Plans to extend the Cheshire Midland Railway’s line to Chester from the un-built, Northwich terminus were in hand as early as 1860 when the West Cheshire Railway (WCR) applied for Parliamentary consent to construct the line. The biggest physical obstacle to this 14 mile extension was the Weaver valley although by this date three other railways had already successfully traversed the River Weaver – the Vale Royal viaduct, and the Dutton viaduct both in 1837 on the Crewe to Warrington line, and the 1850 Frodsham viaduct (on the Warrington to Chester line).
The original WCR route was closer to Northwich town centre, and crossed the River Weaver at a height of 30 feet but objections from the Weaver Navigation Trustees resulted in the WCR having to re-site the viaduct in order to provide a clearance above the Navigation of 63ft (19m).
‘THE WEAVER BRIDGE AT NORTHWICH
We deeply regret that the trustees of the river Weaver have finally decided, by a large majority, to refuse a low level railway bridge near the Town Bridge at Northwich. Should the West Cheshire Company carry out their scheme of joining Manchester to Birkenhead, and Chester, via Northwich, the station at Northwich will be at an enormous height, and the cost of the bridge beyond all precedent in crossing so narrow a river. As the intended bridge was to have been on the same level as the Town Bridge, and not many yards from it, one lowering of masts would have answered for passing both, and entailed no delay worth naming.’
Northwich Guardian, 12th of November 1864
The contract to build the 14 mile WCR, including the Northwich viaduct, was let to the railway contracting firm of Benton & Woodwiss in February 1866 for the sum of £189,742.
The final arrangement of the West Cheshire Railway’s Northwich Viaduct, 1865. The scale of work, and enormous cost involved in crossing the Weaver valley after the Weaver Trustees stubbornness, can be appreciated in this plan, including the amount of masonry needed, and the huge depth of much of the piling on which the arch piers and bridge abutments are constructed. In some places, particularly near the river Weaver itself, it was found that deeper piling became necessary after encountering quicksand, with some piles being 40ft (12m) in depth. Cheshire Record Office (CRO).
Detailed WCR plans of the arch situated between the spans over the River Weaver, and the River Weaver Navigation, c.1865. This arch, with abutments for the steel river bridge spanned a dry dock, which is still in use today.
This plan, which omits the piling for the piers, shows the ‘hollow’ nature of the huge abutments. Probably so constructed to increase its load baring capacity, while reducing any un-necessary weight on the foundations. They presumably were not filled in but left void. The famous Scottish civil engineer Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was quoted as saying that ‘…rubble adds weight but no strength’. Cheshire Record Office.
West Cheshire Railway, Northwich viaduct plan details c.1865. The general arrangements for the proposed crossing of the River Weaver Navigation (left), and the River Weaver (right). The amount of masonry that is below ground level, and the required depth of piling for the river bridges abutment foundations are quite remarkable. Cheshire Record Office.
Piling for the viaduct piers commenced less than two months after the contract was signed. In a report to the WCR directors on the 17th of July 1867, it was stated that ‘The estimated cost of the new railway was £210,393 – an increase of £62,791 due mainly to problems with the viaduct foundations’. The WCR’s first engineer was J.I.Mawson, but Mawson was apparently dismissed for ’unauthorised expenditure’, and replaced by the resident engineer John Sheldon Wilkinson (1837-1880) who, with the assistance of Mr. T.F.G.Walton (the new resident engineer), oversaw not only the completion of the viaduct but also the remainder of the line into Chester, which reached the city in 1874.
Northwich viaduct and the River Weaver Navigation. C1910. The Salt Union’s steamer ‘Cynosure’, with a salt barge in tow, leaves Hunts Lock and is heading downstream for Liverpool Docks with a cargo of salt for export. Nearly seventy feet above the navigation a Great Central Railway 0-6-0, class 9D (later class J10) locomotive, stands at the Hartford East signal box’s Up starting signal, waiting for a clear road into Northwich. Through the arch, below where the locomotive is standing can be seen the cranes of W.J.Yarwoods ship builders (established in 1840), one of the two ship yards in the town. The masonry 48 arch, and two steel span, viaduct crosses the River Dane, London Road, the River Weaver, a Weaver Navigation dry dock, and the River Weaver Navigation itself (seen here). Construction commenced in April 1866, by the West Cheshire Railway’s Derbyshire based railway building contractors Benton and Woodwiss. Before work commenced the choice of the building material was changed from brick to sandstone at an additional cost of £3,000. Construction delays were encountered with deeper than anticipated foundation piling needed, bad winter weather, and stone supply problems from the quarries at Runcorn. Despite this the viaduct was completed, and the 14 mile double track railway opened, just over three years later in September 1869. T.Booth collection.
Northwich viaduct, 23rd of May 1970. Viewed from the path leading down from Lower Darwin Street to Hunts Lock, this shows 18 of the 48 arches, clearly illustrating what is, at 734 yards (670 meters) in length, probably the largest and most impressive single structure in the Northwich area. Still carrying heavy rail traffic today, it’s an important link in the Cheshire rail network – not bad for something over 150 years old! Manchester Locomotive Society collection.
The forced siting of the viaduct some distance from the town centre, although resulting in an inconveniently sited Northwich station (which is actually located in Witton!), fortunately kept the railway clear of the worst effects of the uncontrolled brine pumping that plagued the town in later years. There has been some minor movement of parts of the structure over the years and some serious sinkage did occur in early 1980 possibly as a result of ‘shifting sand’ which was encountered in places during construction and resulting in both a permanent speed restriction of 20mph for all trains crossing it, and some urgent arch strengthening work carried out by British Rail. The bracing, and associated speed restriction, is still in place today.
Northwich viaduct strengthened arches. Seen in November 2019, some of the affected arches which were braced with steel liners. T.Booth collection.
