Victoria Bridge

KIDDERMINSTER FOREIGN CP SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY S077NE 5/90 Victoria Bridge - II* Half of this structure lies in the parish of Upper Arley. Railway bridge. 1859-1862 by John Fowler, engineer, for the Severn Valley Railway Company. Cast-iron and rusticated sandstone ashlar. Main span is a segmental arch composed of 4 ribs each formed from 9 H-section cast-iron pieces bolted together. The track above is supported by a network of iron struts. The rusticated ashlar abutments have plain parapets and are each pierced by a segmental arch of blue brick with a moulded string course at springing level. The tow path is on the west bank between the abutment and the river, on the east bank the abutment wall extends down into the river. A painted inscription, repeated in identical wording on each side of the bridge reads: 'Victoria Bridge/1861/John Fowler, Engineer' to the centre. To the left: 'Messrs. Brassey & Co., Contractors.' To the right: 'Cast and erected by the Coalbrookdale Company'. L S Snell (editor) Essays towards a History of Bewdley (n d), p 79.

Listing NGR: SO7666579254