Pensford Viaduct
{{merge from|Pensford railway station|discuss=Talk:Pensford Viaduct#Merge proposal|date=April 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox bridge
| bridge_name = Pensford Viaduct
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| image = Pensford Viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 717285.jpg
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| carries = Bristol and North Somerset Railway
| crosses = River Chew
| locale = Pensford, Somerset, England
| owner = Highways Agency Historical Railways Estate
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| id_type = BRB (Residuary) Ltd
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| material = Stone and brick
| length = {{convert|995|ft|m}}
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| height = {{convert|95|ft|m}}
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| spans = 16
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| begin = 1874
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| heritage = Grade II listed building
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| closed = 1968
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| coordinates = {{coord|51.3708|-2.5515|display=inline,title}}
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Pensford Viaduct is a disused railway bridge in the village of Pensford, within the historic English county of Somerset, now unitary authority Bath and North East Somerset. It is a Grade II listed building.{{National Heritage List for England |num=1312811 |desc=Pensford Viaduct|accessdate=5 April 2015}}
History
The viaduct was built in 1874 to carry the Bristol and North Somerset Railway over the valley of the River Chew. The contractor was J. Perry, of Tredegar Works, Bow.{{cite web|last=Cole|first=D.|title=More from "The Builder"|url=http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/22/Builder.htm|accessdate=10 February 2014}}
During construction the bridge failed and had to be rebuilt.{{cite news|title=The Opening of the North Somerset Railway|url=http://www.gwsbristol.org/reference_material/enewsbtm6-9-1873.html|accessdate=10 February 2014|newspaper=Bristol Times and Mirror|date=6 September 1873}}
The last scheduled passenger train to cross the viaduct was the 9:25 a.m. from Frome to Bristol on 31 October 1959; after that there were only goods trains (mainly bringing coal from Radstock), which ceased in 1964, and very occasional excursion trains. It officially closed after the Chew Stoke flood of 1968 which damaged the viaduct and other buildings in Pensford and the wider Chew Valley.{{cite web|title=Pensford Viaduct|url=http://www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/bridges/gallery/pensford.html|publisher=Forgotten Relics|accessdate=10 February 2014}}
The viaduct was offered for sale for £1,{{cite web|title=The railway viaduct at Pensford, 6 million bricks on sale for a pound|url=http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/pub/backlook/viaduct_sale_01.pdf|publisher=Publow with Pensford Parish Council|accessdate=10 February 2014}} in 1984; however, the likely maintenance costs were prohibitive and no one bought it.{{cite web|title=Pensford Viaduct for Sale|url=http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/?page_id=1563|publisher=Publow with Pensford Parish|accessdate=10 February 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140210221108/http://www.publow-with-pensford-pc.gov.uk/?page_id=1563|archive-date=10 February 2014|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Unique Property Bulletin 4 March 2012| date=30 June 2012 |url=http://uniquepropertybulletinarchive.co.uk/?page_id=125|publisher=Unique Property Bulletin|accessdate=10 February 2014}} It became the property of BRB (Residuary) Ltd which took over some of the assets of the British Railways Board when it was privatised. In September 2013, BRB (Residuary) Ltd was abolished, with assets being transferred to the Highways Agency as part of the Historical Railways Estate.{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/brb-residuary-ltd-has-been-abolished|title=BRB (Residuary) Ltd has been abolished|publisher=British Government|date=30 September 2013|accessdate=20 February 2014}}
In 2014 a new microbrewery in Pensford known as the Chew Valley Brewery used a depiction of the viaduct as its logo.{{cite news|last1=Biddle|first1=Pete|title=More breweries opening in local area!|url=http://www.camrabristol.org.uk/PW102.pdf|accessdate=27 September 2014|work=Pints West|issue=102|publisher=CAMRA|date=Summer 2014|page=3}}{{cite journal|title=New brewery launched|journal=Mendip Times|date=October 2014|volume=10|issue=8|page=18}}
Architecture
Construction is of stone piers and spandrels with red brick soffits. The viaduct is {{convert|995|ft|m}} long, reaches a maximum height of {{convert|95|ft|m}} to rail level and consists of sixteen arches. The arches are of different widths and heights and supported by tall, tapering piers in the centre and thicker shorter ones towards the sides. Arches 5 and 13 are lower than the others dividing the bridge into sections with four higher arches at each end.
Subsequent repairs were made with concrete rather than stone, though it was dressed to look similar to the surrounding stone.
References
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