Limehouse Station Railway Bridge - Commercial Road, London, UK
N 51° 30.761 W 000° 02.419
30U E 705362 N 5710993
This is one of many bridges that carries trains into Fenchurch Street railway station from the suburbs to the east of the City and southern Essex.
Waymark Code: WMERAQ
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/01/2012
Views: 1
The
main
photo was taken from a fotpath that is about 30m to the west of the bridge.
Footpaths pass under the bridge on both sides of the road so
there are opportunites for photos from many different angles.
The road
that passes beneath this bridge, Commercial Road (A13), is one of the
main routes into London from eastern London and Essex.
This bridge has a
four lane road passing beneath it in a north/south direction. A clearance height is shown
with a clearance of 15 ft 06 in.
This bridge carries railway tracks from Essex and the eastern suburbs
of London into Fenchurch Street railway station.
This bridge is Grade II listed and its
entry at the English Heritage webiste (visit link) reads, incorrectly as it is
in use with the columns gone, as follows:
"GV II Former
railway bridge, now dis-used. 1870s for London and Blackwall Railway Company and
its lessee, Great Eastern Railway. Wrought-iron superstructure supported by
brick abutments and three cast iron columns. Superstructure of latticed box
girder with flat bolted underside and diagonal tensile members of wrought-iron
flat plates. Yellow brick abutments in English bond at each end carry the
superstructure, along with pair of additional cast iron column supports to east
side. Drinking Fountain (q.v.) attached to northern abutment. The
superstructure, abutments, and columns are all structural components of the
bridge. The c.1880 viaduct continues to north and south.
HISTORY: The London and
Blackwall Railway Company and it lessee, the Great Eastern Railway Company,
completed the viaduct that carry the Limehouse Curve in 1880. This link provided
a link, allowing goods trains from Millwall and the other London Docks to run
directly onto the main-line system of the Great Eastern Railway. The listed
bridge is much wider thatn the present roadway, reflecting the greater width of
the Commerical Road it was built to cross. Commercial Road was constructed
c.1802-04 as the toll road connecting the East and West India Docks and the
City.
Listed as a late-C1870s distinctive railway bridge for the Great
Eastern Railway with wrought iron latticed superstructure and additional cast
iron columns supports, also having historic interest and strong group
value."