Willington Dene Viaduct
Willington Dene Viaduct | |
|---|---|
Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England | |
| History | |
| Opened | 18 June 1839 |
| Location | |
 | |
Willington Dene Viaduct carries the
Grade II listed building.[2]
The viaduct is 1,048 ft (319 m) long and 76 ft (23 m) high with seven segmental arches each of 120 ft (37 m) span. When originally built the viaducts were made of laminated timber construction on the Wiebeking system supported on tall stone pillars and cost £25,000. Each arch was made from 14 layers of 22 by 3.5 inches (559 mm × 89 mm) timbers held together by trenails and built by Messrs. Robson. A paper on the viaducts's design won Benjamin Green a silver Telford Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1841.
The viaduct was rebuilt in wrought iron between 1867 and 1869 by the
Weardale Iron & Coal Company to the designs of engineer Thomas Elliot Harrison, preserving the bridge's original shape and form. It now carries the Tyne and Wear Metro
rapid transport system between Newcastle and North Shields.
See also
References
- ^ "Railway Bridges Around Newcastle". Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Name: WILLINGTON VIADUCT List entry Number: 1025323". Historic England. Retrieved 14 December 2016.