Corby Viaduct | |
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Coordinates | 54°53′08″N2°49′26″W / 54.885534°N 2.823778°W Coordinates: 54°53′08″N2°49′26″W / 54.885534°N 2.823778°W |
Carries | Tyne Valley line |
Crosses | Corby Beck |
Locale | Great Corby, Cumbria, England |
Maintained by | Network Rail |
Heritage status | Grade II listed building |
Characteristics | |
Material | Red sandstone |
Height | 23 metres (75 ft) |
No. of spans | 7 |
History | |
Constructed by | Francis Giles |
Construction start | 1830 |
Construction end | 1834 |
Location | |
Corby Viaduct is a railway bridge built to carry the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway over the Corby Beck near Great Corby, in the parish of Wetheral, to the east of Carlisle in north-western England. One of the largest structures on the route, it is a grade II listed building. [1]
The idea of linking Newcastle upon Tyne on England's east coast with Carlisle on the west dates back to at least the 1770s, when proposals were tabled for a canal. The prospectus for the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway was published in 1825 and construction work began in 1829 under the supervision of Francis Giles. [2] The line was one of the earliest mainline railways and Britain's first major east-west line. [3]
Giles was the consulting engineer for the entire line but was also directly responsible for the principal works at the western end, which presented some of the greatest engineering challenges on the route, including Corby Viaduct as well as the next feature on the line, the Corby Bridge (or Wetheral Viaduct, which crosses the River Eden), and the Gelt Bridge further east. [2]
The viaduct crosses Corby Beck on seven red sandstone arches, supported by six piers. The arches have a span of 13 metres (43 feet) each and the whole structure is 160 metres (520 feet) long, carrying the railway 23 metres (75 feet) above the valley floor. The viaduct has similar architectural details to the nearby Corby Bridge (Wetheral Viaduct). It crosses the entrance drive to Corby Castle and was used as an entrance to the castle; the coat of arms of the Howard family are carved into the both faces of the central arch. [1] [4] [5]
The bridge was built from 1830 to 1834. The road to Corby Castle is now disused and much overgrown. Vegetation makes the viaduct largely inaccessible at ground level. [3] The viaduct is a grade II listed building. The list entry describes it as "an early and important railway structure, forming an impressive landscape feature". [1]
Wetheral is a railway station on the Tyne Valley Line, which runs between Newcastle and Carlisle via Hexham. The station, situated 4 miles 7 chains east of Carlisle, serves the villages of Great Corby and Wetheral, City of Carlisle in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Welland Viaduct, Harringworth Viaduct or Seaton Viaduct, crosses the valley of the River Welland between Harringworth in Northamptonshire and Seaton in Rutland, England.
Great Corby is a village in northern Cumbria, England, above the eastern bank of a wooded gorge on the River Eden. Directly across the river from Great Corby is the village of Wetheral. The two villages are linked by a railway viaduct. This is on the Tyne Valley Line from Newcastle to Carlisle, which passes to the north of the village. The railway station at Wetheral is accessible to residents of Great Corby by a pedestrian footpath attached to the railway viaduct.
The Alston Line was a 13-mile (21 km) single-track branch line, which linked Haltwhistle in Northumberland with Alston in Cumbria.
Smardale is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waitby, in the Eden district, in Cumbria, England. In 1891 the parish had a population of 36.
Handyside Bridge, also known as Derwent Bridge, is a former railway bridge in Darley Abbey, Derbyshire, England which was converted to a foot bridge in 1976 following closure of the railway in 1968.
Corby Bridge is a railway viaduct adjacent to and immediately east of Wetheral railway station at Wetheral, near Carlisle, in north-western England, begun in 1830 and completed in 1834. It is 920 feet (280 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) high, and has been a grade I listed building since 1 April 1957.
The Newcastle & Carlisle Railway (N&CR) was an English railway company formed in 1825 that built a line from Newcastle upon Tyne on Britain's east coast, to Carlisle, on the west coast. The railway began operating mineral trains in 1834 between Blaydon and Hexham, and passengers were carried for the first time the following year. The rest of the line opened in stages, completing a through route between Carlisle and Gateshead, south of the River Tyne in 1837. The directors repeatedly changed their intentions for the route at the eastern end of the line, but finally a line was opened from Scotswood to a Newcastle terminal in 1839. That line was extended twice, reaching the new Newcastle Central Station in 1851.
Dinting Viaduct is a 19th-century railway viaduct in Glossopdale in Derbyshire, England, that carries the Glossop Line over a valley at the village of Dinting. It crosses the Glossop Brook and the A57 road between Manchester and Sheffield.
Broadbottom Viaduct is a railway viaduct that spans the River Etherow between Derbyshire and Greater Manchester in England. Originally of wooden construction supported by stone piers, the timber was replaced first with wrought iron box girders, less than 20 years after the viaduct's opening, later followed by steel trusses and more supporting piers.
The Nene Viaduct is a railway bridge immediately south of Peterborough railway station in Cambridgeshire, Eastern England. It was built to carry the Great Northern Railway across the River Nene. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The Chappel Viaduct is a railway viaduct that crosses the River Colne in the Colne Valley in Essex, England. It carries the Gainsborough Line which now is a short branch linking Marks Tey in Essex to Sudbury in Suffolk. The line previously, however, extended to Shelford in Cambridgeshire.
Wetheral is a civil parish in the Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It contains 104 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, eleven are listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, five are at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish is to the east of the city of Carlisle, and it contains the villages of Wetheral, Great Corby, Cumwhinton, Scotby, Warwick-on-Eden, Warwick Bridge, Broadwath, Cotehill, and Aglionby, and the surrounding countryside.
The Midland Counties Railway viaduct is a disused railway viaduct at Rugby, Warwickshire, which crosses over both the A426 Rugby to Leicester road, and the River Avon to the north of Rugby town centre.
Conisbrough Viaduct is a former railway viaduct, near to Cadeby and Conisbrough in South Yorkshire, England. The viaduct consists of two sections of brick and stone on each bank, connected by a lattice girder section, some 113–116 feet (34–35 m) over the River Don. The height and space were required should shipping need to navigate along the river. The viaduct carried the Dearne Valley Railway over the River Don between 1909 and 1966, after closure it was converted into a foot and cycle path. The structure is grade II listed, and is notable for being one of the first bridges in Britain to be built using a rope system above the viaduct known as a "Blondin".
The Gelt Bridge or Gelt Viaduct is a skew arch railway viaduct in the parish of Hayton, east of Carlisle in Cumbria, north west England. Built from 1832, it is one of the earliest and largest skew bridges in Britain. It is a grade II* listed building.
Riddings Junction Viaduct is a disused cross-border railway bridge over Liddel Water between Kirkandrews, in Carlisle, north-western England, and Canonbie in Dumfries and Galloway, south-western Scotland. It is a listed building in both countries; the Scottish section is category A listed, and the English section is grade II*.
Brandon Viaduct is a railway viaduct crossing the River Avon between the villages of Brandon and Wolston in Warwickshire. It carries the Birmingham Loop line and is roughly half way between Rugby and Coventry. The bridge was built in around 1835 for the London and Birmingham Railway and is now a grade II listed building.
Mile Lane Bridge is a road-over-rail bridge in Coventry, central England. It is possibly the first use of a flying arch over a railway cutting and is a Grade II listed building.
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 supervision of Robert Stephenson, it is one of the largest and most notable structures on the route and is a grade II listed building.