I am vice-chairman of The Friends Of Hockley Viaduct. I received a telephone call from the chairman, Julia Sandison to go to the viaduct as reports that it had been vandalised. Since the railway line crossing it had been closed in 1964, the viaduct soon became derelict. Plans were made to demolish it by offering the army the chance to blow it up as an exercise but public opinion and the refusal of the army to take up the offer led to the viaduct laying moribund.

Eventually, it was decided by various authorities to restore this historic structure. Funds were raised by Winchester City Council, Hampshire County Council, Sustrans - who used closed railways as footpaths and cycleways - and the South Downs National Park, together with The Friends. The Friends installed plaques explaining its history and the council created signs describing what can be seen from view points from the viaduct. It has been much used since restoration by walkers, runners and cyclists.

My visit revealed graffiti covering the walks but the damage to the signal was the major concern. Donated by Network Rail, it arrived without the red & green aspects. It took the Friends 18 months to source replacements and another two years because of Covid-19 to get the spectacles installed. Now, someone has used a catapult or stone to cause a large crack in the green one.

You can imagine after all the hard work the Friends have done over the years how disappointed we are. From what remains of our meagre funds we will have to pay to get the graffiti removed but to get a replacement green aspect will be more difficult. 

Rod Youngman,

Cromwell Road, 

Stanmore,

Winchester