M45 - Water Tower?

[echokilo]

Does anyone know the history of the red brick tower beside the M45 near Kilsbury in Northamptonshire please?

TIA

[Mr Veritas]

I think you may mean Kilsby(?)
If so then the only "water tower" I can see(from Google aerial maps) is what looks like a small stumpy castle tower(with battlements)?
From the air this appears to be a vent of some kind,I would imagine for the railway,although of course it could vent any number of things.

[ChuckFickens]

if you look on google maps and find the one next to the m45 and then follow a line approx south east from it you will firstly see a smaller vent and then the enterance to a railway tunnel.

If you then follow a line north west from the tower you will find a second vent and then a bit further the other end of the tunnel

which would seem to suggest mr V is correct and they are vents for the tunnel.

http://maps.google.co...397,0.027165&t=h&z=15

[ChuckFickens]

in fact following the line properly there are two large vent towers and about 5 smaller ones that can be seen

[Mr Veritas]

Further investigation has proved it to be a vent abpve the Kilsby Tunnel on the
London and Birmingham Railway
See here:~
http://www.google.co....bv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

[Mr Veritas]

Sorry just scroll down to the bottom for the details and picture.

[echokilo]

Yes, I did mean Kilsby - more haste less speed!! Very grand for a railway vent - but very interesting - thanks for taking the time to reply both of you - it's much appreciated - have driven past it lots of times and now the mystery is solved - don't you came across anything saying how old it is?

[Mr Veritas]

According to this page from Wikipedia:~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilsby_Tunnel
The tunnel was opened in 1838,so I imagine the vents date from then too?
This site (though short) does have a very drmatic painting(?) of work in the tunnel,with sunlight coming down one of the vents!
http://www.spartacus....et.co.uk/RAkilsby.htm

[sddsddean]

I used to live in Kilsby and if I remember correctly, there are 3 of the 'castle' vents and 4 normal vents. The tunnel was the biggest civil engineering work to date at the time of construction. It was the first mainline railway tunnel over 2 miles long and the first civil engineering project to use steam power (to work the de - watering pumps). There was a massive camp for the navvies and many times soldiers from the garrison at Weedon (about 5 miles south down what is now the A5) were called in to restore order. They are stories, but no actual proof, that when drunk, the navvies would cahllenge each other to jump across the big 'castle' vents ....about 70 feet!! Robert Stephenson had a house in Kilsby and to this day there is a model of the portal of the tunnel in the front garden. Its about 3 feet high and 4 feet wide.

[echokilo]

Really fascinating - thanks - will have a look for his house next time I am there x

[sddsddean]

http://maps.google.co...ujQ&cbp=12,15.16,,0,5

This is 'hopefully' the link to the streetview of his house. On the left side the white thing like a mantlepiece is the model portal.