Building record 7867/1/3 - Welland Viaduct

Railway viaduct, built 1877-79, by John Underwood. The viaduct has 82 arches, each with a 14 metre span, and over 20 million bricks were used in its construction. For the Kettering to Manton branch of the Midland Railway Company. Part of the viaduct lies in Seaton, Rutland and part in Harringworth, Northants

{1} Railway viaduct. 1876-1878. For the Kettering to Manton branch of the Midland Railway Company. Blue Staffordshire brick, part repaired in red brick, with red brick parapet. An impressive row of 82 tall semi-circular arches on piers, articulated at varying intervals by plain pilasters. Inner faces of piers each have two recessed panels. Parapet has stone coping and rests on corbelled stone string. Once every three arches there is a projecting parapet pier on corbelled panel. Piers 60-82 are in Seaton parish; remainder are in Harringworth parish, Northamptonshire. The viaduct is an imposing landmark sweeping right across the Welland valley.

{4} Midland Railway, Welland Viaduct. Built by John Underwood in 1876. Blue and red brick, 82 segmented arches on tall piers.

{6} At 1166 m. (1275 yds) this is the longest viaduct in Britain. It was built in 1879 by the Midland Railway as part of a new route between London and Nottingham, avoiding Leicester. With 82 arches each 12 m. (40 ft.) wide it makes a dramatic impact on the landscape as it strides across the broad valley of the river Welland. List of additional sources.

{7} Built in the late 1870s by the Midland Railway to connect Kettering and Manton across the valley of the River Welland and thus provide an alternative route from St Pancras to Nottingham. Line still used by freight traffic and occasional diversions. At 1275 yards long, the longest masonry viaduct across a valley in Britain. It has 82 arches, each 12m wide, and at its highest is 18m from parapet to ground. Built of blue brick reportedly manufactured on site, although much of the repair work is red brick. One third of its length is in the adjacent county of Rutland

{8} Undated photo;

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 3+11/118 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), G11 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN41470.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> RICHARDS, 1984, NATIONAL TRUST BOOK OF BRIDGES, p. 129 (Note). SNN48126.

<5> RCHME, 1993, RECORDING FORM, (unchecked) (Note). SNN60626.

<6> 2011, Our Transport Heritage - Heritage Locations - Harringworth, (checked) (Website). SNN107384.

<7> Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group, 2001, A Guide To The Industrial Heritage Of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Gazetteer). SNN104759.

<8> Photographs of buildings in Harringworth (Photographs). SNN112529.

<9> Historic England, Undated, England's Landscapes, Object No: BF110930 (Archive). SNN114508.

<10> Historic England, WELLAND VIADUCT, 2K/07180 (Archive). SNN115313.

Record last edited

Jul 19 2023 12:31PM