Ouse Valley Viaduct |
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Probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain Constructor:
David Mocatta
Period of construction:
1800 - 1849
Transport Trust plaque:
No
Transport Mode:
Rail
Address:
Borde Hill Lane, Balcombe, Sussex, RH16 2HP
Postcode:
RH16 2HP
Nearest Town:
Balcombe
Heritage Centre:
No
There were competing routes for a railway from London to Brighton, including one which was to be in a tunnel all the way. The London & Brighton Railway chose that of Sir John Rennie and engaged John Rastrick to be engineer. He was a man of considerable experience in railway engineering, having with his partner built Trevithick's 'Catch Me Who Can', only the third steam locomotive to be built in the world. He had also built a cast iron bridge over the river Wye at Chepstow in 1816, had been engineer to the Stratford & Morton Tramway, had built three locomotives for export to America, and was one of the three judges at the 1829 Rainhill trials. The Ouse viaduct is 450 m (492 yds) long, 29 m (96 ft) high and comprised thirty seven brick arches with pierced piers. Its elegance was enhanced by the railway company's architect, David Mocatta, who built a stone cornice with balustrade along the top and erected four classical pavilions, two at each end. The eleven million bricks and other materials were carried from Holland to the site by barge on the river Ouse. Construction was completed in 1842. The viaduct was restored in 1996 and still carries c. 110 trains each day. It is Listed Grade II* Bibliography:
Biddle, Gordon, Britain's Historic Railway Buildings, Oxford University Press, ISBN-10: 0198662475 (2003) Biddle, Gordon & Nock, O.S., The Railway Heritage of Britain : 150 years of railway architecture and engineering, Studio Editions, ISBN-10: 1851705953 (1990) Biddle, Gordon and Simmons, J., The Oxford Companion to British Railway History, Oxford, ISBN 0 19 211697 5 (1997) Bonavia, Michael, Historic Railway Sites in Britain, Hale, ISBN 0 7090 3156 4 (1987) Conolly, W. Philip, British Railways Pre-Grouping Atlas And Gazetteer, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0-7110-0320-3 (1958/97) Howard Turner, J. The London, Brighton & South Coast Railway. 3 vols. ISBN 0 7134 0275 X (1977) Morgan, Bryan, Railways: Civil Engineering, Arrow, ISBN 0 09 908180 6 (1973) Smith, Martin. British Railway Bridges and Viaducts. ISBN 0 7110 2273 9 (1992) Turnock, David, An Historical Geography of Railways, Ashgate, ISBN 1 85928 450 7 (1998) White, H.P. A Regional History of the Railways of Britain, Southern England. ISBN 0 7153 4733 0 (1970) Wishaw,F. Railways of Great Britain and ireland, Augustus M Kelley Publishing, ISBN-10: 0678056293 (1969) Links:
Forgotten Relics - Listed Bridges and Viaducts Brighton Circle - London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Opening Times:
Visible at all times
How To Find:
By road: Visible from the road which runs to the east of the viaduct between Haywards Heath and Balcombe By rail: Balcombe Station is approx 5 km away Facilities:
http://weather.msn.com/RSS.aspx?wealocations=wc:UKXX0631&weadegreetype=C
Haywards Heath, GBR - Weather via MSN WeatherWeather conditions and forecast for Haywards Heath, GBR
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Lo: 10°C. Hi: 16°C. Chance of precipitation: 45%
Lo: 5°C. Hi: 15°C. Chance of precipitation: 50%