If Napoleon had invaded Britian, where would the Royal family and Government decamped to?
Weedon Bec of course.
Which is why the fabulous Weeden Ordnance depot exists. Eight brick warehouses set around a branch from the Grand Union Canal. I'm stood on a bridge in front of the pavilion - from here the canal carried on to the main canal with the entrance protected by a portcullis.
Bonepart not making it to Britian, the fithy Frenchie being defeated a year before the building work was completed, the site has been used by various branches of the military until the 1980s and is now being converted to industrial units. Grade II listing means these fine buildings cannot be demolished and so will remain a prominent feature on the landscape forever.
Obviously canals are great but once railways appeared on the scene, a connection from the London to Birmingham line was desirable. The exact date this took place is unclear but appears to be around 1890. Both standard and narrow gauge lines ran around the site.
Put simply, this has terrific layout potential. It's a big site but built large enough, ought to provide plenty of operation. The buildings are attractive and for the most part - intact. There is security so I didn't explore other than to take the photo at the top (click for a bigger version).
The best on-line history I can find is this PDF from the council.
Subterrainia Britianica has more photos and history
More information about the insides of the warehouses here.
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