Bunford Railway Bridge

Summary

A railway bridge constructed in the early 1850s crossing the former Durston to Yeovil branch line.

Reasons for Designation

Bunford Railway Bridge, built in the early 1850s, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

* Architectural interest: as a well-designed and executed bridge, constructed of local limestone;
* Date: as relatively early railway bridge constructed in a period of considerable expansion for the English railway;
* Degree of survival: the bridge survives intact.

History

Bunford Railway Bridge is situated over the former Durston to Yeovil branch line, one of the first branch lines to have been constructed from Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Bristol to Exeter Line. The Yeovil branch line gained Royal Assent in Parliament in July 1845 and was opened on 1 October 1853. The line was engineered by Francis Fox and originally terminated in Hendford Halt, Yeovil, with Bunford Bridge forming part of this original route. The opening of the branch line was welcomed by the local community and was marked by a visit of the Chairman and Directors of the Bristol and Exeter Railway in an occasion that was attended by thousands. In his address to the Chairman and Directors, the Town Clerk spoke of the importance of the new line stating that ‘…we see opening to us, by means of this line, a high road to all England’. The line originally covered a distance of twenty miles, stopping at Athelney, Langport, Martock and Yeovil. The line was then extended in 1854 to terminate at the newly constructed Yeovil Pen Mill station, so as to give better on-going connections to the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line.

The southern section of the branch line fell into decline in the mid-C20, due to the increasing reliability of rural bus services, and was subsequently closed on 15 June 1964. The line between the A303, S of Martock, and Yeovil was then converted into a road at some point during the 1980s.

Bunford Bridge has recently been closed to the public but appears to survive intact. The road which it crosses is now disused.

Details

A railway bridge constructed in the early 1850s crossing the former Durston to Yeovil branch line.

MATERIALS
Constructed of local limestone.

DESCRIPTION
An elliptical-arched bridge constructed of ashlar limestone with projecting string course and keystone above the opening. The abutments have wide, shallow buttresses. The bridge has a stone parapet with flat coping stones.

Sources

Websites
Yeovil History, 'Railways: The Coming of the Railways to Yeovil', accessed 17 November 2016 from http://www.yeovilhistory.info/railways.htm
Somerset Historic Environment Record, 56978: Durston to Yeovil branch line, accessed 17 November 2016 from http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/56978
Chard and Ilminster News, The History of the Taunton- Yeovil Train Line, accessed 17 November 2016 from http://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/11403337.FEATURE__The_history_of_the_Taunton_Yeovil_train_line/
British Newspaper Archive, Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser, 'Opening of the Yeovil and Durston Railway', 5 October 1853, accessed 17 November 2016 from http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000348/18531005/025/0006
Martock Local History Group, 'The Martock Railway', accessed 17 November 2016 from http://www.martockhistory.co.uk/research/railway.php

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