A view through the Grove Road rail Bridge, Hitchin

Image: © John Lucas Taken: 27 Feb 2014

This view beneath the bridge shows three distinct stages in its development. The centre section is on the alignment of the original bridge which was opened to traffic in 1850 by the Great Northern Railway. An 1875 painting by Samuel Lucas shows that the bridge was constructed of wooden trestles supported by brick piers. The furthest of the three sections is the bridge, opened in 1858, by which The Midland Railway (MR) originally gained access to the capital by means of a line from Bedford to Hitchin and thence with running powers over the Great Northern route to King's Cross. The direct MR route to St. Pancras was opened in 1868 and the Bedford-Hitchin line was then relegated to branch status. After closure of the Bedford line in 1964, the MR bridge became disused. It has, however, experienced a revival as it now forms part of the new Cambridge line flyover route, opened in 2013, built to avoid conflicting train movements on the East Coast Main Line. The nearest section of the bridge was constructed in the 1890s when the southern end of the Great Northern route was widened to four tracks and the original centre section was presumably rebuilt to an all brick construction at the same time. The river Hiz is seen flowing under the bridge. In the Lucas painting, mentioned above, the river is shown as being far wider, filling the whole arch width. It has now been relegated to virtual 'ditch' status in order to allow room for a pedestrian footway. The painting also presents a far more attractive scene than is evident today!

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