Sankey Viaduct

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 2 Feb 2013

The Sankey Viaduct looks pretty impressive from a distance (Image]) but from close-to, the massive scale of the construction can be better appreciated. One can only speculate on the impression it would have made when it was built in 1830; the first major railway viaduct anywhere in the World. Constructed from yellow sandstone and red brick, the viaduct consists of nine round-headed arches carried on piers that incline sharply from the base towards the top. 183 metres (600 feet) in length, its arches each have a span of 15 metres (50 ft), and are 21 metres (70 ft) high. The height was needed to enable the railway to cross the line of the Sankey Canal with sufficient clearance for the Mersey flats, the sailing vessels for which the canal was constructed. The site has added national historical importance as it is where the World’s first passenger railway crossed England’s first industrial canal. The photograph is taken from the path which has replaced the line of the canal (now filled in). The viaduct has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building and is the earliest major railway viaduct in the world. http://transportheritage.com/find-heritage-locations.html?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&sobi2Id=710 Transport Heritage Locations

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