The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-30 00:00:00

THE PROPOSED RAILWAY VIADUCT ACROSS

LUDGATE-HILL.

The following letter, on the subject of the proposed rail-
way viaduct across Ludgate-hill, has been addressed to in-
dividual members of the House of Lords :
As occupiers and proprietors of houses in Ludgate-hill and
neighbourhood, in the city of London, we respectfully beg
leave to call your lordship's attention to the inconvenience
and danger of the new railwayviaduct proposed to be carried
across that important thoroughfare, by a company now
seeking for the sanction of Parliament ; and, in so doing, we
beg to assure your lordship that we believe ourselves to be
expressing, not only the views of ourselves and others
whose interests are directly affected by the scheme in ques-
tion, but also those of the inhabitants of the metropolis ge-
nerally.
Your lordship is aware that in 1360 the London, Chat-
ham, and Dover Railway Company obtained an act of Par-
liament, empowering them, amongst a number of other pro-
jects, to form euch a viaduct as is now proposed, at a height
of 18 feet from the ground. Though these powers were not
obtained without considerable opposition, the subject of the
introduction of railways into crowded portions of the metro-
polis bad, at that time, received but little attention from the
Legislature, and could scarcely be said to have drawn forth
an expression of public opinion. It is, indeed, only within
the last few months that the rapid extension of such schemes,
coupled with the practical illustration of their consequences
afforded by the inconvenient, dangerous, and unsightly via-
ducts recently built over important thoroughfares, has
brought this subject prominently before the notice of Par-
liament, and has particularly elicited a powerful expression
of opinion from some of the most distinguished members of
your lordship's house. It has been perceived that these
schemes have been laid down without any settled plan or
approach to conjoint action, and rather with a view to the
interests of particular companies, or for the carrying on of
a wasteful competition with existing lines, than with that
regard for the public interests which is the only round of
their applications to the Legislature for special powers and
privileges. _

The London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company
does not appear to have been free from these acknowledged
evils attendant upon the development of railway enterprise.
Nearly every portion of its extensive system of lines is en-
gaged in a disastrous rivalry with railways of earlier con-
struction, serving the seine, or nearly the same, districts;
and so low is the publicfaith in its prospects that its shares,
upon which £lOO have been paid, are at present sold in
the markets at lees thin £IO, indicating a settled opinion
among investors that more than three-fifths of the entire
capital of the company have been expended unproductively.
Under these circumstances the company appear to have, in
reality,abandoned their scheme for carrying their line north-
ward of Earl-street, Blackfriars, including their proposed
viaduct across Ludgate-hill. The time allowed for the com-
pulsory purchase of land for the construction of this portion
of the line is limited by the company's act to August, 1863,
and the time for the completion of the undertaking to
August, 1865. But the company are now confessedly un-
able to proceed with such purchase, or with the construc-
tion of this portion of their project, a clause having been
inserted by them in a bill (clause 17, No, 1 bill) now before
Parliament, praying for the extension of these periods to
August, 1865, and August, 1867, respectively; while by
another bill also before Parliament it appears that the Lon-
don, Chatham, and Dover Company have privately con-
sented to relinquish their powers for the canstruction of all
this portion of their original scheme to an entirely now com •
pany, formed under the title of the Ludgate Station and
Junction Railway Company, who aro now seeking powers
for a similar, but, as we conceive, an even more objectionable
project.
The subject of the proposed railway and viaduct being thus
brought entirely anew before the consideration of the Legis-
lature, and the Ludgate Station and Junction Company's
scheme having been recently referred to a committee of your
Lordship's House, an opportunity has arisen for the re-con-
sideratien of the subject by the light of the experience which
has been gained during the three years which have elapsed
since the London, Chatham, and Dover Company obtained
their bill : and we therefore respectfully beg leave to sub-
mit to your lordship our reasons for objecting to the pro-
posed undertaking in its present form, The ancient Lud
Gate, which originally spanned the thoroughfare called Lud-
gate-hill, was removed in 1760, at the solicitation of the in-
habitants of Farringdon Within or Farringdon Without,
having been found a serious obstruction even to the compa-
ratively small traffic of those days. At the present time a
viaduct crossing this crowded thoroughfare must be far more
productive of injury to trade, inconvenience, annoyance,
and datia-er, and will greatly disfigure this portion of the
Cofity. St, Ipt:wuli,llanshauwt
iolluet
fffreocmtuaplulyblpicrevvieewnt the
wnoidbeleniCnagtheefdtrhael
street at any future tiiue, From the already crowded state
of Ludgate-hill and the steepness of its descent accidents
are of frequent occurrence
;but the company proposing,
as it does, to obtain powers to permanently close all other
streets, roads, and alleys running east and west for a consi
increase the traffic in this thoroughfare
may be expected that the railway will
still
iabfaler
further largely
it
ely
while the lowness of the viaduct will bring
passinge trains
and engines so close to the heads of the horses-
augmentation of danger to life and property may dreexa_
pected. On the other hand, it is the opinion of competent
authorities, including Mr. Tite, that the proposed viaduct
is wholly unnecessary, and that the railway may be con-
veyed with ease, and at an inconsiderable addition to the
cost of the undertaking, under Ludgate-hill by means of a

unnel.
We have the honour to be, my Lord,
Your Lordship's most humble and
Most obedient servants,
F. K. GLOVER,

(Signed)

JOHN GRAHAM,
CHAS. SAMUELS,
J. W. BENSON,
HENRY GILBERTSON,
GEORGE ROUTLEDGE,
THOS. TRELOAR, Hon Sec.,
Committee for the Preservation of Ludgate-hill.
Committee-room, 12, Ludgate-street, E.C.,
April 27, 1863.
I

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