Larkhill Military Railway |
| Hob Uid: 1362670 | |
Location :
Wiltshire
Durrington, Amesbury, Wilsford cum Lake, Winterbourne Stoke
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| Grid Ref : SU1035042280 |
| Summary : Part of a military light railway constructed in the early twentieth century from the main Amesbury-Bulford Line at Ratfyn Junction to Larkhill, with branch lines serving other military facilities to the west and south of the main base. The course of the railway is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of the 1920s, but appears to have been largely dismantled by the mid 1930s. Its route can be traced as cropmarks on aerial photographs and sections survive as earthworks in areas of woodland (Monument Number 1517398) and elsewhere. Other parts have been traced by geophysical survey. |
More information : SU 1035 4228. Part of a light military railway constructed in the early twentieth century from the main Amesbury-Bulford Line at Ratfyn Junction to Larkhill, with branch lines serving other military facilities to the west and south of the main base. The part described in this record runs for over 4300m, from the Horse Isolation Hospital (SU 14 SW 648) to the Lake Down Aerodrome, passing the RAF Night Camp (SU 14 SW 647) and the Handley-Page hangars (SU 14 SW 646), with a spur terminating at Stonehenge Aerodrome (SU 14 SW 645). The course of the railway is visible as a structure on aerial photographs of the 1920s, but appears to have been largely dismantled by the mid 1930s, although parts can still be seen as cropmarks. It has been mapped from aerial photographs by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project. (1-5)
Part of the route survives as earthworks at Winterbourne Stoke crossroads (Monument Number 1517398) and were surveyed at a scale of 1:1000 in August 2009 as part of the Stonehenge WHS Landscape Project. Parts of the railway previously mapped from air photography to the north and south have been ploughed flat. (6)
At the end of the Stonehenge Aerodrome spur (SU 11547 41841) slight earthworks mark the site of the railway between barrows Amesbury 1 and 2; there are also some brick and concrete footings in this area. (7)
The course of the railway survives as a substantial earthwork within Fargo North Plantation. (8)
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