Percy Beck Bridge (That Part In Barnard Castle Civil Parish)

Percy Beck Bridge is a railway viaduct located over Percy Beck in Barnard Castle. It was opened in 1861 and is likely the work of Thomas Bouch for the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway Company. The bridge is constructed of rock-faced sandstone with fire-brick arches and ashlar dressings, featuring wrought-iron ties. It has four arches supported by stone piers, with an accommodation arch at each end. The high round arches are made of yellow brick, and there are shallow buttresses between the accommodation arches and the bridge. The design includes three courses of brick voussoirs beneath the rock-faced masonry, a cyma-moulded cornice, and a rock-faced blocking course that extends around the buttresses. The inner faces of the piers display high paired arched panels, although much of the blocking course has been removed. This bridge is one of the few remaining structures from the railway line that originally connected Barrass to Tebay, as many iron trestle viaducts, such as the one over the Tees, have been demolished.