IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Crest Road, HP11 1WT

This is the trackbed of what was once Brunel's broad gauge Wycombe Railway. Opened in 1854 it was the main line between High Wycombe and London via Maidenhead until the construction of the far more direct Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway to and from London Marylebone in 1899. The former Wycombe Railway north of Bourne End was a fairly inevitable victim of the Beeching axe and closed in 1970. The trackbed crosses the valley of the River Wye on an embankment here, and the railings indicate the location of Image

I am assuming that this is a sewer pipeline because it is heading straight in the direction of what is marked on the OS 1:10,000 scale map as a water pollution control works. The pipeline runs parallel to Image, the embankment of which can be seen beyond. The much smaller upper pipe is probably some form of venting facility. The patch of weedless water with the dark green edging in the centre of the picture was bubbling away and I am assuming that this must be a syphon that allows water to pass under the railway embankment. All this is pure speculation!

The bridge was built to carry Brunel's broad gauge railway to High Wycombe from Maidenhead over Bowden Lane. The railway here crossed the valley of the River Wye on a long high embankment and the photograph gives some indication of the amount of materials that the railway navvies had to manhandle. The railway opened in 1854, but was closed and the track was lifted in 1970. For a view along the trackbed on top of the embankment see Image