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| HER Number | MWB22664 |
|---|
| Record Type | Monument |
|---|
| Name | Site of branch line from Reading to Basingstoke railway into ROF Burghfield |
|---|
Summary
Former location of a siding leading off from the Reading to Mortimer railway into the Ordnance Factory
Other Statuses and Cross-References
- National Monuments Record No.: SP 66 NE 37
This ref appears to be erroneous - it should be SU 66 NE 37 - Pastscape Mon No or Hob UID: 1077758
Monument Type(s):
- RAILWAY (Second World War to Late 20th century - Present - 1941 AD? to 1999 AD?)
Full Description
A railway spur leading off the north-east corner of AWE Burghfield to join up with the Reading and Basingstoke Railway was identified during the Silchester Iron Age Environs mapping project <1><2>. The railway line's embankments are visible on the Fifth Edition OS map of 1968 <3>, but appear to have been quarried away by 1999 <4>.
A report written in 2016 <5> describes the relatively close location of the Great Western Railway line as being influential in the choice of the Burghfield site as it provided access to workers. A long siding was built to connect the factory to the Reading-Basingstoke branch line and national rail links. The site had its own steam trains and process buildings were arranged to be accessible by a railway track that curved through the site. The carriages entered these buildings, such as Building 8S23, which was a loading point and a storage area for munitions and explosives.
The presence of the railway line was observed during geophysical surveys carried out in 2006 <6>.
Sources and further reading
| --- | Simmonds, P. 2014. A history of the Berks and Hants line Reading to Westbury. ?. [Monograph / SWB148853] |
| <01> | Truscoe, K. 2017. Silchester Iron Age Environs Project: Aerial Photograph and Lidar Survey Results. 77/2017. WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB149642]
https://historicengland.org.uk/research/results/reports/77-2017 (Accessed on 05/01/2022) |
| <02> | Various. 2012. The Heritage Gateway. www.heritagegateway.org.uk. 14/12/2022. [Website / SWB150387]
https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/ (Accessed on 14/12/2022) |
| <03> | Ordnance Survey. 1962-1981. Ordnance Survey Epoch 5, 1:2500. 1:2500. [Map / SWB14665] |
| <04> | UK Perspectives. 12/09/1999. Berkshire Aerial Survey 1999 (digital aerial photographs). Aerial Photo. Digital. 1:7000. [Photograph / SWB148906] |
| <05> | AWE. 2016. AWE Historic Building Record: 8S23. MER-3G6-000014. 2022 WBC Network. p5. [Unpublished document / SWB150314] |
| <06> | Archaeological Services & Consultancy Ltd. 2007. Geophysical Survey: AWE Burghfield, Berkshire. 938/BAW/01. 2020 WBC Network. [Unpublished document / SWB150165] |
Related Monuments
| MWB16504 | Burghfield Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) (Monument) |
| MWB23137 | Site of Building 8S23, AWE Burghfield (Monument) |
Associated Excavations and Fieldwork
| EWB1507 | The Silchester Environs Iron Age Project - aerial photograph and LiDAR interpretation |
| EWB2003 | AWE Historic Building Record: 8S23 (Ref: MER-3G6-000014) |
| EWB1922 | Geophysical Survey: AWE Burghfield, Berkshire (Ref: 938) |
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