Railway Bridge Over Main Line Railway Taunton To Bristol

This is a road bridge over the main line railway from Taunton to Bristol, built around 1842 by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is constructed of red brick with some lias stone dressings. The bridge features a single elegant segmental arch that spans the double track railway, which is located in a cutting at right angles to the bridge. The head of the arch is adorned with brick voussoirs, and there are ornamental square lias voussoirs at intervals. A brick band runs at roadway level, and the brick parapets are topped with plain lias cappings. The roadway rises slightly over the center of the bridge. This structure is a well-preserved example of 19th-century railway architecture and represents a 'flying' bridge, a characteristic design of the Bristol and Exeter Railway, which later became part of the Great Western Railway.