Forres, Findhorn Viaduct
Railway Viaduct (19th Century)
Site Name Forres, Findhorn Viaduct
Classification Railway Viaduct (19th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Greshop Road; River Findhorn
Canmore ID 103065
Site Number NJ05NW 102
NGR NJ 02078 58684
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/103065
- Council Moray
- Parish Forres
- Former Region Grampian
- Former District Moray
- Former County Morayshire
NJ05NW 102 02078 58684
Not to be confused with Tomatin, Findhorn Viaduct (NH 806 288), for which see NH82NW 28.
For corresponding road bridge (Bridge of Findhorn, to S), see NJ05NW 115.
The Findhorn viaduct was built to a design by Joseph Mitchell for the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Rly and opened on 18 August 1858.
M Smith 1994.
This viaduct carries the Inverness-Aberdeen (main) line of the former Great North of Scotland Rly. across the River Findhorn to the SW of the town of Forres (NJ05NW 68). The river here forms the boundary between the parishes of Forres (to the E) and Dyke and Moy (to the W).
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 10 June 1996.
This bridge is depicted, but not noted. on the 1984 edition of the OS 1:10,000 map. The location assigned to this record defines the centre of the river, and is significantly offset to the E from the midpoint of the structure. The available map evidence suggests that the viaduct extends from NJ c. 01950 58638 to NJ c. 02099 58964.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 7 April 2006.
Designed by Joseph Mitchell and dated by cast inscription 1858 (at each end) and built to serve the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction railway, it consists of three box spans each some 45m in length. Arched plate girders bridge the side spans at each end and massive masonry piers support each termination. The overall length is some 185m and the platform is some 5m above mean water level.
This A-listed structure, an important example of a Victorian wrought-iron box-span railway bridge, was recorded as part of the Listed Buildings Recording Programme for 2001-02 to increase the hitherto very limited coverage of it in the NMRS.
Information from RCAHMS (NMC) 2003.
Construction (1856 - 1858)
Built for the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway by Thomas
Brassey and James Falshaw.
R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
Publication Account (2007)
Findhorn Viaduct, Forres
Historic Engineering Works no. HEW 0373
This viaduct of three 150 ft spans over the Findhorn was built for the Inverness and Aberdeen Junction Railway by Thomas Brassey and James Falshaw from 1856–58. The engineer was Joseph Mitchell. It is an early example of an open-top box girder constructed of butt-jointed wrought-iron plates and is an important example of its genre. The ironwork was supplied by Messrs. Fairbairn and Sons, Manchester.
The massive masonry abutments and piers demonstrate Mitchell’s architectural and engineering abilities. The river piers are 4612ft high above the bed of the river and founded on rock 18 ft beneath it, which with good workmanship contributes significantly to the fact that the viaduct is still in service after one and a half centuries.
R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Highlands and Islands' with kind permission from Thomas Telford Publishers.
