Digswell Viaduct
Digswell Viaduct | |
|---|---|
The viaduct as viewed by drone | |
| Coordinates | 51°49′07″N 0°11′41″W / 51.8186°N 0.1947°W |
| Carries | East Coast Main Line |
| Crosses | River Mimram |
| Official name | Welwyn Railway Viaduct |
| Other name | Welwyn Viaduct |
| Heritage status | Grade II* listed |
| Characteristics | |
| Height | 100 ft (30 m) |
| No. of spans | 40 |
| Rail characteristics | |
| No. of tracks | 2 |
| Electrified | 25kV AC OHLE |
| History | |
| Designer | William Cubitt Joseph Cubitt |
| Constructed by | Thomas Brassey |
| Opened | 7 August 1850 |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Digswell Viaduct | |
The Digswell Viaduct, also known as the Welwyn Viaduct and officially the Welwyn Railway Viaduct, is a railway viaduct that carries two tracks of the East Coast Main Line over the Mimram Valley in Hertfordshire, Eastern England. A prominent local landmark, it is located between Welwyn Garden City and Welwyn North railway stations, and is located above the village of Digswell and the River Mimram. Designed by father and son William and Joseph Cubitt, and engineered by Thomas Brassey, the viaduct opened in 1850 and has been a Grade II* listed structure since 1980.
The viaduct has forty arches and was originally built from red facing bricks, with blue facing bricks added in the 1930s. Metal gantries were appended to the side of the viaduct in 1980 as part of the electrification of the Great Northern route. At 1,560 feet (475 m) in length and up to 100 ft (30 m) in height, it was one of the largest works on the Great Northern Railway when it opened.