IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Enterprise Park, Etna Road, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, IP33 1JZ

The River Lark does a sharp turn here to pass under the railway bridge. In the foreground we see what was clearly once a bridge support - there is an identical block just visible on the other side. Since the building of the A14 access road this access route is not needed, and anyway this narrow strip of land is not used. Views of the river in each direction can be seen in Image and Image

The river flows through a narrow culvert below the Cambridge to Ipswich railway line. On the far side is the car park for the Tesco supermarket.

At this point the River Lark flows at the back of a small industrial estate in Etna Road, tightly constricted in a channel. Through the rail bridge we see a road bridge in the Tesco car park. In the Victorian era barges came up the Lark from the Mildenhall direction and docked in the area now occupied by Tesco. If these concrete channel sides were present at that time then obviously the boats could not travel any further upstream. And a path at the side would be needed for the horse towing the barge. But then any boat movement would seem to need a lot more water flow than is seen today except in the most rainy periods.

For several hundred yards the River Lark runs parallel to the railway - I do not think there is much doubt the Victorians diverted the river into this channel when they built the railway embankment. The railway is just to the left here, and the river turns sharply at the photographer's feet to pass under the bridge shown in Image Hidden in the greenery is a much more modern bridge where the A14 access road passes over the river. On the right the industrial park is dominated by Tartan House, the prefabricated building now owned by Taylor Wimpey.