Chappel
| Chappel | |
|---|---|
 St Barnabas Church |
|
 Chappel
|
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| Chappel shown within Essex | |
| Population | 506 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | TL895279 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Colchester |
| Postcode district | CO6 |
| Dialling code | 01206 2 and 01787 2 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Chappel is a village and Civil parish in the borough of Colchester, Essex which sits on the River Colne. It is famous for its Victorian viaduct, which crosses the Colne valley.
The present name of Chappel derives from the construction of a small chapel of ease, noted in 1285 AD as standing at the northern boundary of the parish of Great Tey. During the 16th century, because of concerns from Chappel residents about the distance to Great Tey's own church at festival time, this area was split from the parish and become a separate entity known as Pontisbright (lit. "Britric's bridge") that would eventually become known as Chappel.
In 1433, the vicar of Great Tey agreed that the inhabitants of Chappel could find and elect their own chaplain. The benefice itself was united with that of the neighbouring village of Wakes Colne in 1938. The chapel itself, now the parish church of St Barnabas, is a grade I listed building.
The Chappel viaduct was built between 1847 and 1849 for the Colchester and Stour extension of the Eastern Counties Railway. Originally planned to be a timber structure, the viaduct was built of locally made brick because of the additional cost of maintaining a timber structure. Approximately 600 men were involved in the construction, most of whom were local East Anglians. The cost of construction was approximately £21,000 (approximately £2.2 million in 2016 money).
The viaduct consists of 32 arches of 30 feet (9 m) span, with a total length of 1,136 feet (346 m), and a maximum height of 80 feet (24 m). The piers consist of two shafts, separated by a 6 feet (2 m) opening, and joined at top and bottom by arches; each shaft contain a hollow void 4 feet (1.2 m) by 3 feet (1 m) maximum, partially filled with concrete to the level of the bottom arch. The running level of the viaduct has a gradient of 1 in 120
The viaduct became a listed monument in 1967, and is thought to be the second-largest brick-built structure in England after Battersea Power Station.
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Wikipedia