Recent from talks
Stockport Viaduct
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Stockport Viaduct
Stockport Viaduct, alternatively known as the Edgeley Viaduct, carries the West Coast Main Line (WCML) across the valley of the River Mersey in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England (grid reference SJ89089030). It is one of the largest brick structures in the United Kingdom and a major structure of the early railway age. It is immediately north of Stockport railway station.
The viaduct was designed by George W. Buck in consultation with the architect John Lowe for the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR). Work began in March 1839 and despite its scale and flooding from the Mersey, the viaduct was completed in December 1840 and services commenced the same month. Roughly 11 million bricks were used in its construction; at the time of its completion, it was the world's largest viaduct and a major feat of engineering. The viaduct is 33.85 metres (111.1 ft) high. Since March 1975, Stockport Viaduct has been a Grade II* listed structure; it remains one of the world's biggest brick structures.
Several alterations have been made to the viaduct, in the late 1880s it was widened to accommodate four tracks by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). In the 1960s, overhead catenary lines were installed by British Rail for the West Coast Main Line electrification scheme. In the second half of the 20th century, the M60 motorway was built, passing through two of the viaduct's arches between Junction 1 (A5145 road) and Junction 27 (Portwood Roundabout). The viaduct has been subject to renovation and remedial repairs over the years.
Stockport Viaduct was built to carry the Manchester and Birmingham Railway across the valley of the River Mersey at Stockport. The viaduct was designed by the engineer George W. Buck in consultation with the architect John Lowe. On 31 October 1838, the company's directors met to choose contractors from tenders that had been submitted. The contractors chosen were John Tomkinson and Samuel and John Holme and the work was overseen by the resident engineer W. Adams and subsequently by W. H. Perkins.
The plans for the viaduct differed from what was actually constructed, particularly in terms of its height. It was planned to be 23.8 metres (78 ft) high, but raised after it was realised that it would save £50,000 across the whole line. The viaduct stands 33.8 metres (111 ft) above the bed of the Mersey, is 546.2 metres (1,792 ft) long and as built, was 9.4 metres (31 ft) wide. The engine house of Wear Mill, built in 1831, was on the line of the railway and the viaduct was built over it by constructing the piers on either side of it.
On 10 March 1839, the viaduct's foundation stone was laid. At the peak of construction, around 600 workers were employed in shifts, working day and night. It took 21 months to complete using around 11 million common bricks and 11,300 cubic metres (400,000 cu ft) of stone and cost £72,000. Construction was hindered by floods in the Mersey which washed away the viaduct's centres on a couple of occasions early on in the work. On 21 December 1840, the final stone was set, marking its completion. Scaffolding and centring used to build the arches were reused in the construction of the Dane Viaduct 15 miles (24 km) to the south.
The viaduct comprises 22 semi-circular arches with spans of 19.2 metres (63 ft) flanked by a pair of abutment arches of 5.5-metre (18 ft) span. The arch rings are 900 millimetres (35 in) thick. The arches and spandrels are built of red brick set in lime mortar with ashlar spring courses. The deck parapets are 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) high. The distance between the arch crowns and the top of the parapets is 3.6 metres (12 ft). The red-brick piers are 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick and 12.2 metres (40 ft) high. They are solid up to 7.9 metres (26 ft) above the springings above which they have 685-millimetre (27 in) thick walls filled with ballast. The piers at the abutments have rusticated facings. The original trackbed was 8.7 metres (29 ft) wide, ballasted with sandstone taken from cuttings along the railway. The track is drained via 100-millimetre (3.9 in) diameter iron pipes through the piers.
The Manchester–Stockport line was officially opened on 4 June 1840, but the viaduct was not completed until 21 December 1840. On 16 July 1841, the first train crossed the viaduct and it opened to rail traffic on 10 August 1842, enabling through services to Crewe and facilitating travel to London.
Hub AI
Stockport Viaduct AI simulator
(@Stockport Viaduct_simulator)
Stockport Viaduct
Stockport Viaduct, alternatively known as the Edgeley Viaduct, carries the West Coast Main Line (WCML) across the valley of the River Mersey in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England (grid reference SJ89089030). It is one of the largest brick structures in the United Kingdom and a major structure of the early railway age. It is immediately north of Stockport railway station.
The viaduct was designed by George W. Buck in consultation with the architect John Lowe for the Manchester and Birmingham Railway (M&BR). Work began in March 1839 and despite its scale and flooding from the Mersey, the viaduct was completed in December 1840 and services commenced the same month. Roughly 11 million bricks were used in its construction; at the time of its completion, it was the world's largest viaduct and a major feat of engineering. The viaduct is 33.85 metres (111.1 ft) high. Since March 1975, Stockport Viaduct has been a Grade II* listed structure; it remains one of the world's biggest brick structures.
Several alterations have been made to the viaduct, in the late 1880s it was widened to accommodate four tracks by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). In the 1960s, overhead catenary lines were installed by British Rail for the West Coast Main Line electrification scheme. In the second half of the 20th century, the M60 motorway was built, passing through two of the viaduct's arches between Junction 1 (A5145 road) and Junction 27 (Portwood Roundabout). The viaduct has been subject to renovation and remedial repairs over the years.
Stockport Viaduct was built to carry the Manchester and Birmingham Railway across the valley of the River Mersey at Stockport. The viaduct was designed by the engineer George W. Buck in consultation with the architect John Lowe. On 31 October 1838, the company's directors met to choose contractors from tenders that had been submitted. The contractors chosen were John Tomkinson and Samuel and John Holme and the work was overseen by the resident engineer W. Adams and subsequently by W. H. Perkins.
The plans for the viaduct differed from what was actually constructed, particularly in terms of its height. It was planned to be 23.8 metres (78 ft) high, but raised after it was realised that it would save £50,000 across the whole line. The viaduct stands 33.8 metres (111 ft) above the bed of the Mersey, is 546.2 metres (1,792 ft) long and as built, was 9.4 metres (31 ft) wide. The engine house of Wear Mill, built in 1831, was on the line of the railway and the viaduct was built over it by constructing the piers on either side of it.
On 10 March 1839, the viaduct's foundation stone was laid. At the peak of construction, around 600 workers were employed in shifts, working day and night. It took 21 months to complete using around 11 million common bricks and 11,300 cubic metres (400,000 cu ft) of stone and cost £72,000. Construction was hindered by floods in the Mersey which washed away the viaduct's centres on a couple of occasions early on in the work. On 21 December 1840, the final stone was set, marking its completion. Scaffolding and centring used to build the arches were reused in the construction of the Dane Viaduct 15 miles (24 km) to the south.
The viaduct comprises 22 semi-circular arches with spans of 19.2 metres (63 ft) flanked by a pair of abutment arches of 5.5-metre (18 ft) span. The arch rings are 900 millimetres (35 in) thick. The arches and spandrels are built of red brick set in lime mortar with ashlar spring courses. The deck parapets are 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) high. The distance between the arch crowns and the top of the parapets is 3.6 metres (12 ft). The red-brick piers are 3 metres (9.8 ft) thick and 12.2 metres (40 ft) high. They are solid up to 7.9 metres (26 ft) above the springings above which they have 685-millimetre (27 in) thick walls filled with ballast. The piers at the abutments have rusticated facings. The original trackbed was 8.7 metres (29 ft) wide, ballasted with sandstone taken from cuttings along the railway. The track is drained via 100-millimetre (3.9 in) diameter iron pipes through the piers.
The Manchester–Stockport line was officially opened on 4 June 1840, but the viaduct was not completed until 21 December 1840. On 16 July 1841, the first train crossed the viaduct and it opened to rail traffic on 10 August 1842, enabling through services to Crewe and facilitating travel to London.
Recent media