Railway underbridge MVN2/194, Hurst Lane

Railway underbridge, 1836-1839 with widening of 1884 and 1888-1892, by George Stephenson and Thomas Gooch for the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

MATERIALS: gritstone.

DESCRIPTION: a single-span, segmental-arched underbridge. The arch has quarry-faced voussoirs (concealed behind modern warning signs, and painted in similar colours beneath the signs on the south elevation), with tooled margins, resting on slightly-projecting ashlar impost bands. The arch forms a subway and the soffit is formed of stone blocks, with some red brick patching. The arch is multi-phased, displaying several straight joints and a large number of mason marks; it is aligned roughly north-east to south-west, with a deflection slightly to the south, at a point approximately two-thirds along its length.

The spandrels and abutments of both the north and south elevations are of quarry-faced coursed yellow gritstone, supported by canted buttresses. The north elevation has symmetrical curved wing walls to either side, with canted ashlar coping stones, terminating in low square masonry piers with dressed pyramidal cap stones. The south elevation has a similar curved wing wall on the east side, which retains its three-bar iron railings, with flat cast-iron posts. To the west the abutment is obscured by the embankment and retaining wall of the former Mirfield goods station. The plinths of the parapet walls rest on ashlar cordons; the walls, terminating in rectangular piers, are capped by ashlar coping stones. The two-piece pier capstones have a slightly convex upper surface, apart from that to the south-west which is flat and a single stone.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 24 February 2021 to correct the name and address.