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Railway across the battlefield

It was near here on Monday 22 August 1485 that Richard III lost his life and crown in favour of Henry VII. However at that time the bridge shown here did not exist as the Ashby & Nuneaton Railway, jointly owned by the Midland and London & North Western companies, was only built in 1873, although the Ashby Canal that it crosses had opened in 1804. Most of the decking of the bridge, which carried a double-track railway is in a parlous state but a strip along the right-hand side has been redecked and forms an entry to Bosworth Field from the canal towpath. Normal passenger services over this line were withdrawn on 13 April 1931, though some excursion trains ran for several years afterwards.