Holborn Viaduct is a road bridge in
London and the name of the street which crosses it (which forms part of the
A40 route). It links
Holborn, via
Holborn Circus
Holborn Circus is a five-way junction at the western extreme of the City of London, specifically between Holborn (St Andrew) and its Hatton Garden (St Alban) part. Its main, east–west, route is the inchoate A40 road. It was designed by the en ...
, with Newgate Street, in the
City of London financial district, passing over Farringdon Street and the subterranean
River Fleet. The viaduct spans the steep-sided Holborn Hill and the River Fleet valley at a length of and wide. City surveyor
William Haywood was the architect and the engineer was
Rowland Mason Ordish
Rowland Mason Ordish (11 April 1824 – 1886) was an English engineer. He is most noted for his design of the Winter Garden, Dublin (1865), for his detailed work on the single-span roof of London's St Pancras railway station, undertaken with Wil ...
.
History
Holborn Viaduct was built between 1863 and 1869, as a part of the Holborn Valley Improvements, which included a
public works scheme which, at a cost of over £2.5 million (over £ in ), improved access into the City from the
West End, with better traffic flow and distribution around the new Holborn Circus, the creation of
Queen Victoria Street, the rebuilding of
Blackfriars Bridge
Blackfriars Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge, carrying the A201 road. The north end is in the City of London near the Inns of Court and Temple Ch ...
, the opening of the
Embankment
Embankment may refer to:
Geology and geography
* A levee, an artificial bank raised above the immediately surrounding land to redirect or prevent flooding by a river, lake or sea
* Embankment (earthworks), a raised bank to carry a road, railway ...
section into the City, the continuation of Farringdon Street as
Farringdon Road
Farringdon Road is a road in Clerkenwell, London.
Route
Farringdon Road is part of the A201 route connecting King's Cross to Elephant and Castle. It goes southeast from King's Cross, crossing Rosebery Avenue, then turns south, crossing ...
and associated railway routes with
Farringdon station
Farringdon is a London Underground and connected main line National Rail station in Clerkenwell, central London. The station is in the London Borough of Islington, just outside the boundary of the City of London. Opened in 1863 as the terminu ...
and
Ludgate Hill station. It was opened by
Queen Victoria at the same time as the inauguration of the other thoroughfares with a formal coach drive procession on 6 November 1869.
The viaduct effected a more level approach on the crossing of this section of the
Holborn/Fleet valley from east to west, across Farringdon Street. Previously this involved horse-drawn traffic having to descend from High Holborn along
Charterhouse Street
Charterhouse Street is a street on the north side of Smithfield in the City of London. The road forms part of the City’s boundary with the neighbouring London Boroughs of Islington and Camden. It connects Charterhouse Square and Holborn Circ ...
to the smaller Holborn Bridge, crossing the
River Fleet which had been culverted between
Ludgate Circus to this crossing in 1734 to ascend to the other side using
Snow Hill; it was one of the first modern
flyovers in central London.
["A Dictionary of London", by Henry A Harben, published 1918, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63171]
Pedestrian access between the two street levels was effected via four pavilions, at each side and either end, containing staircases for access from the viaduct to Farringdon Street below; with their parapets adorned with figurative statues to represent
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
and
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
on the south side, both by sculptor Henry Bursill, with
science and
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork. ...
on the north side, by the sculpture firm
Farmer & Brindley; there are also statues of
lord mayors
William Walworth
Sir William Walworth (died 1385) was an English nobleman and politician who was twice Lord Mayor of London (1374–75 and 1380–81). He is best known for killing Wat Tyler during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.
Political career
His family cam ...
and
Henry Fitz-Ailwin. In 1941
the Blitz raids destroyed and damaged most of the area including the north side pavilions; these were copied and reinstated with associated property developments in 2000 (western) and 2014 (eastern), including lifts.
Holborn Viaduct railway station, opened on 2 March 1874, was at the eastern end with a low-level through route towards Farringdon, and was replaced in 1990 by
St. Paul's Thameslink railway station (later renamed City Thameslink).
In 1882, 57 Holborn Viaduct, on the north-eastern side, became home to the world's first coal-fired power station, the
Edison Electric Light Station
Holborn Viaduct power station, named the Edison Electric Light Station, was the world's first coal-fired power station generating electricity for public use. It was built at number 57 Holborn Viaduct in central London, by Thomas Edison's Edison ...
, operational from 1882 to 1886. The building in which it was housed was destroyed by bombing during the Blitz, and the large building called 60 Holborn Viaduct has since subsumed the site.
See also
*
List of bridges in London
List of bridges in London lists the major bridges within Greater London or within the influence of London. Most of these are river crossings, and the best-known are those across the River Thames. Several bridges on other rivers have given thei ...
References
*
*
{{Coord, 51, 31, 01.91, N, 0, 06, 18.25, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Streets in the City of London
Bridges in the City of London
Viaducts in England
Buildings and structures in Holborn
Grade II listed buildings in the City of London
Grade II listed bridges in London