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SALTWELL VIADUCT
You may be forgiven for not noticing, however when you approach Whitchurch Village from the North on the A37, you cross the Saltwell Viaduct, an impressive example of 18th Century Engineering. It has seen much restructuring due to the growing demands of the traffic however it is still as important today as it was when it was built. But we don't know that much about it's story, so we decided to take a look.
Why was it built?
The Saltwell Viaduct was constructed to traverse a shallow valley on the northern outskirts of the Village on one of the main routes in Bristol. Through the valley flows Brislington Brook, a 5 mile long tributary of the River Avon. The Brook rises from two springs, one from the northern slope of the Maes Knoll and the other from the eastern end of Dundry and eventually goes on to St Annes before joining the River Avon. Interestingly, St Annes Well which is at the northern end of the Brook was a major pilgrimage site for Christians in the Middle Ages.
These were coaching times, before the railway boom of the mid 19th Century. In 1750, it took 2 days to travel from Cambridge to London by coach and by 1820, it took around 7 hours, thanks to the improving routes and advances in development of the coaches. They were still very uncomfortable to travel in, especially for long distances.
Bristol in the 18th Century
In this 18th Century map, it is still clear that the route through Whitchurch Village was one of the main thoroughfares into Bristol from the South, which by then was a booming City. It was around the time of the construction of the floating harbour and the route would have carried everything from passengers, livestock, mail and goods. The road ran directly through the valley and through Brislington Brook. It would have been clear that a viaduct needed to be built.
Can we be sure how old it is?
As sure as we can be, this Newspaper article from 1890 describes a meeting that took place to discuss the need of a railway station in the Village. However, at the start of the meeting The Chairman gave us some invaluable dating evidence regarding the viaduct. He states that the viaduct was built 100 years ago which would date it to around 1790 and refers to how the coaches had to go through about 3 feet of water. It's an amazing article and also great to read about how Whitchurch was deemed a very healthy place to live (to lots of applause).
The County or the Highway?
By 1872, the viaduct was in need of repair as it was showing signs of neglect, however there was a disagreement as to whether responsibility lied with the County or the Keynsham Highway Board. By the start of 1879, this dispute was still ongoing. This article dated 2nd January 1879 in the Bath Chronicle explains the situation. Eventually, the Keynsham Highway Board accepted responsibility for the repair, on the understanding that the County would pay half of the bill! The repair work was put out to tender however we can't find any record of when these repairs were carried out or by whom.
Western Daily Press - 21st June 1923
By 1923, the viaduct was again in a state of disrepair, it was described as crumbling in several places and not coping with the the high volume of heavier traffic. The speed limit over the viaduct was 4mph due to it's deteriorating condition. These dramatic photos show the extent of the work that was undertaken. The buttresses were rebuilt and the viaduct was widened by eight feet to allow for a pavement.
Bristol Evening Post - 9th March 1953
This article from 1953 explains how the Viaduct was damaged after the Installation of cables, presumably to Saltwell Avenue. It goes on to say that work was already being carried out on the buttresses and stonework.
Bristol Evening Post - 17th April 1996
In 1996 the Viaduct was strengthened in order that it can cope with the growing weight of the traffic. It was reported to take up to one year to complete at a cost of £1.1 million and caused a significant amount of disruption.
We have compiled some photographs and other newspaper articles in the gallery below.