Chalfont Viaduct

Chalfont Viaduct
Chalfont Viaduct seen from the M25 (in 2009)
Coordinates51°34′56″N 0°32′04″W / 51.58231°N 0.53458°W / 51.58231; -0.53458
OS grid referenceTQ 01633 88067
CarriesChiltern Main Line
CrossesM25 Motorway
LocaleGerrards Cross
Official nameChalfont No. 1 Viaduct
Other name(s)Misbourne Viaduct
Named forThe Chalfonts (Chalfont St Giles, Chalfont St Peter, Little Chalfont)
OwnerNetwork Rail
Characteristics
DesignArch
MaterialBlue/black engineering brick
Total length104 metres (114 yd)
Height12.5 metres (41 ft)
No. of spans5, each 15.5 metres (51 ft) wide
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks2
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
History
DesignerJames Charles Inglis, R.C. Sikes
Construction start1902
Construction end1906
Location
Map

The Chalfont Viaduct (also known as the Misbourne Viaduct) is the first of two five-arch brick railway viaducts on the Chiltern Main Line in south-east England. It is located between Gerrards Cross and Denham Golf Club stations. The M25 motorway passes beneath it between junctions 16 and 17 at Gerrards Cross near Chalfont St Peter, from where the bridge gets its name. The bridge is known as Chalfont No. 1 Viaduct; the longer Chalfont No. 2 Viaduct is a short distance to the west and spans the A413.[1]

The bridge is noted as a local landmark because for ten years it bore a graffiti slogan, "give peas a chance" painted in large white letters on the south-facing parapet.[2][3] As of March 2024, it bears the slogan "helta▪skelta" (added in 2021).

  1. ^ Maggs 2010, p. 34.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference bbc-peas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Calls for M25 'give peas a chance' return". BBC News. 21 September 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 21 September 2018.