| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
 | |
| Location | Northamptonshire |
|---|---|
| Grid reference | SP 749 525 [1] |
| Interest | Geological |
| Area | 15.2 hectares [1] |
| Notification | 1986 [1] |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Roade Cutting, also known as Blisworth Cutting, is a railway earthwork and 15.2-hectare (38-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest along the West Coast Main Line north from Roade in Northamptonshire, England. [1] [2] It is a Geological Conservation Review site. [3]
The cutting exposes rocks dating to the Middle Jurassic Bathonian stage, between 168.3 and 167.1 million years ago. It is described by Natural England as important for reconstructing the environment of deposition during the period, and correlating the White Limestone Formation in Oxfordshire and the East Midlands. [4]
The cutting is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) long and a maximum 65 feet (20 metres) deep. The ground proved to be an unstable combination of limestone, clay, and shale and the construction work suffered problems with water ingress. Large brick retaining walls were required to stabilise the cutting sides. The cutting is crossed by four tall brick bridges and an aqueduct, which was built to carry a small stream. [5] [6] The overbridges have all been rebuilt but the aqueduct, in cast iron and supported on stone piers, is original and is now a Grade II listed building. [7]
Contracts for construction were let in 1834 and the line through the cutting opened in 1838 as part of the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR). It was designed by Robert Stephenson, the L&BR's chief engineer. Stephenson was determined to keep the ruling gradient on the line to 1:330, which necessitated major engineering works where the route encountered landscape features, including a previous cutting at Tring and a series of bridges and viaducts of which the largest, Wolverton Viaduct, is just south of Roade. Roade Cutting, sometimes known as Blisworth Cutting, was required to navigate the railway through a patch of high ground called Blisworth Hill. [6]
The contractor for Roade was responsible for the section of line from just north of Wolverton Viaduct in the south to Blisworth in the north. The contractor underestimated the scale of the work and went bankrupt 18 months into the construction work, as happened with several of the contracts on the line. The railway company was forced to take the work in-house under Stephenson's supervision. Digging the cutting required the removal of 27 million cubic feet (765,000 cubic metres) of material, some of which was re-used on embankments elsewhere. The eventual cost of the project was over three times the figure for which the contract was let, largely due to the ground conditions, which had not been anticipated. Much of the rock was excavated by blasting—over 3,000 barrels of gunpowder were used—but the removal of the water required the installation of two steam pumps. [8]
The railway initially bypassed Northampton, despite it being a large town, partly because reaching its location on the River Nene would require a steeper gradient than 1:330; Stephenson instead chose to take the line through Roade and Blisworth to Weedon Bec (via Stowe Hill Tunnel and Weedon Viaduct) and cross the Nene there. [9] The cutting was originally double-tracked but was widened on its east side from 1881 to 1882 when the line was quadruple-tracked. The second pair of tracks diverges at the northern end of the cutting to serve Northampton via the Northampton loop line. This pair of lines is deeper than the original and another retaining wall was built between the two sets of tracks and an inverted arch was constructed underneath the deeper part of the cutting for additional stability. Ten years later, overhead iron girders were added to stabilise the retaining walls after a series of landslips. [5] [6]
The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR).
William Jessop was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford, thus shortening the journey.
Weedon Bec, usually just Weedon, is a village and parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is close to the source of the River Nene. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,706.
Wolverton railway station serves Wolverton, a constituent town of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The station is on the West Coast Main Line, about 52 miles (84 km) from Euston, between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton. The station is one of the seven stations serving the Milton Keynes urban area.
The Northampton loop is a railway line serving the town of Northampton. It is a branch of the West Coast Main Line, deviating from the faster direct main line which runs to the west. The WCML is a four track line up to either end of the Loop: the 'up' and 'down' fast tracks take the direct route while the 'up' and 'down' slow tracks are diverted via Northampton railway station. Generally, fast express trains run via the direct line, while freight and slower passenger services run via the loop line.
Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment. The Grand Union Canal passes through the village and the north portal of the Blisworth tunnel is near Stoke Road.
Roade is a village in Northamptonshire, England. Currently in West Northamptonshire, before local government changes in 2021 it was represented by South Northamptonshire District Council, falling within the two-member Blisworth and Roade ward.
The Northampton and Peterborough Railway was an early railway promoted by the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to run from a junction at Blisworth on the L&BR main line to Northampton and Peterborough, in England. The construction of the line was authorised by Parliament in 1843 and the 47 mile line opened in 1845. The line largely followed the river Nene, and for the economy of construction, it had many level crossings with intersecting roads, rather than bridges. In 1846 the L&BR joined with other companies, together forming the London and North Western Railway (LNWR).
Roade was a railway station serving the Northamptonshire village of the same name on the West Coast Main Line. Roade Station opened in 1838 as the principal station for Northampton, but its importance diminished upon the opening of the Northampton and Peterborough Railway in 1845. The construction of the Northampton Loop Line in 1875 made Roade a junction station, and it survived until 1964.
Stowe Hill Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the West Coast Main Line just south of the village of Weedon, Northamptonshire, England.
Thrapston Station Quarry is a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Thrapston in Northamptonshire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. It was formerly called the Thrapston Midland Railway Station Quarry.
Blisworth Rectory Farm Quarry is a 1.0-hectare (2.5-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Blisworth in Northamptonshire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.
Finedon Top Lodge Quarry, also known as Finedon Gullet is a 0.9-hectare (2.2-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site revealing a sequence of middle Jurassic limestones, sandstones and ironstones, and is the type section for a sequence of sedimentary rocks known as the 'Wellingborough Member'. It was created by quarrying for the underlying ironstone for use at Wellingborough and Corby Steelworks; the ore was transported by the 1,000 mm gauge Wellingborough Tramway.
Brandon Viaduct is a railway viaduct crossing the River Avon between the villages of Brandon and Wolston in Warwickshire. It carries the Birmingham Loop line and is roughly half way between Rugby and Coventry. The bridge was built in around 1835 for the London and Birmingham Railway and is now a grade II listed building.
Mile Lane Bridge is a road-over-rail bridge in Coventry, central England. It is possibly the first use of a flying arch over a railway cutting and is a Grade II listed building.
Wolverton Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Great Ouse to the north of Wolverton, part of Milton Keynes, in south-eastern England. Built in 1838 for the London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) to the designs of Robert Stephenson, it was the largest viaduct on the L&BR's route. It is in the centre of Wolverton Embankment, itself the largest on the line. It has six brick arches and covers a distance of 660 feet, reaching a maximum height of 57 feet above the river, and terminating in substantial abutments which contain decorative arches. The viaduct and embankment feature in drawings by John Cooke Bourne. Several contemporary commentators likened Stephenson's bridges to Roman aqueducts. Modern engineers and railway historians have suggested that Wolverton Viaduct is not as innovative or impressive as some that followed but nonetheless praised its visual impact.
The Blisworth Arch is a railway bridge in Blisworth, Northamptonshire, in eastern England. It was designed by Robert Stephenson for the London and Birmingham Railway and completed in 1837. It is a grade II listed building and a significant local landmark.
Tring Cutting is an earthwork on the southern part of the West Coast Main Line on the Hertfordshire–Buckinghamshire boundary near Tring in southern England. It was built for the London and Birmingham Railway to the specification of Robert Stephenson and opened with the line in 1837. The cutting is 2.5 miles long and has an average depth of 40 feet but reaches 60 feet at some points, making it one of the largest engineering works on the London and Birmingham's line. Three bridges that cross the cutting were built at the same time as the line and are listed buildings.