Twerton Tunnel: East Entrance (Adjoining Carr'S Wood)

LOWER BRISTOL ROAD (South side) Twerton Tunnel: east Entrance (adjoining Carr's Wood) (Formerly Listed as: LOWER BRISTOL ROAD, Twerton Entrances to Twerton Tunnel (adjoining Carr's Wood)) 11/08/72 II*

Railway tunnel entrance. c1840, by IK Brunel. Lias walling with ashlar dressings. Tudor style, single four-centred arch with dressed flush face, between octagonal turrets, that to right (north) complete turret, with cross arrow-loop, and with crenellated top, with short run of supporting wall to right, at angle to track alignment. To left turret projects forward, but carried across as wall parallel with tunnel front, rather than returned as turret, also crenellated. Main horizontal parapet saddle-back coped, and weathered string below carried across full width of frontage. Lower parts of walls are flared out. On south side of entrance run of retaining wall, extending approx 60m, in course stonework, with engineering brick capping, with long section raised to flat gable, all on stepped corbel-table, wall flared out in lower half. At east end wall stopped to large plain square pier with flat capping on triple frieze-band. Part of Great Western line development between Bath and Bristol, opened to traffic 21st August 1840. Tunnel 111 feet long and known as No.6 Tunnel by railways. SOURCES: (Civil Engineering Heritage: Sievewright WJ: Wales and Western England: London: 1986-: 12 AVON; Wishaw F: Railways of Great Britain and Ireland (1842): Newton Abbot: 1969-: 149).

Listing NGR: ST7216064985