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My guess is that "Marble Arch" and similar bridges date back to the building of the railway line.

I wonder if the name came from bus conductors labeling it to give the bus stop a name, what else could they call it?

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A junior boy’s memory. In the late 40s, one Saturday morning, this young lad and his brother would be squeezed into a taxi along with baby brother’s pram and all the luggage plus mam and dad and

A P.Bucket test? or a rail photo with a difference. It was so difficult to do I didn't have the heart to break it up so I framed it!

My guess is that "Marble Arch" and similar bridges date back to the building of the railway line.

I wonder if the name came from bus conductors labeling it to give the bus stop a name, what else could they call it?

The topography of the spot means that bridges would have been built when the lines opened. The original bridges were definitely rebuilt when the roads were widened just before WW2. The 1:2500 OS maps clearly show narrow bridges up to that time and much wider ones thereafter (except the bridge on the south side of Hucknall Road, towards Basford, which did not change). Could "marble" relate to the gleaming new concrete construction - when new, it would have been quite a contrast to the old, smoke-ridden brick structures there before?

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Looking on an old o.s. map from 1913 the bridge seems to be there, but the side that is now Bestwood estate is still open fields, so why build a bridge and not continue as an embankment, unless Bestwood was already in the planning stages, but I don't think Bestwood was built until the thirties.

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Re building a bridge to nowhere, it could have been so a farmer could get to his cut off after the railway came fields or if there was a footpath or bridle way there before the railway came, the GCR in particular seemed to have a lot of access bridges, or was that because when that that was built camera's were around and lots of offical pics took? (and still around) Just North of "Marble Arch" was a level crossing of sorts with gates that was purely farmer access, it was right at the end of Bestwood Estate near the old NCV garages, As regards Marble Arch, I don't think that was ever widened? might be wrong? but thought it was just road over bridges done? and as that was a railway over would not be much smoke/soot on it

Finally Guys, cancel your holidays, send back your football season tickets, postpone any weddings etc, I can see us being far too busy deciphering all these new photos that have just come on here!

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The Flickr Sets I linked to over the page I believe have downloading disabled.

If you have the time, most of the interesting black and white images were posted previously at a larger resolution on the RMWeb forum with the ability to download them. They are spread out over 39 pages of the thread though.

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69274-dave-f-more-photos-added-21-june-from-1947-to-1955ish/

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Could "marble" relate to the gleaming new concrete construction - when new, it would have been quite a contrast to the old, smoke-ridden brick structures there before?

As I remember it, it was built of red bricks. How the nickname originated I don't know, but I've always taken it to be a humorous comparison to the real Marble Arch in London.

At High Pavement school in the early 1960s when it was cross-country running during games we were sometimes instructed to go along Hucknall Road, 'through the Marble Arch' and back along Andover Road (or vice versa).

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So the obvious question...are there any photos of the Arch? The best results I found are on 'Britain from Above'. You'd never guess what it was unless you knew what you were looking for, but they give a slightly approximate idea (and they are all 1920s)

arch4.jpg

arch3.jpg

arch2.jpg

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I don't recall this as a concrete bridge, I am fairly sure it was always red brick construction.

I like the idea of 'clippies' naming the bridge as there certainly was a bus stop on site.

Colin

Still is a bus stop in the dip. We used to ride upstairs on the 17 to Bulwell, just past Marble Arch the road and railway were almost on the same level, as you approached this bit you passed Bulwell Forests' Down Distant, a somersault to the end.

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The bridge was definitly red brick arch, it was just below where the GNR & GCR came the closest.

The bottom photo clearly shows the foot bridge over the GCR, we used to call it the 'apenny bridge.

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its always been my supposition, that marble arch bridge was an occupation bridge built because it looks like park lane ran straight across where the railway was built.

especially visable in those photos is the kink in the road thats there today, where it seems st albans road was joined to park lane at some point in time, and the little bit that went across the GCR line simply became a footpath.

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Not sure I follow your thinking philby? Marble Arch was on the GNR line built in 1882 and would have no bearing on whether Park Lane joined St Albans Rd? (which it does anyway) Are you thinking it joined Hucknall Rd and the kink came about to avoid crossing the the GCR line built in 1898?

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Ashley and all your fellow railway buffs,

I found this site while looking through sites for the mystery car.

It is for the railway modeller but it would appear that it contains some interesting photos etc of the railways over the years.

Anyway, for what it is worth......http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/gansg/index.htm#yards

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Not sure I follow your thinking philby? Marble Arch was on the GNR line built in 1882 and would have no bearing on whether Park Lane joined St Albans Rd? (which it does anyway) Are you thinking it joined Hucknall Rd and the kink came about to avoid crossing the the GCR line built in 1898?

ash what i'm thinking is that park lane originally run straight on, crossing the GCR, then under marble arch, then when st albans road was built, and joined to the top of park lane the section running across the GCR became a footpath, while the park lane got its "kink" to turn and join st albans road.

on cliff's first picture it really looks like thats whats happened.

and i'm fairly sure that its at the kink where park lane becomes st albans road (or vice versa if you're coming from bulwell)

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The only problem there is that by the time the GCR was built photography was about with an official photographer on the GCR who took pictures of all the bridges etc, inc halfpenny bridge footpath there at the opening of the line and no other bridge carrying park lane through to marble arch, or have I read it wrong and you are saying park lane ran through marble arch pre GCR and the road "kinked" not really to join st albans rd but to AVOID crossing the GCR?

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From the maps it looks to me that Park Lane joined Hucknall Road at the bend in Hucknall Road oposite "Marble Arch" but that Marble Arch was not a continuation of Park Lane but an occupation bridge for a farm beyond. I also think that St Albans Road goes accross Kersall Drive and changes to Park Lane at the kink. The foot path over Halfpenny Bridge was proberbly there before the GCR was built hence the bridge. I wonder is there a map after the GNR Lean Valley line and before the GCR?

Incidently I knew St Albans Road long before I ever thought I would live in St Albans City. The connection is that the Duke of St Albans was a land owner at Bestwood Park.

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