The Saturday List #358 - Ten Bridges in Mill Hill

 I have a fascination with engineering. I can stare in wonder at all manner of things that sane individuals find mundane and boring. Perhaps the structures that fascinate me most are bridges. Large and small, ancient and modern, they all interest me. Mill Hill has some absolutely amazing bridges, many of which we never even give a second glance to.  So I thought I'd correct this with a little tour of Mill Hill's finest bridges, both large and small.  

Dollis Brook Viaduct (PIC wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollis_Brook_Viaduct)

1. Dollis Brook viaduct. This is probably the most notable and famous of our Bridges. It carries the Northern line over the Dollis Brook. It is  the highest point above ground level on the network. I was told it;s also the longest viaduct, but have been unable to verify this.  It is an impressive structure, with elegant brickwork arches. Although it only carries a single rail track it was built to carry two and if it hadn't been for the second world war, the line would have carried on to Elstree as part of the Northern Heights scheme. Sadly this was dropped after the war. For many of us, an interchange between the Underground and Thameslink at Mill Hill would be wonderful and it is crazy that there is a disused railway next to the Stonex stadium. It would be simple to reopen this short stretch.

2. The Mill Hill Broadway M1 viaduct. 

For many this structure is unloved. I think it is a wonderful feat of enginerring and design. I love the fact the undercroft is used as a bus station.  The viaduct took out half of station road and a number of businesses at the end of the Broadway including

Hillings Ltd (nurserymen) 
Lebons Coal Merchants
Mill Hill Station Goods Yard
(This was before the M ! Motorway)
London Slate & Tile Co.
3 Rickett Cockrell & Co (Coal Merchants)
3a Cherry Coal Merchants

(Click here to see the old layout)

You can see the first of these views before the M1 was constructed on the rather fabulous MEMPICS website BY CLICKING HERE. 

I'd love to see the undercroft decorated with murals and artworks to celebrate our neighbourhood. Mill Hill has some wonderful things to see, so lets use these large concrete walls as a canvass.

3. The Mill Hill Broadway Rail Bridge

Whilst the M1 viaduct looms large over the Broadway, there has been a rail bridge for over 150 years next to it. 

This Bridge was replaced in the early 1960's. It had been an old style arched bridge with a low clearance.  (CLICK HERE TO SEE)

In my opinion, this is perhaps the ugliest bridge in Mill Hill. In Cricklewood, they have painted up such a bridge and made it into an attractive landmark. I'd love to see the same done here. 

4. Mill Hill Village Green stone bridge

For locals of a certain age, the strip of land by Mill Hill Circus between the A41 and Lawrence Street is known as Simmons Mead. It was redesignated as Mill Hill Village Green a few years back, following a campaign by the Mill Hill Preservatioon Society. There is a small brook that becomes the Silk Stream. It used to have a small pond with lillies and goldfish in the 1960's, but sadly this has been filled in, although the stream still flows. It has a number of small, semi ornamental bridges that I rather like. This is an attractive brick bridge. 

5. Mill Hill Village Green wooden bridge.

There are also a couple of wooden bridges over the stream. I quite like them. These are far newer than the brick bridges. When they were installed, many locals muttered that it was 'the Council wasting money' as there was no real need for them at all. They are quite pleasing on the eye to me. 

As an aside there are an amazing selection of trees on the green, incuding a eucalyptus tree. If I get a blocked nose, I'll often grab a couple of leaves, scrunch them in my fingers and take a long sniff. It works wonders.  It was a trick my Dad, who was an Aussie taught me.

6 -8.  M1 Overbridges. 

There are three bridges in these picture. There is the pedestrian footbridge between Hale Grove Gardens and Glendor Gardens/Millway which the picture was taken from. I've always had an affection for this bridge. There are some great views from it. I love looking south when the Wembley Arch is lit up. I get a strange thrill from watching cars, lorries and trains pass under. When I was about three or four years old, my Aunty Mary came down from Oldham and I have a vivid memory of watching with her as a crane lifted this bridge into place. Maybe that is where all of this started. 

The second bridge, which is clearly in view is the Selvage Lane road bridge, passing over the M1. The third bridge, just beyond it, which you can just about see the supports for is the A41 bridge over the M1, going down to Edgware. 

You may not find these bridges lovely, but you sure as hell miss them when they are shut, as locals found out earlier in the year. 

There is a nice picture of the old Selvage Lane Brick bridge on the Mempics website, CLICK HERE TO SEE. 

9. M1 overbridge Bunns Lane. 

Perhaps the bridge I see most is this one. It is next to my business. I have only seen it from this view once. When the large advertising hoarding was installed next to our business, I snuck in before it was secured, climbed to the top and took this picture, which I think is rather appealing. 

This bridge most likely has the distinction of having the most bridge bashes of any bridge in Mill Hill. The second picture of it captures when I was emerging from a band rehearsal to find a 221 bus had taken a wrong turn and bashed into it.

Since I've run the studio, we've had at least two or three bridge bashes a year, usually HGV's where the driver has missed the sign. It always causes a major hassle as the Police usually refuse to let anyone into our estate. Eventually we installed a seconed entrance as it was getting to be such a distraction to our business.

10. Bunns Lane A41 overbridge

This is an interesting bridge for me. There are two parts to it. The first is the Bunns Lane part. The bridge is a pretty large, nondescript expanse of concrete, unremarkable in many ways. However, the second span of it has a slightly more interesting history. Originally it passed over the Mill Hill East to Edgware railway. This was closed in 1964 and it was repurposed to be the end of the M1 Motorway. The M1 was extended in 1977 to Staples Corner and thr road was closed. It has developed a notoriety as the site of one of London's largest fly tipping sites. It is also a favourite space for graffiti artists. There has been talk of reopening it to allow a slip road to the new Amazon depot. Maybe it will develop yet another life?

I'll finish with a video I made with my band The False Dots and accomplished author and poet Allen Ashley. The video was made to oppose the One Barnet Capita outsourcing, but both Allen and myself were keen to include a Bridge Scene (as well as some historic footage of the National Institute for Medical Research being demolished). If you are a video maker, bridges provide and excellent backdrop