Wolston Viaduct
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Main Street, Brandon, Coventry, CV8 3HR
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Visit websiteTheLondon and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was an early railway company from 1833 until 1846, at which date it became a constituent part of the London and North Western Railway. The 112 mile (180km) long railway line that the company built between London and Birmingham was, when it opened in 1838, one of the first intercity railway lines in the world, and the first railway line to be built into London. It survives to the present day as the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.
The line was engineered by Robert Stephenson. It started at Euston Station in London, and travelled north-north-westward until reaching Rugby, where it turned west to Coventry and thence to Birmingham, In Birmingham the line terminated at Curzon Street Station, which it shared with the Grand Junction Railway (GJR), whose platforms were adjacent. This provided a link to the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (L&MR).
Wolston Viaduct carries the line of the London & Birmingham Railway over the river Avon. There are nine semi-eliptical arches with three smaller semicircular at each end. They are built in brick with stone facings. It is similar in design to the larger example at Wolverton. It virtually unchanged since it was built in 1837 and illustrated by J. C. Bourne.
Main Steet, Wolston runs beneath it. This is a turning to the south off the A 428 in Brandon Lodge. The Royal Oak pub in Station Road Brandon is close to it.
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Forgotten Relics - Listed Bridges and Viaducts
Engineering Timelines - Robert Stephenson
Stephenson's Works - former offices of Robert Stephenson & Co's locomotive works.
Structurae - Robert Stephenson