Sheepwash Canal Swing Bridge (Oxford)

[route:oxford]

After taking a trip to Bicester Town recently, interestingly and sensibly announced as Bicester Village station, I thought I'd remind myself about the Sheepwash Swing Bridge...

It has been mentioned on many occasions that this historic monument has been a "problem" to be overcome for improvements to North End of Oxford Station. According to the Oxford Preservation Trust website - this might change...

Today Oxford Preservation Trust is working with key partners including Network Rail, Chiltern Railways, the Railway Heritage Trust, English Heritage and the City Council to try to ensure the protection of this monument and improve its interpretation. The monument may be included in the English Heritage ‘At Risk’ Register 2011 but with the work of the Trust, and others, we have every intention of seeing it removed in the coming months and years.

Source:

http://www.oxfordpreservation.org.uk/projects/swingbridge.php

So if this were indeed the case and the swing-bridge was removed...

Would it be possible to rebuild Oxford Station with both Northerly terminating platforms for E-W & Chiltern London Services *and* perhaps additional through platforms for Great Western, Cross-Country & Go-Co services at is what is a major bottleneck on the network.

 

[The Planner]

Seeing as Oxpens died years ago, the last fag packet drawings I saw included extending the new Chiltern platforms out to the south end making them through platforms and a loop with platform on the west side of the down platform. Quite how they would do that with the houses there Im not sure, unless a pretty big re-model occured.

 

[eastdyke]

Remove the Bridge or (by protection/preservation) Remove the Bridge from the English Heritage 'At Risk' Register?

Not quite the same thing!

 

[ChrisCooper]

Considering it's English Heritage and various other preservation groups who are proposing this removal, I think it's pretty sure if will be a removal from the At Risk List, not a removal of the bridge (unless they plan to remove it to a location where it would not be at risk, but other than signalboxes and other small structures that rarely happens).