LAST - Wooden Trestle Railway Viaduct within England - Superlatives on Waymarking.com

This was a two-track width wooden trestle railway bridge built on the Witham and Maldon Railway in 1845/7 to cross the River Blackwater and an adjacent mill stream. The whole line was reduced to single track working in the 1860s and this bridge too was reduced in width. It is still an impressive sight over 170 years after first being built.

At the bridge is an information board with details of the bridge and the railway it carried. The following is a transcription of the wording on the sign board.

WICKAM BISHOPS
TRESTLE VIADUCT
SCHEDULED ANCIENT MONUMENT

The Timber Trestle Viaduct

The viaduct was acquired by Essex County Council in 1993 and was restored in conjunction with English Heritage in 1995 with lottery funding.
Here you can see one of the 2 sections of the wooden railway viaduct.
This section crosses the mill stream that once served the mill with its huge water wheel. The mill was demolished in 1977.
This part of the viaduct comprises 10 trestles approximately 36 meters in length overall. It is linked by an earth embankment to the other section of the viaduct which cross the River Blackwater and comprises 11 trestles, some 50 meters in length. This second, southern span is on private land but can be viewed from the information board further along the path towards Station Road.

The Witham to Maldon Train Line

The 7 mile branch line from Witham to Maldon East was built between 1845 and 1847 to enable local merchants to link the agricultural region of Mid Essex with London markets and because, at that time, there was the expectation that Maldon would develop into a major port.
Initially the line was double tracked and had stations at Wickham Bishops, Langford and Ulting before its Terminus at Maldon East. However, it didn't remain double tracked for long as in the mid 1850's the line was turned into a single track. The viaduct at Wickham Bishops was then reduced in width and cut into two to provide an embankment between the River Blackwater and the mill stream.
The railway line was operational from 1848 until 1964 with up to 7 trains a day by the first World War, rising to 10 a day by the late 1950's. The line carried passengers and local produce including peas and fruit and preserves from the local orchards as well as flour from the mill. Trains also brought in goods, such as coal, salt, fertiliser and slate.

Construction of the Trestle Viaduct

The two parts of this wooden viaduct are of national importance as they are the last surviving examples of this type of structure within England.
Wood was often used in Victorian times by the railway companies as it was cheap and quick to assemble, although it was less durable than brick or stone. Brunel for example constructed a number of timber trestle viaducts in Devon and Cornwall although none of these now survive.
Softwood was made into the trestles for these viaducts and held together by iron straps and bolts. Each trestle comprised four piles with a split sill and a single cap and sway braces framed to them. These supported horizontal beams or stringers on which sleepers were laid. The inner two sleepers resting directly on the trestle caps and the outer two resting on corbels.
There were originally two wooden viaducts on the Witham to Maldon East line, raising the track above rivers and land liable to flooding. One here at Wickham Bishops and another in Witham, which no longer survives. It is believed that both viaducts were designed by Thomas Jackson, the railway lines engineering contractor.
The fact that this cheap and quick to assemble wooden structure is still standing and was in use for 120 years, bears witness to its sound construction.

The End of the Line

Passenger traffic on this line was never great and the expected development of the Maldon Docks never happened.
The line, running at a loss, was finally closed to passenger traffic in 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts and two years later goods traffic ceased. Parts of the line were sold off. Today just a small part of the line remains which forms part of the lovely Blackwater Rail Trail walk that is managed by the Essex County Council Country Parks service.
Witham still has a thriving railway station but the station building for Maldon East, a Grade 2 listed structure, is currently used as offices and Wickham Bishops station is now a private house.

Type of documentation of superlative status: It's on the sign board Location of coordinates: A viewing point on the mill race below the bridge Web Site: Not listed

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