Hills Bridge (SPC8 63)

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

MATERIALS: Derbyshire Gritstone, both rusticated ashlar and coursed and squared quarry-faced, and a red brick soffit.

DESCRIPTION: the two faces are essentially identical. The single, semi-circular arch has rusticated, V-channelled voussoirs which spring from an impost band, and a projecting keystone. Both the spandrels and abutments are of rusticated v-channelled ashlar with tooled detailing. The arch soffit is of red brick. Below the soffit and impost bands the underside walls are slightly raked. Framing the arch are projecting, gently curved wing walls. They are of coursed and squared quarry-faced stone with tooled ashlar quoins. Above the arch, and cutting short the uppermost voussoirs, is a parapet consisting of one projecting course of tooled ashlar and one deep course of the same above. The parapet is topped by C20 metal railings.