The 1838 section of railway bridge into Curzon Street Station over Digbeth Branch Canal

A railway bridge of 1837-8 designed by Joseph Locke to take the Grand Junction Railway into Curzon Street Terminus Station.

MATERIALS: red brick with sandstone dressings.

PLAN: the bridge has a single span over the canal, with curved wing walls to either side. The tow path is set to the east. The 1837-8 part of the bridge now carries a roadway.

The north face of the bridge is fronted in ashlar to its centre, with brick wing walls to either side, which have stone dressings. The stonework has banded and chamfered rustication. The broad arch is segmental and flanked by pilasters. An impost block projects slightly, and above it the voussoirs of the arch have chamfered edges and are stepped in groups of three. Above the arch is a dentilled cornice and the parapet is plain. Parts of the wing walls have been rebuilt – that to the left in blue engineering brick. The southern face of the 1837-8 bridge is abutted by the later-C19 extension, but the lower part of its arch can be seen underneath the bridge and this has chamfered voussoirs, as on the north face. The intrados of the vault is of red brick, which is slightly skewed and the impost block continues as a deep band at the level of the springing of the arch.

Pursuant to s. 1 (5) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that the later-C19 bridge to the south of the 1838 bridge, which abuts its southern flank wall, is not of special architectural or historic interest.