Alfreton Stream Bridge (SPC8 60)

A tall single-span underbridge located in an embankment crossing Alfreton Stream 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 ashlar dressings, and a red brick soffit.

DESCRIPTION: the east elevation comprises a single, segmental arch of rusticated, V-channelled ashlar voussoirs, with a slightly dropped and projecting keystone. The voussoirs spring from an ashlar impost band and terminate as ashlar quoins on the soffit. The bridge spandrels are formed from masonry laid to diminishing courses between impost band and parapet levels. The abutment walling continues in quarry-faced masonry with a tooled margin facing the arch. Slightly advanced curved abutment walls frame the bridge arch and slope downwards to meet terminating piers. A boldly-projecting ashlar roll moulding forms the coping at the head of the arch and extends onto the flanking abutment walling. There are low, C20, steel railings mounted on the coping above the bridge arch. The arch soffit brickwork includes areas of replacement C20 engineering brick. Below the arch impost band, coursed masonry inner walling rises from a low chamfered plinth. The west elevation of the bridge is understood to be similarly detailed.