Rectory Junction Viaduct

Rectory Junction Viaduct, also known as the Radcliffe Viaduct,[1] crosses the River Trent between Netherfield and Radcliffe on Trent near Nottingham. It is a Grade II listed building.[2]

Rectory Junction Viaduct
Coordinates	52.9511°N 1.0541°W / 52.9511; -1.0541
Carries	Nottingham-Grantham Line
Crosses	River Trent
Other name(s)	Radcliffe Viaduct
Heritage status	Grade II listed
Characteristics
Material	cast iron
Longest span	110 feet (34 m)
Clearance below	24 feet (7.3 m)
History
Opened	1850

Nottingham to Grantham Line
Midland Main Line Nottingham Nottingham–Lincoln line Netherfield to Gedling Colliery Rectory Junction Rectory Junction Viaduct River Trent to Cotgrave Colliery Radcliffe to Melton Mowbray Bingham Aslockton Elton and Orston Bottesford West Junction Newark on Trent– Melton Mowbray line Bottesford East Coast Main Line Allington Junction Poacher Line Grantham East Coast Main Line

History

The bridge was built in 1850 by Clayton & Shuttleworth of Lincoln on the Nottingham-Grantham Line for the Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston and Eastern Junction Railway.

The Trent Navigation Company demanded a minimum clear span of 100 feet (30 m), so the railway company built a 110 feet (34 m) cast iron arch. The clearance above the water is 24 feet (7.3 m). The iron arch was formed of six ribs, constructed in eight segments.

The approach viaduct, originally constructed in timber and comprising 32 spans,[3] was rebuilt in brick in 1909-1910 by Alexander Ross. The brick viaduct comprises 28 spans, eighteen are 24 ft 11 ins, and ten are 25 ft 7 ins.[4]

The internal cast iron ribs were encased in concrete by British Rail in 1981 to increase the strength of the bridge, but the original cast iron ribs on the exterior were left exposed, leaving the bridge appearance little changed.[5]

Next crossing upstream	River Trent	Next crossing downstream
Lady Bay Bridge  A6011	Rectory Junction Railway Bridge Grid reference: SK636397	Gunthorpe Bridge  A6097

See also

• List of crossings of the River Trent

References

1. Jacobs, G., Ed (2005) Quail Track Diagrams: Book 4: Midlands and North West, 2nd Edition, Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps
2. Historic England. "RAILWAY BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER TRENT (1249646)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
3. The Railway Magazine. 50. 1922.
4. Masonry as Applied to Civil Engineering: Being a Practical Treatise on the Design and Construction of Engineering Works in Stone and Heavy Concrete. F. Noel Taylor
5. http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=529