Spon End Viaduct

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Spon End Viaduct
Coventry -River Sherbourne -Spon End arches-1Oct2008.jpg
The viaduct as it crosses the Sherbourne; the join between the rebuilt and original arches can be seen on the right
Coordinates 52°24′30″N1°31′41″W / 52.40840°N 1.52796°W / 52.40840; -1.52796 Coordinates: 52°24′30″N1°31′41″W / 52.40840°N 1.52796°W / 52.40840; -1.52796
Carries Coventry–Nuneaton line
Crosses River Sherbourne
Locale Spon End, Coventry, England
Maintained by Network Rail
Heritage statusLocally listed
Characteristics
MaterialStone, brick
Total length0.25 mi (0.40 km)
No. of spans28
History
Opened1850
Location
Spon End Viaduct

Spon End Viaduct is a railway bridge which spans the River Sherbourne in Spon End, just west of the city centre of Coventry in central England.

Contents

Description and history

The viaduct is just north of Coventry station on the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line. It spans the River Sherbourne and its flat valley as it passes through Spon End, a suburb just to the west of Coventry city centre. Construction started in 1848 and the line opened in 1850. The viaduct is a quarter of a mile (0.4 kilometres) long and consists of 28 arches, each with a 48 feet (15 metres) span. In 1857, 23 of the arches collapsed. The collapse was blamed on shoddy workmanship and poor quality materials. The collapsed section was rebuilt but the line was not able to reopen until October 1860. Not all of the viaduct was rebuilt, as part of the original viaduct was deemed to be good enough to be reused. [1] [2] An act of parliament had to be sought to authorise the reconstruction works. In the meantime, Coundon Road became the temporary terminus of the line. [3] The stone for the original arches may have been from a lineside quarry near Coundon Road station, which is just north of the viaduct. The rebuilt arches were in blue engineering brick and joined on to the remaining stone arches. The height and width of the arches make the viaduct a prominent local landmark. It is on Coventry City Council's register of locally listed buildings and forms part of the Spon End conservation area, which was declared in 2003. [4]

George Demidowicz, in an architectural history of Coventry, compared the viaduct to the Coat of Arms Bridge to the south on the line to Leamington Spa. He described the viaduct as "on a very different scale" and dominating Spon End, which is otherwise characterised by some of Coventry's few remaining medieval buildings. [5]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "The City of Coventry: Communications". British History Online . Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  2. ↑ "Mishaps Spon End Arches, Coventry: lnwr190". Warwickshire Railways. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Maggs, Colin G. (2011). The Branch Lines of Warwickshire. Stroud: Amberley. p. 38. ISBN   9781848683464.
  4. ↑ "Spon End Viaduct". Heritage Gateway. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Demidowicz, George (2003). A Guide to the Buildings of Coventry. Stroud: The History Press. pp. 96–97. ISBN   9780752431154.
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