Information Board Unveiled at Wharncliffe Viaduct
First major structural design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Rob Bell (second left) with Richard, Ann and Jan at the unveiling
|
July 10, 2023
A ceremony took place recently to unveil a new information board near the Wharncliffe Viaduct.
Around thirty people gathered on Wednesday 28 June at the Grade I listed structure between Hanwell and Southall designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The project was sparked by Richard Ashmore who, cycling along the path beneath the viaduct during the pandemic, thought it was a significant omission that there was no immediate information about it.
With assistance from Ann Chapman of Ealing Civic Society, Jan Anderson of Ealing Parks and others over a three-year period, the project was brought to fruition.
Included in the unveiling party were representatives from TfL, GWR, the Brunel Institute, several local councillors and residents.
TV presenter and engineer Rob Bell was due to perform the unveiling, but unfortunately could not make it at the last minute although he was able to come along later. He says he was delighted at the achievement of everyone who had contributed to celebrating this engineering marvel.
Wharncliffe Viaduct was constructed in 1836-7 to carry the Greater Western Railway over the Brent Valley. It is 20 metres high and was the first major structural design by Brunel.
Wharncliffe Viaduct. Picture: Maxwell Hamilton
Ealing Civic Society and Ealing Park Rangers are in regular contact with Network Rail, who are responsible for the viaduct, regarding maintenance and also the extensive graffiti on the structure that has not been dealt with for many years.
Ann Chapman said, “We hope that action will be taken to restore this important structure to a condition worthy of its Grade I listing”.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
