Corby Bridge

Corby Bridge (popularly known as Wetheral Viaduct) is a railway viaduct adjacent to and immediately east of Wetheral railway station at Wetheral, near Carlisle, in north-west England, begun in 1830[1] and completed in 1834.[2] It is 660 feet (200 m) long and 100 feet (30 m) high,[3] and has been Grade I listed since 1 April 1957.[1]

Corby Bridge
The south face of the viaduct, from the riverbank
Coordinates54.88393°N 2.82981°W / 54.88393; -2.82981
CarriesNewcastle and Carlisle Railway
CrossesRiver Eden
LocaleWetheral, Cumbria, England
Other name(s)
  • Wetheral Viaduct
  • Eden Viaduct
Heritage statusGrade I listed
Characteristics
Total length660 feet (200 m)
Height100 feet (30 m)
Longest span89 feet (27 m)
No. of spans5
Piers in water2
History
Constructed byWilliam S. Denton
Construction start1830
Construction end1834 (1834)

Built for the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company, it still carries the double-track Tyne Valley Line over the River Eden, and includes a cast iron footpath connecting Wetheral with Great Corby.[1][2] This was added to the north face in 1851,[1] because so many people were trespassing on the trackbed, in order to cross.[2] Initially, a half-penny toll, each way, was charged, having risen to a penny by the time the station closed in 1956 (train services resumed in 1981).[2] Pedestrian passage is now free.[2]

The bridge has five 89 feet (27 m) spans faced with red sandstone from Newbiggin Quarry near Carlisle.[1] and filled with sandstone rubble from Wetheral and Corby Beck Quarries.[1] It has two piers on either bank and two in the river.[1]

The nearby Corby Bridge Inn, opened in the same year, was named for the viaduct.[4] It closed early in 2015 after being sold to a property developer.

See also
  • View from the river
  • The viaduct's north side, with footpath nearest the camera, and the station footbridge visible in the background
  • The footpath

References
  1. "Corby Bridge - Wetheral - Cumbria - England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  2. "Bardon Mill to Wigton". Great British Railway Journeys. Series 3. Episode 17. 24 January 2012. BBC.
  3. "Corby Bridge, Wetheral". Old Cumbria Gazetteer. University of Portsmouth. 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
  4. "Corby Bridge Inn". Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
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