St James's Railway Bridge

St James's Railway Bridge is a railway bridge over the River Avon, built around 1840, with extensive repairs carried out around 1927. It was designed by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Railway. The bridge is constructed from Bath stone ashlar, with significant repairs made using red and blue brick in a mainly Flemish bond.

The exterior features a wide elliptical skew arch that crosses the river at approximately 45 degrees, flanked by small stilted round arches. There is a plain parapet that is inflected above corbels and topped with a bold double roll moulding. On the downstream (south) side, the central arch is faced in ashlar and has stepped paired channelled voussoirs, some of which have been repaired in brick. The channelling extends around the arch, featuring a projecting keystone, while the side arches display alternating voussoirs, a central projecting keystone, and quoins that reach down to pavement level. A bold cornice is broken over the central keystone and at four corbels adorned with cartouche decoration flanking the side arches. Cutwaters have been added on this side.

The upstream (north) side is similar but is primarily faced in brick, with one of the corbels also in brick. There is a stone abutment at the east end, while the west end features some outwork at parapet level associated with the platform of Bath Spa Station. The cutwaters on this side are made of brick with stone cappings. The main arch soffit has a broad splay at each outer edge.

This bridge is a significant part of the Great Western Railway main line World Heritage site and, with a span of 27 meters, showcases Brunel's skill in creating elegant architectural solutions to engineering challenges.