A deteriorating Nineteenth Century railway bridge in Oxfordshire is to be restored to its former glory as part of a renovation project led by Highways England
Restoration of the railway bridge in Horspath, will ensure its continued use for local residents in the future, whilst preserving an important piece of British heritage.
The bridge was built in the mid-nineteenth century - during the reign of Queen Victoria - as part of the Princes Risborough to Oxford line and was in use until the 1960s when a decline in passengers led to a decommissioning of the line.
Recent surveys revealed a number of structural concerns, including the ongoing deterioration of the bridge parapets, or walls.
The damage worsened over time and the bridge continued to lean and fracture, which led the team to remove the parapets and close the bridge in February due to safety concerns.
With this work now complete, the Highways England Historic Railways Estate and Oxfordshire County Council have teamed up to plan a complete renovation of the bridge and restore the parapets using the original bricks that were taken down as part of the emergency work.
Matthew Irwin, Highways England Historical Railways Estate Civil Engineer, said:
Chairman of Horspath Parish Council Peter Dobson added:
Highways England maintains more than 3,000 structures for the Department for Transport and is working closely with Oxfordshire County Council on this renovation.
Paul Fermer, Oxfordshire County Council’s Assistant Director of Community Operations, said:
The project to restore the bridge has attracted huge interest from the residents of Horspath who volunteered the painstaking job of cleaning up and repairing the 3,000 old bricks which were removed under the supervision of fellow resident Spencer Timmo. Spencer has been working with the residents of Horspath over recent weeks to clean and repair the bricks. These will be re-used as part of the refurbishment.
Restoration work on the bridge will include removing any vegetation and root access that is causing damage, as well as work on the bridge itself, including repairs to the joints, arches and arch rings. Work is expected to start later this year.
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