Amber River Bridge (SPC8 54)

The Amber River Bridge is a single-span underbridge that crosses the River Amber. It was built between 1836 and 1840 for the North Midland Railway, designed by George and Robert Stephenson along with Frederick Swanwick.

The bridge is constructed from coursed and squared quarry-faced Derbyshire Gritstone walling, with tooled ashlar dressings. The underside of the arch is made of red brick. Both faces of the bridge are nearly identical. The single segmental arch features rusticated, tooled voussoirs that extend to fill the spandrels, with a slightly projecting keystone at the center. The voussoirs end as quoins on the soffit, which is made of red bricks. The arch springs from ashlar impost bands, while the walls beneath these bands are also made of coursed, squared, and quarry-faced Gritstone.

Projecting, raked piers frame the arch, and the impost bands curve to meet these piers, creating a pitched ledge that helps shed water. The wing walls extend in line with the trackbed but are gently curved and raked, terminating in semi-octagonal piers according to the contract drawings. A bold roll moulding with horizontal tooling runs along the top of the arch, piers, and wing walls, which is topped by a low parapet made of a single course of ashlar. The only alterations to the bridge include the addition of five ties with square tie plates through the voussoirs and 20th-century metal railings along the parapet.