"To Infinity and Beyond...." ( The Ouse Valley Viaduct)
This is the view from inside one end of the viaduct to the other. I have long meant to go there to take this view and as we were visiting Borde Hill garden, which is less than a mile away, today I took the opportunity
Information:
"The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a Jack arch with a semi-circular soffit to reduce the number of bricks required. At each end of the abutment is an ornamental square open tower, the brickwork of which is faced with stone from Heddon Quarries near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The viaduct was designed by engineer for the line John Urpeth Rastrick in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. It has been described as "probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain."
Work to build the ornate viaduct began shortly after an Act of Parliament was passed in July 1837 giving the London & Brighton Railway company assent to construct the line to the south coast. More than 11 million bricks were shipped across the English Channel from the Netherlands to Newhaven and Lewes. Caen stone was also brought from Normandy in France. Building materials were transported to the construction site on barges up the Ouse River Navigation.
The Brighton main line was opened in two sections because completion was delayed by the need to construct some major earthworks. The viaduct was officially opened when the section between Norwood Junction - Haywards Heath was opened on 12 July 1841. Initially there was only one track in operation. The second line along with the viaduct's ornate stone parapets and pavilions were not completed until the following year.
By 1846, the viaduct had become part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. In 1923 it became part of the Southern Railway network until nationalisation of the Big Four (British railway companies) in 1948.
Despite the structure's fine design, materials and architectural features, the viaduct has had an expensive and problematic history.
First, in the 1890s major repairs were made to the brickwork because engineers of the late Victorian era were concerned that the original lime mortar used in the viaduct's construction was inadequate. It was decided that this should be replaced with cement mortar. However, replacement facing brickwork and substandard mortar eventually caused its own failures prompting more expensive repairs. Second, as the parapets and pavilions were made from Caen stone, a high-quality limestone, they have been subject to heavy weathering. By 1956, the damage was extensive but the cost of refurbishment work was deemed too much by British Railways, the UK's nationalised rail operator.
Although by May 1983, the viaduct had been made a Grade II* listed building, its eight pavilions were in such a poor condition that some of their roofs had fallen in and internal props were required to stop them collapsing further. English Heritage refused British Rails' request to demolish the buildings. The fabric of the structure continued to deteriorate over the next decade. Stonework had begun to fall away from the balustrades and parapets.
Starting in 1996 - with grants from West Sussex County Council, Railway Heritage Trust and English Heritage - the viaduct underwent a £6.5 million renovation over seen by Railtrack. Harder wearing limestone was imported from Bordeaux to ensure the closest match with the existing Caen stone in the balustrades and pavilions. Some of the piers had to be reconstructed because of failures in the Victorian brickwork. The new bricks were handmade in a variety of sizes to suit the existing brickwork and set in a sand, cement and lime mortar. Throughout the work, one line always remained open while restoration was carried out on the other side of the viaduct. The project, which was took more than three years, was completed in September 1999."
Source: Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouse_Valley_Viaduct
"To Infinity and Beyond...." ( The Ouse Valley Viaduct)
This is the view from inside one end of the viaduct to the other. I have long meant to go there to take this view and as we were visiting Borde Hill garden, which is less than a mile away, today I took the opportunity
Information:
"The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a Jack arch with a semi-circular soffit to reduce the number of bricks required. At each end of the abutment is an ornamental square open tower, the brickwork of which is faced with stone from Heddon Quarries near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The viaduct was designed by engineer for the line John Urpeth Rastrick in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. It has been described as "probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain."
Work to build the ornate viaduct began shortly after an Act of Parliament was passed in July 1837 giving the London & Brighton Railway company assent to construct the line to the south coast. More than 11 million bricks were shipped across the English Channel from the Netherlands to Newhaven and Lewes. Caen stone was also brought from Normandy in France. Building materials were transported to the construction site on barges up the Ouse River Navigation.
The Brighton main line was opened in two sections because completion was delayed by the need to construct some major earthworks. The viaduct was officially opened when the section between Norwood Junction - Haywards Heath was opened on 12 July 1841. Initially there was only one track in operation. The second line along with the viaduct's ornate stone parapets and pavilions were not completed until the following year.
By 1846, the viaduct had become part of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. In 1923 it became part of the Southern Railway network until nationalisation of the Big Four (British railway companies) in 1948.
Despite the structure's fine design, materials and architectural features, the viaduct has had an expensive and problematic history.
First, in the 1890s major repairs were made to the brickwork because engineers of the late Victorian era were concerned that the original lime mortar used in the viaduct's construction was inadequate. It was decided that this should be replaced with cement mortar. However, replacement facing brickwork and substandard mortar eventually caused its own failures prompting more expensive repairs. Second, as the parapets and pavilions were made from Caen stone, a high-quality limestone, they have been subject to heavy weathering. By 1956, the damage was extensive but the cost of refurbishment work was deemed too much by British Railways, the UK's nationalised rail operator.
Although by May 1983, the viaduct had been made a Grade II* listed building, its eight pavilions were in such a poor condition that some of their roofs had fallen in and internal props were required to stop them collapsing further. English Heritage refused British Rails' request to demolish the buildings. The fabric of the structure continued to deteriorate over the next decade. Stonework had begun to fall away from the balustrades and parapets.
Starting in 1996 - with grants from West Sussex County Council, Railway Heritage Trust and English Heritage - the viaduct underwent a £6.5 million renovation over seen by Railtrack. Harder wearing limestone was imported from Bordeaux to ensure the closest match with the existing Caen stone in the balustrades and pavilions. Some of the piers had to be reconstructed because of failures in the Victorian brickwork. The new bricks were handmade in a variety of sizes to suit the existing brickwork and set in a sand, cement and lime mortar. Throughout the work, one line always remained open while restoration was carried out on the other side of the viaduct. The project, which was took more than three years, was completed in September 1999."
Source: Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouse_Valley_Viaduct