Viaduct Including Adjacent Piers To Earlier Viaduct

The Moorswater Viaduct is a railway viaduct that includes the remains of piers from an earlier structure. The original piers were built in 1859 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, while the replacement viaduct was completed in 1881 under the engineering of PJ Margary. The resident engineer, HG Cole, tragically lost his life during the rebuilding when a crane overturned, and he was succeeded by TH Gibbons.

The current viaduct features seven tapering piers made of snecked rock-faced slatestone, supporting eight semi-circular arches constructed with granite long and short voussoirs. A moulded corbel course with stone brackets holds up an iron parapet railing, which includes uprights, lattice braces, and ornamental adjustment rings. There are also contemporary refuges that are corbelled out on paired stone brackets. The viaduct spans 290 metres in length and reaches a height of 49 metres.

To the south, the remains of the earlier piers are similar to those found in the St Pinnock viaduct. These are made of roughly-dressed, coursed slatestone with stepped buttresses that rise to form five stages, featuring pointed openings in the upper stages and arches in the lower stages with keystones.

This viaduct is part of a series of structures built in quick succession along Brunel's Plymouth to Truro line, which opened in 1859. The asset has been previously listed twice, and a duplicate entry was removed from the list on 10 July 2017. Additionally, this entry underwent a minor amendment on the same date.