Photograph of Ladycroft railway bridge, on the Mid-Hants Railway, taken about 1865.
The Mid-Hants Railway opened in 1865 linking Alton with the London and South Western Railway line from London to Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth just north of Winchester. Ladycroft bridge lies immediately west of Alresford, a principal station on this line and an important centre for the production of watercress which was largely transported by rail.
The line was scheduled for closure under the Beeching Report of 1963, but continued to operate for another ten years. Nowadays a steam railway, known as ‘The Watercress Line’, runs between Alton and Alresford.
Image © Hampshire Cultural Trust