Ouse Viaduct (aka Balcombe Viaduct, ELR - VTB3 @ approx 35½mp) (Ref: 030551)
Designed by John Urpeth Rastrick, in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta, the viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet span, surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet. Each pier contains a jack arch with a semi-circular soffit, which had the benefit of reducing the number of bricks required. The roughly 11 million bricks required for its construction were mostly shipped up the River Ouse (via Newhaven and Lewes) from the Netherlands. On 12 July 1841, the viaduct was officially opened to train services, although the structure was not fully completed until the following year.
ROMA ID: 030551E