Flush Bracket 26: Appleford Railway Bridge   

Flush Bracket on foundation of railway bridge over River Thames [2GL]; foundation of railway bridge over River Thames, 1.8m from E side of new viaduct, N side of river.

Location
Grid reference: SU 5269 9419.
Landranger 164: Oxford, Chipping Norton & Bicester.
Landranger 174: Newbury & Wantage, Hungerford & Didcot.
Structure: Bridge.
Waypoint: FB26.

Neighbouring Flush Brackets

G3643	Culham, Railway Hotel 1.07km to the north.
G3644	Culham College 1.79km to the northwest.
27	Culham Lock Bridge 1.96km to the west.
25	Clifton Hampden, Clifton Lock 2.06km to the east.
G3642	Long Wittenham, The Vine 2.10km to the east.

The nearest fundamental bench mark is Wallingford, 11.49km to the southeast.

Second Geodetic Levelling, England & Wales (1912-21)
This flush bracket was used during the Second geodetic levelling, England & Wales, and was levelled with a height of 165.3520 feet [50.3993 metres] above mean sea level (Newlyn datum). It was included on the Wallingford to Buckland levelling line. The surveyor's description was Flush Bracket on foundation of railway bridge over River Thames.

Logged Visits
Logged on 24th February 2007 by lackofluke. Condition: Good.
Last time I was here, the mistake I made was to look on the bridge. It's not on the bridge itself. dal has made an excellent job of clearing away the brambles; the FB is clear and easy to spot from the footpath.

Logged on 17th February 2007 by dal. Condition: Good.
Success. I went prepared with secateurs and trowel. I didn't need the latter. As I cleared the brambles, the FB emerged reasonably high on the wall. N side of river, N side of footpath, E side of railway, S facing on the retaining wall to the east of the bridge, just under 2 m from the bridge. The carved BM 49 FT on the buttress dividng the footpath is a red herring.

Logged on 18th March 2006 by lackofluke. Condition: Couldn't find it.
Agree with dal. There's no shortage of spoil piled up around the bridge, under which the FB may well be hiding. Description doesn't say which side of the bridge the FB should be on, but the GR seems to imply the east side. This is also the side with the 'BM 49 FT' inscription seen by dal.

Logged on 4th December 2005 by dal. Condition: Couldn't find it.
Couldn't find it. Railway bridge well used. BM 49 FT carved in stone, with a chalk arrow pointing underground. There has been significant work on the river bank (which carries the Thames Path) in the last few decades. Possibly buried? Note at 165.352ft it is higher than the neighbouring BMs at Clifton (159.020ft) and Culham (162.920ft)