Chappel Viaduct
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| Chappel Viaduct | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| OS grid reference | |
| Carries | Gainsborough Line |
| Crosses | River Colne |
| Locale | Essex, England |
| Maintained by | Network Rail |
| Heritage status | grade II listed building |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | viaduct |
| Material | brick |
| Total length | 1,136 yards (1,039 m) |
| Height | 75 feet (23 m) |
| History | |
| Construction end | 1849 |
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Chappel Viaduct is located in Essex
 Chappel Viaduct
Location in Essex
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Chappel Viaduct is a railway viaduct across the Colne Valley in Essex, Eastern England.
Dimensions
The viaduct consists of 32 semi-circular spans, each of 30 feet (9.1 metres) span with tapered piers; it is 1,136 yards (1,039 metres) long[dubious ] and rises to a maximum height of 75 feet (23 m). The piers consist of two shafts, separated by a 6 feet (2 m) opening, and joined at top and bottom by arches; each shaft contains a hollow void 4 feet (1.2 m) by 3 feet (1 m) maximum, partially filled with concrete to the level of the bottom arch. The running level of the viaduct has a gradient of 1 in 120.[1]
Construction
The seven million bricks used in the construction of the viaduct were made from clay excavated from the nearby village of Bures. It was built to carry a double track but only a single was laid. The bridge was built by Peter Bruff between 1847 and 1849 for the Colchester, Stour Valley, Sudbury & Halstead Railway (later part of the Great Eastern Railway).[1][2][3]
The railway initially planned to build the viaduct with laminated timber but Bruff opted for brick to reduce the cost.[4] He debated the cost benefits of brick compared to timber with the Great Western Railway's chief engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel after a lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1850, Brunel being strongly in favour of using timber. Bruff went on to commission a painting of the viaduct by Frederick Brett Russell, which is now held by Ipswich Museum.[5] Sources differ on the cost of construction; E.A. Labrum gives the cost as £21,000, while Historic England state a figure of £32,000 (both 1849).[1][5]
A foundation stone in pier 21 was laid by the railway company's chairman and deputy chairman at the start of works in September 1847 and newly minted coins were placed inside as a souvenir. The stone and coins disappeared within a few hours of being placed and a bricklayer was later arrested, having tried to pay at a bar with a new half sovereign,[6] but was not convicted of the theft due to insufficient evidence.[2]
Listing
The viaduct was designated a grade II listed building on 27 November 1967.[1][2] It is the longest bridge in East Anglia[5][7] and is reputed to be the second-largest brick-built structure in England (after Battersea Power Station in London).[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
