EPW036820 ENGLAND (1931). The Stockport Viaduct and the town, Stockport, 1931

Where do these stories about things being one of the biggest come from? London to Greenwich Railway 878 arches, initially 2 tracks late widened to at least four and in some places 8 or more. Nine Elms to Waterloo in excess of 225 arches, initially 4 tracks and widen to 8. Balcombe Viaduct 37 arches (11 million bricks), and that is before we go to Europe .....



The French have a liking for brick viaducts, for example on the Paris to Rouen route, for which the British engine Locke was engaged, the Mirville valley was crossed on 52 arches each of 30 feet and to a height of 110 feet and the curved Barentin Viaduct had 27, 50 foot arches to a height of 100 feet.

The claim is made in a Stockport Corporation hand sheet which was available from the local museum. The epithet "largest" does not refer to the number of arches, nor the height, but rather the overall bulk of the structure, which used over 11 million standard bricks. Perhaps it may have been the largest brick structure in 1870 or 1890?

Totoro - Thanks for coming back to me. Unfortunately, all my examples were built before 1870! One wonders why we have this concern about size... I remember the Stockport Viaduct as a fine piece of engineering that (forgive the pun) stands on it own merits.