The Dirty Arch Henry Collier June 2024
Courtesy Jonathan Parkhouse
The Dirty Arch is an underbridge on the GWR railway line close to Middlehill. It carries the railway over a tributary of the ByBrook and also over a footpath (known as BOX 2) leading to The Wilderness Bridge across meadow land. But its significance to residents is much more than that, having generated the affection of residents to times past.
Site of the Underbridge
The Dirty Arch is part of the series of historic railway structures built by Brunel along this section of the railway, which includes Middlehill and Box Tunnels and the Box Road Overbridge. The bridge was needed because this area had formerly been a historic watermill with leat, known as Cuttings Mill. The structure is of limestone ashlar with voussoirs and wing walls. There have been extensive later repairs in red and purple brick.[1]
The raised walkway along one side is of such a width and height for people to use it, but animals and carts would find it too narrow and had to use the lower section as a ford. This allowed both residents and farmers to use the path from Box to Middlehill through the arch. The underpass has remained in regular use by residents in modern times. Glyn Phillips spoke about using the route in 1955. He talked about moving house by hand cart and transporting all the luggage from Middlehill, going under the Dirty Arches Bridge, and up the steep slope to their new home at Barn Piece.
Site of the Underbridge
The Dirty Arch is part of the series of historic railway structures built by Brunel along this section of the railway, which includes Middlehill and Box Tunnels and the Box Road Overbridge. The bridge was needed because this area had formerly been a historic watermill with leat, known as Cuttings Mill. The structure is of limestone ashlar with voussoirs and wing walls. There have been extensive later repairs in red and purple brick.[1]
The raised walkway along one side is of such a width and height for people to use it, but animals and carts would find it too narrow and had to use the lower section as a ford. This allowed both residents and farmers to use the path from Box to Middlehill through the arch. The underpass has remained in regular use by residents in modern times. Glyn Phillips spoke about using the route in 1955. He talked about moving house by hand cart and transporting all the luggage from Middlehill, going under the Dirty Arches Bridge, and up the steep slope to their new home at Barn Piece.
1838 plan of proposed GWR (courtesy of Wiltshire History Centre)
This map of 1838 map shows the route of the proposed railway line bisecting Cuttings Mill and the mill leat, together with a proposed new road (The Avenue) which was needed to access Middlehill from the existing footpath was also intersected.[2] Cuttings Mill would have been between the present Dirty Arch and the brook tunnel, accessed by a road through the present Northey Arms finally joining the present footpath. It is interesting to see that there appears to be no mill pond, so the length and width of the leat may have provided an adequate reservoir to run the water wheel for all normal conditions and use. It is likely that the level of the brook was raised on the feed side. and sufficient head obtained by taking the mill stream to re-enter the brook a little distance downstream.
Water Level under the Arch
The Dirty Arch usually had about four inches of clean water in it, right up to the early 2020s when maintenance work was undertaken on the Bath side of the structure. There is stream on one side of the track, running along the bottom of the embankment, just inside the railway fence. The stream always had running water in it. In the 1950s we occasionally paddled in the Dirty Arch because you could catch minnows there. The floor of the wet part of the underpass was hard on bare feet, however, because it is infilled with railtrack stones. When I was a teenager, I caught several trout in the left-hand bend of the brook where the new fence is. I could get out of sight under the river bank there, and run a line down the flow to the bend. The biggest was about one pound,
Water Level under the Arch
The Dirty Arch usually had about four inches of clean water in it, right up to the early 2020s when maintenance work was undertaken on the Bath side of the structure. There is stream on one side of the track, running along the bottom of the embankment, just inside the railway fence. The stream always had running water in it. In the 1950s we occasionally paddled in the Dirty Arch because you could catch minnows there. The floor of the wet part of the underpass was hard on bare feet, however, because it is infilled with railtrack stones. When I was a teenager, I caught several trout in the left-hand bend of the brook where the new fence is. I could get out of sight under the river bank there, and run a line down the flow to the bend. The biggest was about one pound,
The 1840 Tithe Apportionment map shows the site of Cuttings Mill, the mill pond and the footpath running under the railway tunnel (courtesy of Know Your Place)
An engineering explanation of the design of the arch and the stone infill is that it was a deliberate design specification. The arch and its entry buttresses would be built before any backfill on part of the passageway. Because the arch needed to accommodate the movement of animals and carts (including relatively high wagons like loaded hay wagons) it would need to be high and of different form to river bridges, making it laterally more stressed. This could be countered at foundation level by a substantial infill of the rail track stones. Once settled in, these would be virtually incompressible, giving support against pressure. In addition, they would also readily take the passage of loaded carts, and the movement of animals without forming ruts (hence extending out beyond the buttresses). Regarding the permanent water level, this was probably almost unavoidable and the high pedestrian causeway along one side may well have added stability.
Courtesy Carol Payne
Horned Cattle
Herding cattle through the Dirty Arch may have presented many problems as in those days the cattle were not de-horned. I once got caught in a cattle stampede in the middle of a large field (now diagonally divided by a fenced track). I was about 12 and out for a walk with Gyp, our dog. I saw it all happen in slow motion. The cattle were laid down in the far corner of the field and suddenly took an interest in my black labrador who came racing to me. I knew I could not outrun the cattle, so shooed him on. Luckily, I had the sense to stand still and face the horned animals, ready to dodge any that came directly at me. They thundered past on both sides chasing the dog. I didn't see Gyp again until I got home (smart dog!).
Herding cattle through the Dirty Arch may have presented many problems as in those days the cattle were not de-horned. I once got caught in a cattle stampede in the middle of a large field (now diagonally divided by a fenced track). I was about 12 and out for a walk with Gyp, our dog. I saw it all happen in slow motion. The cattle were laid down in the far corner of the field and suddenly took an interest in my black labrador who came racing to me. I knew I could not outrun the cattle, so shooed him on. Luckily, I had the sense to stand still and face the horned animals, ready to dodge any that came directly at me. They thundered past on both sides chasing the dog. I didn't see Gyp again until I got home (smart dog!).
Photo of the canoe and scouts (courtesy Richard Pinker)
Canoeing through the Arch
The Scouts canoed through it in 1950s-60s. Mike Warren recalled the event in 1960 when he, Bob Hancock and Mick Betteridge had a famous accident with a canoe in Box Brook.[3] The scouts had spent two years building the canoe from canvas and plywood out of a kit.
It had never been fully trialled before so Bob, Mick and Mike took it out to the lower field before the Dirty Arch. This was behind the Northey Arms, which had flooded and become a lake. The water was funnelled swiftly through the arch, which had a gate at the end and a log holding it in place at water level. We smashed into the log, the canoe was splintered in pieces, we lost our clothes and shoes in the torrent and had to walk back to Box. This was the end of the three-man canoe, but it generated more interest to get afloat and the scouts resolved to enter the Devizes to Warminster canoe race. A two-man kit was made, which Mrs Hopper from The Bear Inn christened to wish it better luck than its predecessor.[4]
I built my own canoe in the summer of 1958, in the front garden, with the stem bolted to a nice straight length of 6x4. It was a PBK15 (designed by Percy Blandford), a 15ft fast touring single seat. I bought the plans and most of the timber (spruce and Mahogany, and mahogany marine ply) from Jenkins and Lancefield in Pickwick, who made the 'Moonraker' canoes and were friends with Alex Moulton, another canoeist.
I launched my single-seater canoe on the brook above Box Mill. I later paddled it down the Avon to the first of the Bristol Docks, accompanied by an apprentice friend. We persuaded Johnny Miller to take both canoes to Bathford on his lorry, and launched there. It was a week’s holiday, and interesting in itself as we were totally ignorant of anything on the river!
In later years I was in the Chippenham Canoe Club, and did some long-distance racing, including the Bath to Bradford on Avon. On one occasion I climbed up the front of Avoncliff Weir, where the large stone blocks are stepped and climbable if the water flow is not too great.
The Scouts canoed through it in 1950s-60s. Mike Warren recalled the event in 1960 when he, Bob Hancock and Mick Betteridge had a famous accident with a canoe in Box Brook.[3] The scouts had spent two years building the canoe from canvas and plywood out of a kit.
It had never been fully trialled before so Bob, Mick and Mike took it out to the lower field before the Dirty Arch. This was behind the Northey Arms, which had flooded and become a lake. The water was funnelled swiftly through the arch, which had a gate at the end and a log holding it in place at water level. We smashed into the log, the canoe was splintered in pieces, we lost our clothes and shoes in the torrent and had to walk back to Box. This was the end of the three-man canoe, but it generated more interest to get afloat and the scouts resolved to enter the Devizes to Warminster canoe race. A two-man kit was made, which Mrs Hopper from The Bear Inn christened to wish it better luck than its predecessor.[4]
I built my own canoe in the summer of 1958, in the front garden, with the stem bolted to a nice straight length of 6x4. It was a PBK15 (designed by Percy Blandford), a 15ft fast touring single seat. I bought the plans and most of the timber (spruce and Mahogany, and mahogany marine ply) from Jenkins and Lancefield in Pickwick, who made the 'Moonraker' canoes and were friends with Alex Moulton, another canoeist.
I launched my single-seater canoe on the brook above Box Mill. I later paddled it down the Avon to the first of the Bristol Docks, accompanied by an apprentice friend. We persuaded Johnny Miller to take both canoes to Bathford on his lorry, and launched there. It was a week’s holiday, and interesting in itself as we were totally ignorant of anything on the river!
In later years I was in the Chippenham Canoe Club, and did some long-distance racing, including the Bath to Bradford on Avon. On one occasion I climbed up the front of Avoncliff Weir, where the large stone blocks are stepped and climbable if the water flow is not too great.
Conclusion
The name Dirty Arch is rather odd because it was always very clean in the 1950s and later. The water floor has a bed of the same stones as the railway track, which kept the water very clear. Flood water also rushed through the arch on occasions, so any lighter infill would be washed away. It was certainly part of my childhood and of many others in Box.
The name Dirty Arch is rather odd because it was always very clean in the 1950s and later. The water floor has a bed of the same stones as the railway track, which kept the water very clear. Flood water also rushed through the arch on occasions, so any lighter infill would be washed away. It was certainly part of my childhood and of many others in Box.
The Arch over the Years (photos courtesy Henry Collier)
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Ghosts of Box Past (photos 2012 courtesy Kate Suggs)
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References
[1] Courtesy Jonathan Parkhouse
[2] See Jane Browning Cuttings Mill - Box People and Places
[3] See Warren Family - Box People and Places
[4] See Hopper Family - Box People and Places
[1] Courtesy Jonathan Parkhouse
[2] See Jane Browning Cuttings Mill - Box People and Places
[3] See Warren Family - Box People and Places
[4] See Hopper Family - Box People and Places