Railway viaduct MDL1/40, Churwell Viaduct

Churwell Viaduct is a railway viaduct built in the mid-1840s by Thomas Grainger, carrying the Leeds, Dewsbury & Manchester Railway. It is located to the north-east of Churwell, spanning Elland Road, Old Road, and the former site of Churwell Gas Works. The viaduct measures approximately 95 meters long and features six spans, which are similarly detailed on both sides. It is constructed from coursed local rock-faced sandstone with ashlar dressings.

The six segmental-arched spans include chamfer-rusticated voussoirs that have pitted vermiculation and tooled margins, a decorative style that is also found on the intrados (underside) of each arch. Some of the voussoirs have modern tie plates. The arches rest on an ashlar impost band with a moulded bottom edge and are supported by rectangular piers that have projecting plinths and quoining, sharing the same decorative treatment as the arches' voussoirs.

Above the arches, there is a projecting roll-moulded ashlar stringcourse and a parapet made of larger coursed ashlar blocks, which again feature pitted vermiculation and tooled margins. The parapet is topped with flat ashlar copings and later metal railings. At the south-eastern end of the viaduct, where it crosses Elland Road, the structure resembles a bridge due to the hill on which Elland Road is set, which rises towards Churwell. Additionally, there is a sandstone pedestrian stair with a brick side wall on the north-west side of Elland Road, leading down from Elland Road to the lower ground level beneath the main part of the viaduct.