good afternoon we're welcome to another video so you join us in Wiltshire you
join us near the Devizes branch line which is
just about there in the background and you join us stood on a curve now if you
want to know a little bit more like this curve that's not as exciting as it gets
if you're a bit more about an old ironworks, an old tramway and more
importantly an old tunnel you need to join us on today's adventure right we've
also got a an old picture which we got from whiltshire council council I think
I'm on line which shows the tramway going over a bridge next to the canal
above the canal and we thought we might replicate that photo now
it obviously must have been taken pre 1889 but when were cameras invented? A long time ago.
This is canal side and we've got a lot of research on this already but we
know kind of the history of it it's also got a sketch of the picture drawing
drawing by Hicks based on a photo of the locks
sometimes the 1870 1876 technical just below this very spot right we had every
intention of replicating that photo there's a bridge the bridge has been
replaced recently because it was in a complete state of disrepair it was also
very dangerous because I'd like a very very sharp hump so strained out quite a
lot so we're not gonna get the original bridge in the shot but we'll try and
have a look anyway.
So trying to replicate this photo, that line
there is a red herring because it's parallel to the wall where now the wall
down there is literally here so it's parallel here so indicates the lines
there the line went down there that line there over the bridge there's another
bridge store over there that line there is the line we just walked on or came
from down there. Up this line doesn't
quite up so need some more research from above because even on their map there's
no line here strange so let's give this a little context as to why this
photo is confusing us this is the wonderful railmaponline.com and the
horizontal line you see here is the Devizes branch line branching off to the
self is the ironworks tramway that we are on and trying to find the curve of
which we've just walked around now the line went over the canal over a bridge
adjacent to the current road bridge here is an old map which shows the main
alignment and the two bridges now the picture we have clearly shows this but
also shows a line in the foreground running parallel to the canal this isn't
on any old map we can find hence our mild state of confusion. All right so we
can't replicate the view because of the trees in the hedge line but we can at
least walk back up and down into the Ironworks and possible tunnel.
So tpdays video should be called something like, how to
traverse gates without touching them with your hands.
yes yeah that bridge would have come over here and up that line up there and
that's where we think on the right hand side were the free big smelting towers
for the ironworks so the ironworks were open we think around 1857 1858 and we
think they were the reason why seemed railway station was positioned where it
was to serve the the massive potential freight it was going to come from this
ironworks so they started mining the iron stone it was here and they started
smelting on site they've been transported what would be next
the next product of that - South Wales South Wales and it's an industry there
moaned that there was not a good quality they started shipping it to other places
I think up in Staffordshire with little success because of the price to get it
from here up to Staffordshire made it basically not economical at all there
were half the reason we're here today is to see if there's anything we can see in
the landscape we think there probably is but also most importantly to
find the old tunnel but one of our relatives said is here and he has seen
himself
difficult to make out a tramway now because obviously it's over to the right
but you can see why it's possibly like kind of just there you can see
some areas. Here you can see some Quarry areas over there and
apparently there's a lot more that way which is where we're heading to the old
tunnel again with no concept to what tunnel it is that we know that um
obviously it did have a rail right up to it at one point so could it be in a
quarry tunnel apparently this was an open mine, yeah it doesn't really help us
with the clues so just down there in the distance by the warehouses is seend
station and it did last the time as well so obviously served the villages Seend
and went on after 1900 despite the fact that it was probably
about a mile from Seend and Seend cleave the villages so we have two possible two
possible locations to this tunnel this is obviously clearly man-made this
walkway uphill walkways works either side here
and here's one possible location for what we're looking for oh there is Arch?
I don't think so.... perhaps lets get closer?
yeah I think it was there looks like the curve but I'm not so sure
right we're going with a probably know we're still confused about this here
because it looks like it's curved it looks like it's been touched in looks
like this has been filled up to it but the question marks are there's nothing
obvious other than that and if it was going to be a tunnel we'll be here right
okay let's head over to the west
so we think that was a negative so we've come a little bit further to the
west where we hope for more success
Now we have no idea now which bit we're at but we think there's an old rail up here
somewhere
Alright? Yeah not very succesful. So difficult to tell if we are in the right place!
There was something but its difficult to tell, large rock over the top. Maybe a
railway tunnel wise I oh nothing arched got some pitches but I can't
really see them until we get back and look better but have a quick look around
is everything else okay. This is the level that I was on when I was looking
for the tunnel here we're stood on a flat level there and I went into that
hedgerow there which is where I searching maybe we did find it maybe
those pitches I took were worried but certainly this is a level that line went
in on the old map that we saw yeah not sure this is a bit of a sketch of what
is that so I'm not sure what um this little video is going to bring or has
brought but other than cute lambs but this has been the the short tail of the
seemed ironworks and its failure despite the good quality
iron stone that was here apparently first discovered in 1666 the
trials of scale labs we probably are scare announced but in the meantime we
will see you obviously next week but forget to like subscribe comment etc
check out Rebecca's YouTube channel 2 which is Rebecca's nest if you like this
one you like that one or this thing and we'll see you next week