Discovery on Slough Arm

AN OLD rail track and tunnel have been revealed during canal maintenance works on the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

Workers undertaking maintenance on the Arm unearthed a few yards of an abandoned railway line going into a concrete tunnel heading towards the Iver Farm Brickworks that was active in the 1930's, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Many brickworks

There were huge amounts of the clay that was used for brick making along the Arm, with many brickworks, mostly supplying the needs of the capital, and of course using the waterways for delivery.

 

Florence Salberter, pictured, Canal & River Trust Heritage Advisor, explained:

"The brick making industry was very important in this area, making the most of the transport opportunity the canals were offering. Some of our staff who lived in the area even remember seeing the track here when they were younger, but it's only once we removed the vegetation that it became really visible again."