Alice's blog at http://athomewithbooks.net/


Sources: Tamworth, Past and Present, by John Harper; Tamworth, A History, by Richard Stone.

36 comments:

  1. Trainspotting, history and scenery - the ideal Saturday Snapshot.

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    1. Thank you! I was surprised how beautiful it looked in the photos - I'm sure it's much more urban in real life!

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  2. That place looks so beautiful, lovely snaps!

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  3. I wonder if we are building anything today that people will be amazed at in a hundred years time. These arches are practical and beautiful. How great to see them and touch them and to remember their history. Here's Mine

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    1. Perhaps by then people will think all those glass and concrete buildings are beautiful, but I doubt it somehow.

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    1. Thank you Diane. It was a lovely hot sunny day (one of the few we've had this year) which always helps!

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  5. It looks so pretty. I love those old stone bridges and tunnels.

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    1. I think most people in the town like it - it's quite a landmark.

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  6. That looks a very interesting area.

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    1. I only photograph the pretty areas of Tamworth - one day I'll most up some pictures of the flats, and the Snowdome, and the grotty bits of the town centre, just to show the contrast.

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  7. I am always impressed by interesting and old architecture...stone and arches are beautiful to gaze at...thanks for sharing.

    Here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

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    1. The Victorians were such great engineers - I always think they were a bit like the Romans - they knew where they anted to go, and just charged ahead and did it, no matter how difficult the landscaper was.

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  8. Beautiful pictures! The stonework is so pretty. (As an aside, BVI House in London is close to Sir Robert Peel's former home on Upper Grosvenor St.. BVI House is our diplomatic outpost - since we're a colony we can't have an ambassador but we have a representative.)

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    1. I didn't know that. Next time I go go to London I'll take a look.

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  9. What a great structure. I learned all kinds of things from your post -- thanks!

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  10. It's amazing to think about the way the country changed during that Industrial Age, isn't it? When the trains went through, life became so much faster and the classes changed dramatically for society!

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  11. Lovely history lesson, thank you! And I love the last line, and such a pity about the demo.
    Come see my snapshot for today.

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  12. Lovely photos. I can certainly see why you find the Arches so fascinating!

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  13. I'm amazed when I see something that has survived that long!

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  14. The arches are very pretty, even with the greenery growing out of them, but I can see why people would want to make sure they weren't being taken over by plants.

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  15. Such beautiful stones! Great architectural images!
    Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate

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  16. Love your post title, wonder how many readers know the song??
    Just picked my niece up from the airport in Toronto from Birmingham where she just spent the last 3 years.

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  17. Hopefully those will continue to be protected because no one is building bridges like that anymore.

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  18. The arch is definitely one of the world's great inventions. In this case it helped the Victorians; but I think the first arches were created by Romans in ancient times, allowing their cities to have water piped to them, and in some cases indoor plumbing. Crazy to think how things as simple as arches and wheels could have such a lasting impact on us all.

    Here's my Saturday Snapshot. Happy weekend!

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  19. I LOVE the stone work too. And I don't mind the greenery sprouting out from where it shouldn't be sprouting out from.
    You've made me want to visit.

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  20. Those are beautiful old arches--and I love that last shot with the river!

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  21. Would the tree growing there endanger the structure with its roots? Such interesting photos and history.

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  22. How great! I enjoy learning more by visiting these posts AND look at the great pictures. :)

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  23. Thanks for sharing some beautiful photos and, as always, in-depth historical accounts that are interesting and informative. Love to visit Tamworth one day. I love arches. You've captured their character very well.

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  24. I love bridges and arches too! I like the play of light in your pictures!

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  25. I am fascinated by the use structures, like the arches, used as a way to "frame" a photo.

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  26. It's easy to overlook the history and beauty of our urban surroundings. Great photos!

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  27. What beautiful photos and thanks for sharing a bit of their history.

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