Railway underbridge MDL1/16, George Street

The railway underbridge on George Street was built between 1845 and 1847 by Thomas Grainger for the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester Railway. It was later strengthened in the late 19th century by the London and North Western Railway.

This structure is a cast-iron beam bridge that spans a single carriageway, supported by masonry abutments. It features wrought-iron parapet balustrades set between ashlar end-pillars. The deck has been replaced with brick jack arches that are supported on riveted wrought-iron beams, with some of the brick jack arches later replaced by concrete panels. The embankments on either side are revetted with raking, curved wing-walls.

The abutments are made of coursed, squared, rock-faced masonry, topped with a robust moulded ashlar cornice that supports the bridge deck. On either side of the carriageway, there are panelled ashlar pilasters that rise from rock-faced masonry plinths, finished with lighter-sectioned moulded cornices. These pilasters are slightly wider at the base than at the top, which emphasizes their height. The parapet end-pillars above have corniced capstones and plain plinths. The iron balustrading spans between the pillars and consists of a plain handrail supported by closely spaced balusters that have mirrored tulip-formed mid-sections, while the rest are simple round bars. The facia beams of the bridge deck are believed to be the only surviving cast-iron beams from the original bridge, appearing as I beams with raised strapwork to imitate panelling. The wing walls are made of rock-faced masonry similar to the abutments, finished with a plain ashlar capping, and are separated from the retaining walls of the embankment by simple pilaster-strips. These wing walls have been heightened with rougher masonry and brickwork.