GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Hatton Station: gwrhj1876

A farmers occupation bridge at Shrewley near Hatton is caught on camera as it is demolished by explosives on 16th November 1980. The bridge was a farmer's access road. While I was working on the Bridges Section for BR Civil Engineers, we started to repair the bridge and it was scaffolded out. A chance remark by the farmer to the site foreman suggested that he would relinquish his rights for a suitable payment. It was decided to pay him off and demolish the bridge, as this would save money on the long term. The bridge was stripped and the arch exposed. A firm of demolition contractors was brought in and they prepared the bridge. On the weekend there was a possession of the line from Saturday night to Sunday evening. During the night a sleeper pad was laid to protect the track. At about 8.00, with an audience standing on Shrewley Common bridge, the button was pressed and I took the photo. The excavators in the picture cleared one line for an engineer's train to come in to be loaded with spoil. It took two or three weekends to finally clear the site.

John Fancote

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