Bull Bridge (SPC8 47)

Bull Bridge is a bridge and retaining walls built in 1837 for the North Midland Railway, designed by George and Robert Stephenson along with Frederick Swanwick. The bridge features a renewed deck from the first half of the 20th century. The 20th-century span of steel-plate girders is not considered of special interest.

The materials used include coursed quarry-faced Derbyshire gritstone with ashlar dressings. The bridge consists of riveted steel-plate girders supported by gritstone abutments and long retaining walls on either side of the railway line. The underside of the span has narrow concrete arches between the girders. Both sides of the bridge are similar in appearance. The abutments project as broad piers with v-jointed picked quoins and dressed margins. Above the springing point, these piers are designed as tall ashlar pedestals, featuring a plinth, dado, and a simple stepped cornice.

The extensive retaining walls extend approximately 100 meters to the north on both sides and about 150 meters to the south on the east side, adjacent to the A610. The walls are battered and include a prominent string course of quarry-faced stone with dressed margins at the impost level. Above this, there is a course of punched stone that corresponds to the plinth of the pier, followed by a parapet made of decreasing courses of quarry-faced stone with a bull-nosed and quarry-faced coping. The parapet on the west retaining walls has been reduced in height by several courses and replaced with narrow ashlar coping and metal railings.