Charlton Viaduct is a disused railway bridge in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, in south-west England. It is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

History

The bridge was built in 1874 by the civil engineer William Henry Barlow for the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (SDJR) to carry its line from Evercreech to the south, through the Mendip Hills, towards Bath. It crosses the River Sheppey at the north-eastern edge of Shepton Mallet, where the railway curves around a patch of high ground. The bridge was built in locally mined grey limestone and originally carried a single track. The line was double-tracked in 1894 and the viaduct was widened with blue brick and faced with stone.[2]

The line closed in 1966 as a result of the Beeching cuts.[2] The viaduct is a Grade II* listed building, first listed on 20 May 1952, a status which provides legal protection from demolition.[3] In 2023, a scheme was approved to turn part of the SDJR route into a walking and cycling trail, including the nearby Ham Wood Viaduct and Bath Road Viaduct and Windsor Hill Tunnel. The promoters of the scheme hoped to extend it to Shepton Mallet via Charlton Viaduct in a later phase.[4]

Design

The viaduct is 317 yards (290 metres). It consists of 27 segmental arches each of which has a span of 28 feet (8.5 metres) and with a maximum height of 45 feet (14 metres).[3] It is on a curve of 30 chains (600 m) radius falling at 1 in 55 from each end to the midpoint.[5] To cope with the curve the arches are strengthened by pilasters.[6]

The viaduct is one of seven on the route, all built to a similar specification. The next structure on the line, the Bath Road Viaduct, is particularly similar and is also a listed building. The Bath Road Viaduct is taller but only has six arches to Charlton's twenty-seven.[2]

The viaduct can be seen from the grounds of Kilver Court where it forms a feature.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Charlton Viaduct". National Heritage List for England. Historic England. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Biddle, Gordon (2011). Britain's Historic Railway Buildings: A Gazetteer of Structures (second ed.). Hersham: Ian Allan. p. 208. ISBN 9780711034914.
  3. ^ a b Historic England. "Charlton Viaduct (1058414)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  4. ^ Johnson, Thomas (12 September 2023). "Permission granted for active travel path on disused railway in Somerset that will cross two historic viaducts". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  5. ^ Otter, R.A. (1994). Civil Engineering Heritage: Southern England. London: Thomas Telford Ltd. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7277-1971-3.
  6. ^ "Charlton Viaduct". Forgotten Relics. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  7. ^ Willis, Abigail (2025). Secret Gardens of Somerset: A Private Tour (1st ed.). London: Frances Lincoln. p. 93. ISBN 9781836004912.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Viaduct
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