Swithland Viaduct

Swithland Viaduct
The South Viaduct of the Swithland Viaduct
Carries	Great Central Railway
Crosses	Swithland Reservoir
Designer	Mr. Alexander Ross, M. Inst. C.E.
Material	brick
Constructed by	John Aird & Sons
Coordinates	52°43′5.00″N 1°10′28.50″W / 52.7180556°N 1.1745833°W / 52.7180556; -1.1745833Coordinates: 52°43′5.00″N 1°10′28.50″W / 52.7180556°N 1.1745833°W / 52.7180556; -1.1745833

Swithland Viaduct is a railway viaduct in Leicestershire that carries the former Great Central Main Line over Swithland Reservoir. It is unusual in that it carries the line over a reservoir rather than a valley. It actually consists of two separate viaducts, with an embankment over Brazil Island in the centre of the reservoir. The line now carries the Great Central Railway.

The viaducts (bridges No. 349 and 350) were constructed by Messrs John Aird & Sons, as a sub-contract to Henry Lovatt & Co. of Wolverhampton. Lovatts were contracted to the Great Central to execute contract number 2 on their extension line to London, East Leake to Aylestone, but the Corporation of Leicester insisted that those portions of the work that could delay or hinder the completion of their new water works at Swithland were to be executed by the main contractors for that job.^[1] The south viaduct has a skew girder section approximately halfway along its length.

Photography may be undertaken from the south from Main Street, or at very long range from the dam which carries Kinchley Lane. If one has a lineside permit, one can walk south from Quorn and photograph trains coming north off the viaduct. The viaduct itself however is out of bounds. The best location is probably from the east at Kinchley Hill but there is no public access there (the land is owned by Severn Trent)

References

External links

Media related to Swithland Viaduct at Wikimedia Commons