For drivers on the M25, they know they're between junction 16 and 17 in Buckinghamshire when they spot the seemingly random message "GIVE PEAS A CHANCE" on a motorway bridge. The majority of people who have seen this bridge know it as the “Give Peas A Chance” bridge, and is even listed as such on Google maps (
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Highway Code -
The Highway Code (rule 270) states that you must not stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do by the police, Highways Agency traffic officers in uniform, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals.
Inappropriate use of the hard shoulder is an offence under motorway traffic regulations and incurs up to a £100 fine and three penalty points."Constructed between 1902 and 1906, the Chalfont viaduct is of a standard design commonly seen on Great Western rail lines and is constructed of blue/black engineering brick with decorative brickwork including projecting brick imposts on the piers and parapet wall and bullnose brickwork defining the semi-elliptical archways. The brickwork has several areas of mortar repair and occasional loose or missing bricks but is generally of good condition.
The viaduct remains largely as constructed, despite the addition of the M25 motorway beneath its central arches in the mid 1980s. These works included the raising of the ground level for the carriageway and the re-routing of the River Misbourne through concrete culverts beneath ground level. A low brick retaining wall was added to the westernmost pier to provide stability for a farm track. Further concrete supports are used above the track to support the embankment.
Current works to expand the M25 at this point will include the replacement of the crash barriers and removal of the hard shoulder, thus allowing the motorway to have four lanes in each direction running beneath the viaduct. New crash barriers fixed to the base of the piers adjacent to the motorway will be narrower and provide the viaduct with protection.
The viaduct is one of many surviving viaducts of similar construction from this date, however it is unique in being the only brick built bridge on this stretch of the M25 and is a local landmark for road users.
The Chalfont Viaduct was constructed between 1902 and 1906 to carry part of the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway (London to High Wycombe) across undulating countryside. It is c.12.5 m high and has five arches through two of which the M25 now passes. At this point the road will go from having three lanes and a hard shoulder to four lanes with no hard shoulder and with narrower barriers around the viaduct piers. The viaduct is not listed but it is an impressive and attractive feature which dominates the landscape in this area and is no doubt very well known to the huge number of motorists who use this stretch of the M25 each day.
The Chalfont viaduct forms part of a 'cut off' extension of the Western and Great Central Joint Railway running from Northolt to High Wycombe which was constructed between 1902 and 1906. There are eight viaducts along this line varying in length from three arches to nine arches and there are mostly built to a similar design which forms house style of the Great Western Railway at this time. The viaducts were designed by the Great Western Railway's Chief Civil Engineer, James Inglis and Assistant Engineer RC Sykes. The Chalfont viaduct was constructed by Pauling & Co of Westminster.
The construction of the M25 motorway in c.1982 /85 meant various changes were made to the viaduct. The motorway at this point has three lanes clockwise going through one of the western arches and three lanes anti clockwise going through the central arch. The ground level was raised at this point and the river Misbourne directed through a concrete culvert which runs underneath the road surface. The Chalfont viaduct is unique as it is the only Edwardian brick bridge on the M25.
Graffiti -
As with most railway bridges the viaduct has occurrences of graffiti on both the south facing and north facing elevations and these are limited to the parapet walling where access could be obtained from the rail line. No graffiti could be seen at road level. The south facing elevation has large painted graffiti on the parapet wall over the three westernmost arches. This has been painted in two stages, the first being the the word '
PEAS' in stylised capitals. Later the word '
GIVE' has been added in front of the '
PEAS' and '
A CHANCE' has been added after. This later graffiti is less stylised although there is an attempt to match the style used on '
PEAS' and the paint used has weathered and run in places.
'
PEAS' is the tag of a London graffiti artist and his tag can been seen in many other locations, particularly on bridges. The additional text changing the graffiti to read '
GIVE PEAS A CHANCE' is thought to refer to his continual arrests. The common misinterpretation of the inscription makes bridge a interesting landmark to users of the M25.
The north facing elevation has less obvious graffiti with '
PEAS06' added in white paint on the parapet walling above the anti clockwise carriageway and to each side of this is the word '
FRET' repeated several times. A more stylised version of '
PEAS' appears on the parapet wall above the clockwise carriageway. All the graffiti is in white, probably spray, paint. No other visible forms of vandalism could be seen."
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