Handwritten letter from Henry Blandford to the Commissioners of the Melksham Turnpike

To the Commissioners of the Melksham Turnpike

Gentlemen
Herewith you will receive my Plan & Section of the intended deviation of the Turnpike by the Wilts Somerset & Weymouth Railway Company.
The Plan shows that altho the bend in the new is greater than in the present line the difference is not so great as to make the alternative objectionable.
The Section shows that an embankment towards Melksham of 1 in 30 would have the effect of filling against the group of Cottages No 4 to the height of 2 feet at the Bath end and 9 inches towards Melksham - I do not see any objection to this as a marked wall may be run along side the Cottages to prevent injury from damp and as
your agreement with the Railway Company is that they should comply with the consolidation clauses act if no obstacle is presented by the position of the buildings, I think it advisable you should call on the Company to build the Wall and carry out the
embankment to 1 in 30. - Knapps House and the old [underlined] group of Cottages marked No 3 will not be injured. -
I have made my calculations as I [underlined] could obtain no positive [underlined] information on the assumption that the level of the railway will be that of the present Turnpike Road at the point of crossing and that it will be necessary to give 18 feet between the railway level and that of the Turnpike road at the crown of the Arch - should this supposition be erroneous it will affect the whole subject either beneficially or injuriously in proportion th the extent of my error but I think I am correct in my assumption.
I am Gentlemen
Yours very respectfully
Henry Blandford
Poulshot July 18th 1846