Brandon Viaduct (also known as Wolston Viaduct or the Avon Viaduct) is a railway

viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide va ...

crossing the River Avon between the villages of Brandon and Wolston in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. It carries the

Birmingham Loop Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

line and is roughly half way between Rugby and

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...

. The bridge was built in around 1835 for the

London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The railway line which the company opened in 1838, bet ...

and is now a grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

Description

The viaduct is comparatively low but lengthy. It separates the adjacent villages of Brandon and Wolston, which are on either side of the railway. It crosses the River Avon and its flood plain, also spanning the road between the two villages. It consists of fifteen arches—nine semi-elliptical arches spanning and three span ancillary arches on each side. Two of the ancillary arches on the western side have been bricked up and are partially covered by an

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 ...

. The bridge was built from brick but faced with

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

. The arches have stepped

voussoir A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault. Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...

s and an

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinati ...

-moulded (serpentine) cornice with a brick

soffit A soffit is an exterior or interior architectural feature, generally the horizontal, aloft underside of any construction element. Its archetypal form, sometimes incorporating or implying the projection of beams, is the underside of eaves (to ...

projecting from below the parapet. The piers between each arch taper as they rise. The piers between the ancillary arches and the large ones are wider and terminate in octagonal caps.

History

The bridge was built for the

(LBR's), whose chief engineer was

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson FRS HFRSE FRSA DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of his father. ...

. Construction began in 1835 and the bridge was complete in 1837 for the opening of the railway in 1838. It is still in use, now owned by

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

as part of the

. The bridge is one of the scenes depicted in

John Cooke Bourne John Cooke Bourne (1 September 1814 – February 1896) was a British artist, engraver and photographer,John Hannavy (2013) ''Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography.''. p. 196. best known for his lithographs showing the construction of the ...

's ''Series of Lithographic Drawings on the London and Birmingham Railway'', published in 1838. It was designated a grade II

on 25 August 1987 for its historical or architectural interest. A short distance to the west of the viaduct was the former Brandon and Wolston railway station, which was opened in 1838, and closed in 1960. The bridge is of a similar design to

Wolverton Viaduct Wolverton Viaduct is a railway bridge carrying the West Coast Main Line over the River Great Ouse to the north of Wolverton, part of the City of Milton Keynes, in south-eastern England. Built in 1837 for the London and Birmingham Railway under the ...

, also built by the London and Birmingham, closer to London. Much of the LBR's route has been significantly altered in modernisation schemes but the three major viaducts between Rugby and Coventry—Brandon Viaduct, the

Sowe Viaduct The Sowe Viaduct is a railway bridge on the Birmingham Loop line crossing the River Sowe at the south-eastern edge of Coventry in central England. Built in 1838, it is a Grade II listed building. Description The bridge carries the Birmingham Loop ...

, and the

Sherbourne Viaduct The Sherbourne Viaduct is a railway bridge that carries the Birmingham Loop line across the River Sherbourne in Coventry, central England. Built in 1838, it is a grade II listed building. Description The Sherbourne Viaduct is located to the south ...

(also depicted by Bourne)—remain largely as-built. The Avon viaduct on the London and Birmingham railway.jpg, Period drawing of the viaduct from 1839 Brandon Viaduct, Warwickshire 05.jpg, The viaduct crossing the road Brandon Viaduct, Warwickshire 10.jpg, The viaduct crossing the Avon.

References

{{reflist Grade II listed bridges in Warwickshire Railway bridges in England Bridges completed in 1835 London and Birmingham Railway

Description

History

See also

References