Potters Bridge (SPC8 52)

A single-span accommodation underbridge built c.1836-40 for the North Midland Railway to the designs of George and Robert Stephenson, with their Assistant Engineer Frederick Swanwick,

MATERIALS: coursed and squared, quarry-faced Derbyshire gritstone with tooled ashlar dressings, and red-brick soffit linings.

DESCRIPTION: the bridge comprises a single-span, segmental arch formed of V- jointed rusticated ashlar voussoirs and a projecting keystone. The voussoirs return as quoins to the brick soffit linings to the arch. The arch springs from ashlar impost bands that extend into the slightly raked inner faces of the masonry abutment walls. Beyond the bridge abutments are curved and splayed masonry flanking walls. Above the bridge arch is a bold, ashlar roll that extends into the flanking walling as a coping course. The bridge parapets are formed of a single course of tooled ashlar blocks, which extend for a short distance into the flanking walls. C20, steel railings have been added to the parapet walling. Both elevations of the bridge are similarly detailed.