Built in 1841, the Ouse Valley Viaduct (also called Balcombe Viaduct) over the River Ouse

River Ouse, Sussex

The River Ouse is a river in the counties of West and East Sussex in England.-Course:The river rises near Lower Beeding and runs eastwards into East Sussex, meandering narrowly and turning slowly southward...

 on the London-Brighton Railway Line

London and Brighton Railway

The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...

 north of Haywards Heath

Haywards Heath

-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...

 and south of Balcombe

Balcombe

Balcombe may refer to:* Balcombe, West Sussex, England* Balcombe Street Siege, IRA Incident in London* Graham Balcombe, pioneer cave diver* David Balcombe, cricketer...

 is 1475 feet (449.6 m) long.

Description

The viaduct is 96 feet (29.3 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades. Each pier contains a Jack arch

Jack arch

A jack arch is a structural element in masonry construction that provides support at openings in the masonry. Alternate names are "flat arch" and "straight arch"....

 with a semi-circular soffit

Soffit

Soffit , in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element...

 in order to reduce the number of bricks required. At each end of the abutment

Abutment

An abutment is, generally, the point where two structures or objects meet. This word comes from the verb abut, which means adjoin or having common boundary. An abutment is an engineering term that describes a structure located at the ends of a bridge, where the bridge slab adjoins the approaching...

 there is an ornamental square open tower, the brickword of which is faced with stone from Heddon Quarries near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was designed by engineer for the line John Urpeth Rastrick

John Urpeth Rastrick

John Urpeth Rastrick was one of the first English steam locomotive builders. In partnership with James Foster, he formed Foster, Rastrick and Company, the locomotive construction company that built the Stourbridge Lion in 1829 for export to the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in America.-Early...

 in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta

David Mocatta

David Mocatta was a British architect and a member of the Anglo-Jewish Mocatta family.-Biography:Mocatta studied in London from 1821 to 1827 under Sir John Soane and travelled in Italy...

. It has been described as probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain.

History

The viaduct was opened in July 1841. The 11 million bricks needed for its construction travelled up the Ouse River (via Newhaven

Newhaven, East Sussex

Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...

 and Lewes

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...

) from Holland. It cost £38,500 to build.

The structure is a Grade II listed building and was restored in 1996 with grants both from the Railway Heritage Trust and English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

. Matching stone was imported from France, to ensure a close match to the existing balutrades and pavilions..

The viaduct

Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...

 is still used, with around 110 trains a day passing over it on the Brighton Main Line

Brighton Main Line

The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...

.