Oxley Viaduct Over Birmingham Canal (Mainline) - Wolverhampton, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 52° 36.200 W 002° 08.033
30U E 558655 N 5828497
This railway viaduct carries the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway over the canal.
Waymark Code: WMZ1RB
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/27/2018
Views: 3
The Birmingham Canal (Main Line)
The Birmingham Canal Navigations (Main Line) is a narrow canal and is part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. It runs for 16 miles and ¾ furlongs through 24 locks from Worcester Bar (where it joins the Worcester and Birmingham Canal (Birmingham to King's Norton)) to Aldersley Junction (where it joins the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (Main Line: Stourton to Aldersley) and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (Main Line: Aldersley to Autherley)).
Birmingham, the second largest city in the UK and in a central location grew rapidly in the industrial revolution and a large network of canals developed for transport, of which the mainline is a small part with many connections to the rest of the system.
The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway
"The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway (S&BR) opened on 12 November 1849. The company formed originally as the Shrewsbury & Wolverhampton, Dudley & Birmingham Railway in 1844. It became Shrewsbury & Birmingham Railway in 1847.
The first section of the S&BR, which was between and Oakengates and Wellington opened on 1 June 1849. The section from Wellington to Shrewsbury, which was shared with the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, opened on the same date. The S&BR was extended to Wolverhampton on 12 November 1849. The S&BR merged with the Great Western Railway (GWR) on 1 September 1854.
The Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company, built the Stafford to Shrewsbury Line, and leased it to the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). The LNWR and GWR ran the Shrewsbury-Wellington section as a joint railway, known as the Shrewsbury and Wellington Joint Railway.
The line is still used today as the Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury Line."
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The Viaduct
The viaduct is a Historic England Grade II Listed Building.
"Viaduct. 1847-9. By Robert Stephenson and William Baker for Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway Company. Blue brick with ashlar dressings. 12 segmental arches with ashlar impost bands and platt band over; stone-coped brick parapet; 3rd arch from north is skew arch over the Birmingham Canal Navigation (q.v.), with rusticated ashlar voussoirs; blind round-headed arch to south. An impressive and early example. (Collins P: Notes on buildings of interest in Wolverhampton: 1990-)."
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