Newton Cap Viaduct
| Newton Cap Viaduct | |
| County Durham | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Newton Cap Viaduct | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Railway viaduct, now a road bridge |
| Carrying: | A689 |
| Crossing: | River Wear |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NZ20613032 |
| Location: | 54°40’3"N, 1°40’55"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 105 feet |
| Type: | Railway viaduct, now a road bridge |
| History | |
| Built 1872 | |
| Information | |
Newton Cap Viaduct is a Victorian railway viaduct crossing the River Wear in Bishop Auckland, across to Toronto, which has been converted into the town's main road bridge. It is a Grade II listed structure.[1]
One of the Wear's major bridges, the viaduct opened in 1857 for the North Eastern Railway's branch linking Darlington, Bishop Auckland and Durham. It stands 105 feet high with sixty-foot spans. After closure in 1968 it became part of the Brandon - Bishop Auckland Railway Walk but in 1995 was converted into a road bridge. Widened by 13 feet with footpaths to either side, concrete was used on top of the stone deck. It is part of the A689 road linking Bishop Auckland with Crook.
A Roman bridge stood within two miles of the viaduct on the Roman road known as Dere Street.
At 105 feet high, the viaduct provides views of the surrounding countryside below as well as Auckland Castle, the Bishop's Park and the Town Hall on approaching the town from the Viaduct. It was originally built in 1857[1] to carry the Bishop Auckland to Durham City railway line across the River Wear and the Newton Cap Bank that leads down to the river. The railway closed in 1968 and the viaduct fell into a period of disuse and was at one point threatened with demolition.[2] However, in 1995, the viaduct was converted for vehicle use to take traffic on the A689 between Bishop Auckland and Crook, relieving the Grade I listed[3] fourteenth-century single-lane Bishop Skirlaw Bridge which sits in the valley below it.
On the north side of the bridge by Toronto is Eleven Arches Flatts Farm (named after the number of arches in the viaduct) which hosts Kynren, a local historical performance.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Heritage List 1269762: Newton Cap Railway Viaduct over River Wear (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "Bridge leads to a rich vein of history", The Northern Echo, 19 February 2002, http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2002/2/19/145400.html, retrieved 8 August 2008
- ↑ National Heritage List 1292118: Newton Cap Bridge (Grade I listing)
- Newton Cap Viaduct: Bridges On The Tyne
| Bridges and crossings on the River Wear | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witton Park Bridge | Witton Park Ford | Newton Cap Bridge | Newton Cap Viaduct | Pay Bridge | Jubilee Bridge | Page Bank Bridge |