Original News Footage, Brackley Viaduct Demolition 1978

[@Hard-Boiled-Bollock]

How this viaduct wasn't protected is utterly outrageous, not to mention Nottingham Victoria station and the many other magnificent structures that were destroyed

[@PrinceJohn84]

Unbelievable really. The sheer amount of effort that went into to building this... Only for it to be reduced to a pile of bricks.

[@neilbowers6956]

I was born in Brackley and remember this day well. The demolition didn't go to plan and they had to try again. The sound of the explosion reverberated around the town. I also remember walking across the viaduct with my dad and the views you got from it were amazing. Along with the giant icicles that would hang from the arches during the winter. Like others have said, how this viaduct was allowed to be demolished is beyond me. Thanks for posting this brought back some very good memories.

[@NWP_EXPLORING]

Glad you enjoyed the memories

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

I too had to persuade myself to watch the video as I knew it would be upsetting at the least. It brought on unpleasant memories of the similar blowing up of the former S&DJR viaduct slap bang (forgive me!) in the centre of Blandford Forum, infamously included in the eponymous Flanders and Swann song "The slow train" memorialising the cuts by Dr. Death (I can't bring myself to type his proper name I'm afraid) The swansong to the era of our beautiful branch and indeed mainlines so shortsightedly eviscerated in the Sixties. Another reason perhaps for its destruction apart from the given one, the ridiculous idea that it allowed for the straightening of the nearby main road, is that it made any thoughts of revitalising the sadly missed Great Central Railway route right up the middle of the country far, far more difficult. So much so that it couldn't be used for arguably its modern day replacement, High Speed 2. But that's just a conspiracy ain't it‽

[@piccalillipit9211]

I LITERALLY COULD NOT WATCH it would be a listed monument today...

[@flyDJIuk]

What an impressive piece of engineering! Years to build and seconds to destroy.

[@NWP_EXPLORING]

Sad to see, but the story goes it didn’t go quickly. They had loads of attempts to blow it up and failed many times, just didn’t show in the news 😅

[@flyDJIuk]

@@NWP_EXPLORING Haha! That's interesting! And nice to hear too actually.

[@piccalillipit9211]

*I LITERALLY COULD NOT WATCH* it would be a listed monument today...

[@madcarew5168]

The decade of truly blowing up history!!

[@nicholasswift2480]

This was so sad watching this, what the hell were they thinking back then?

[@roastysprouts8705]

The same as we think today, the government push some corrupt agenda and we all willingly bend over and take it up the arse..

[@jerryfields4837]

money

[@Hard-Boiled-Bollock]

They were being greedy and short sighted

[@roastysprouts8705]

The same as we think today, the government has a corrupt agenda and the public simply bends over and takes it...

[@iangrice329]

Biggest mistake ever made. It was a ready made HS2

[@richardchappell8539]

Have said this ever since the first whisperings of HS2,

[@johnlarkin2980]

They didn’t need to blow it up. The bloke admitted it was about making a quick buck. It was a brilliant piece of civil engineering.

[@brianwillson9567]

I went to look at the viaduct. The week AFTER it had been demolished.

[@barrythedieselelectricstea5217]

I am throughly disgusted that this viaduct which stood for 80 yrs and all the hard work in building it was distroyed the chap who brought it and got the money for the blue bricks should be ashamed of himself all for a bypass we need railways not roads for more cars and lorries to go on them people in the video must miss it even though it was demolished in 1978 how many more viaducts are going to be demolished 😠

[@Hard-Boiled-Bollock]

Imagine seeing that happen to the Digswell Viaduct 😠

[@cargy930]

Even all these years later, I cringe at this unnecessary destruction.

[@christopheryalland2292]

Greed,greed and more greed