Up a bit? Down a bit? Lower the road, don’t raise the bridge!

They caused a bit of a traffic jam, with the flow controlled by a temporary traffic light (just red for stop and green for go in those days). An 18c bus on its way to Hockliffe is about to pass through.

The bridge was dominated for many years by the advertisement for Lucas batteries, which had permanent lettering fixed to its span. Other signs refer to those popular beverages of the 1950s – cocoa and Double Diamond.

The bridge enabled trains from Luton to cross over the Watling Street to reach Dunstable North railway station and perhaps continue past Sewell and Stanbridgeford on the way to Leighton Buzzard.

As lorries (and buses) became taller, the road had to be lowered to enable traffic to squeeze under the bridge. Today, with the railway closed and the bridge demolished, just the dip in the road remains.

> Yesteryear is compiled by John Buckledee, chairman of Dunstable and District Local History Society.