Bolehall Viaduct (formerly the Anker Viaduct), known locally as The 19 Arches is a viaduct on the former

Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway was a British railway company. From Birmingham it connected at Derby with the North Midland Railway and the Midland Counties Railway at what became known as the Tri Junct Station. It now forms part ...

line near

Tamworth, Staffordshire Tamworth (, ) is a market town and borough in Staffordshire, England, north-east of Birmingham. The town borders North Warwickshire to the east and north, Lichfield to the north, south-west and west. The town takes its name from the River T ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

now part of the

Cross Country Route A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

Construction

It was designed by

Robert Stephenson Robert Stephenson FRS HFRSE FRSA DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of his father ...

and G. Bidder. The

issued tenders for the contract in May 1837 and the contracts were let in August 1837. It was built in rusticated ashlar stone with 19 arches to bridge the

River Anker The River Anker is a river in England that flows through the centre of Nuneaton. It is a major tributary of the River Tame, which it joins in Tamworth. The name of the river derives from an old British term for ''winding river''. From source t ...

and was originally known as the Anker Viaduct. By February 1839 the construction was completed and the ballasting was being prepared for the permanent way. The first engine traversed the viaduct on 1 July 1839 and the first train on 6 July. Passenger services began on 12 August 1839.

References

{{Reflist Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Railway viaducts in Staffordshire Bridges completed in 1839 Grade II listed bridges Midland Railway

Construction

See also

References