The long gone bridge over the Chester Road between Coppice Lane and the Rising Sun. Image kindly supplied by Godfrey Hucker.
A quick one for a Saturday afternoon reaches me from the young David Evans, who’s curious about early bus routes in Brownhills, double deckers and bridges.
Inspired by the picture of the open-top pre Great War bus featured last week, David is certain double deckers ran below the rail bridge that once existed over the Chester Road by Brownhills Common, of which little remains today.
David wrote:
HI Bob
Brownhills bus pre World War I… and a certain bus route!
This image appeared on the blog a while ago and shows the Chester Road Bridge – or some of the remains of the bridge.
It seems that the height clearance had been increased at some stage by digging out, if that’s the proper term, the roadway under the bridge… hence the footpath being seemingly raised!
I wonder what the original clearance was when the bridge was constructed?
Perhaps the Coppice Lane bridge wall might give an indication?
I wonder if there is a map that shows the “private road” that led from Chester Road to Watling street by this bridge?
Kind regards
David
As a kid, I remember the remnants of the bridge – of which the deck have been removed – forming a ‘subway’ over the footpath, which was then lower than, not higher, than the road. I also remember the road there flooding; in the early 80s, the remainder of the bridge was removed and the road raised, alleviating the flooding.
The question is, when was the road lowered to increase clearance, if it was at all? Was it done in one go, or successive jobs?
Did buses ever run under the bridge?
Come on folks, what do you know? Please help settle the debate. Comment here of mail me: BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com.
Mind your head! The ill-fated, but iconic local LNWR bus service, from a postcard featured here last week.