Page 61 - Hindsight Issue 26 April 2020

HeRItAge
the scale and magnitude of these excavations, which took as long to complete as the original works, were such that unhindered passenger and goods services to the county town did not commence until 3 April 1882.
At the close of 1891, almost a decade after the cutting’s widening, the condition of the cutting sides had been giving the engineers some anxiety, as recorded by g.P. neale in his Notes of a Railway Superintendent’s Life:
‘The soil above the rock cutting had shown considerable instability; the water contained in it (however beautiful the resulting icicles, in massive stalactite form, might appear in winter) rendering the super incumbent mass very troublesome and insecure. Temporary measures proving ineffectual, Mr Stephenson decided to close the two new lines while the top surface on the east side of the line was reduced, and a supporting series of girders introduced to guard against future mischief.’
Despite the considerable works undertaken to stabilise the cutting’s eastern banks, on 13 november 1892 a major landslip occurred, following shortly after a large gap in the walling was noticed by platelayers. the slip extended 60/70 yards south of the Blisworth – Courteenhall Road Bridge. the northampton Loop remained closed for remedial work until April of the following year. stabilised thereafter, over the following 126 years, with ongoing maintenance, the cutting has stood the test of time.
Robert stephenson’s engineering legacy to the county provides a visible insight into our Victorian industrial heritage. In 1986, Roade Cutting was awarded the prestigious status of a site of special scientific Interest (sssI), under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. the citation stated that: ‘This is a new site identified as of national importance in the Geological Conservation Review.’
our september 2018 exhibition featured as its centrepiece a representative scale model of the Cutting. this was constructed by society members aided by local schools and community volunteers. It was subsequently entered into a national competition organised by British Railway Modelling Magazine and the London & north Western Railway society. We were delighted to be awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in recognition for of our efforts. In addition, at the northamptonshire Community Foundation Awards 2019, our Chief Modeller, John Martin, was ‘Highly Commended’ in the Volunteering category. Roade Local History society now intends to publish a history of Roade Cutting and its effects on the local community.
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