Kielder Viaduct
Encyclopedia
Kielder Viaduct consists of seven semi-circular masonry skew arch
es and was built in 1862 to carry the North British Railway
across marshy land, which following flooding to create Kielder Water
, became the place where Deadwater Burn joins Bakethin Reservoir
. Now closed to rail traffic, the bridge is currently used as a footpath.
and the North British Railway as part of the former's extension to Riccarton Junction. The project was completed in 1862 but the Border Counties Railway had been absorbed by the North British Railway two years earlier. In order to meet with the approval of local landowner the Duke of Northumberland
who had a shooting lodge nearby, the viaduct was built in a Baronial style and decorated with a battlemented parapet and faux arrow slits
.
Robert Nicholson had been the engineer responsible for building the first section of the line but, on his death in 1855, his nephew John Furness Tone (1822–1881) took on the task of completing the project and it was under his direction that contractors William Hutchinson and John Ridley built the viaduct. The arches are constructed at a skewed angle and the stones are laid along helical courses, according to a set of principles attributed to architect and mathematician Peter Nicholson
.
The railway company had hoped to tap the coal traffic from Plashetts
colliery that opened in the 1850s but this proved disappointing, although there was some traffic from forestry in the area. Passenger traffic was always limited, though the line did open up the North Tyne valley and was in part responsible for the increase in population there. The North British Railway therefore gained its own route between Edinburgh
and Newcastle
via Hexham
but it compared poorly with the route via Berwick
, taking almost five hours to complete the journey.
On 1 January 1923 ownership of the viaduct, along with the rest of the line, passed to the London and North Eastern Railway
and thence to the North Eastern region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The line through Kielder lost its passenger service on 15 October 1956 and closed completely on 1 September 1958 and the viaduct's future became uncertain when the £167 million Kielder reservoir
project was begun in 1976, a substantial part of the route of the old line being lost under the waters. However, steps were taken by the Northumberland and Newcastle Society to protect the viaduct itself by encasing the bases of its piers in concrete and waterproofing the bridge deck. The structure is now a Scheduled Monument and forms part of a footpath from which walkers can enjoy the views from the top of its arches.
Skew arch
A skew arch is a method of construction that enables an arch bridge to span an obstacle at some angle other than a right angle. This results in the faces of the arch not being perpendicular to its abutments and its plan view being a parallelogram, rather than the rectangle that is the plan view of...
es and was built in 1862 to carry the North British Railway
North British Railway
The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:...
across marshy land, which following flooding to create Kielder Water
Kielder Water
Kielder Water is a large artificial reservoir in Northumberland in North East England. It is the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom by capacity and it is surrounded by Kielder Forest, the largest human-made woodland in Europe. It was planned in the late 1960s to satisfy an expected rise...
, became the place where Deadwater Burn joins Bakethin Reservoir
Bakethin Reservoir
Bakethin Reservoir is a reservoir immediately upstream of Kielder Water, in Northumberland, England, close to the border with Scotland. It is fed by the River North Tyne and lies southeast of Kielder village....
. Now closed to rail traffic, the bridge is currently used as a footpath.
History
The viaduct was conceived in a joint project of the Border Counties RailwayBorder Counties Railway
The Border Counties Railway was a railway line in Northumberland, England, with a small section in Roxburghshire, in the Borders region of Scotland. The railway was incorporated in 1854; and was absorbed by the North British Railway on 13 August 1860...
and the North British Railway as part of the former's extension to Riccarton Junction. The project was completed in 1862 but the Border Counties Railway had been absorbed by the North British Railway two years earlier. In order to meet with the approval of local landowner the Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
who had a shooting lodge nearby, the viaduct was built in a Baronial style and decorated with a battlemented parapet and faux arrow slits
Balistraria
An arrowslit is a thin vertical aperture in a fortification through which an archer can launch arrows....
.
Robert Nicholson had been the engineer responsible for building the first section of the line but, on his death in 1855, his nephew John Furness Tone (1822–1881) took on the task of completing the project and it was under his direction that contractors William Hutchinson and John Ridley built the viaduct. The arches are constructed at a skewed angle and the stones are laid along helical courses, according to a set of principles attributed to architect and mathematician Peter Nicholson
Peter Nicholson (architect)
Peter Nicholson was a Scottish architect, mathematician and engineer. Largely self-taught, he was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker but soon abandoned his trade in favour of teaching and writing...
.
The railway company had hoped to tap the coal traffic from Plashetts
Plashetts
Plashetts is a small settlement in Northumberland, in England south east of Kielder, Northumberland. It is about north west of Hexham. Part of the settlement is now beneath the surface of Kielder Water.- Governance :...
colliery that opened in the 1850s but this proved disappointing, although there was some traffic from forestry in the area. Passenger traffic was always limited, though the line did open up the North Tyne valley and was in part responsible for the increase in population there. The North British Railway therefore gained its own route between Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
via Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
but it compared poorly with the route via Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, taking almost five hours to complete the journey.
On 1 January 1923 ownership of the viaduct, along with the rest of the line, passed to the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
and thence to the North Eastern region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. The line through Kielder lost its passenger service on 15 October 1956 and closed completely on 1 September 1958 and the viaduct's future became uncertain when the £167 million Kielder reservoir
Kielder Water
Kielder Water is a large artificial reservoir in Northumberland in North East England. It is the largest artificial lake in the United Kingdom by capacity and it is surrounded by Kielder Forest, the largest human-made woodland in Europe. It was planned in the late 1960s to satisfy an expected rise...
project was begun in 1976, a substantial part of the route of the old line being lost under the waters. However, steps were taken by the Northumberland and Newcastle Society to protect the viaduct itself by encasing the bases of its piers in concrete and waterproofing the bridge deck. The structure is now a Scheduled Monument and forms part of a footpath from which walkers can enjoy the views from the top of its arches.