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In Pictures: Harringworth Viaduct

Kate Bradbrook,at Harringworth Viaduct and
Katy Prickett
Construction of the Harringworth Viaduct started 150 years ago

One hundred and fifty years ago, a peaceful stretch of Northamptonshire countryside became a noisy, busy building site as an enormous railway project emerged from the land.

Workers, known as navvies, were constructing the Harringworth Viaduct, which spans the River Welland, between Harringworth and Seaton in Rutland.

It is believed to be the longest masonry viaduct in the United Kingdom.

Historian John Hillier said the quiet, rural valley was inundated with vast gangs of itinerant labourers who lived in camps in the fields during the vast construction.

Hillier will share his latest research on the building of the 1.16km (0.7 miles)-long structure at a talk in Harringworth on Friday.

Here are some images of the stunning structure in the autumn sunshine, taken by BBC cameraman, Ant Saddington.

News imageAnt Saddington/BBC A close-up of the arches of a long brick-built railway viaduct, built from mostly blue bricks. The first arch is on the right and the rest of the arches stretch off to the middle. On the left are green fields with lines of hedgerows and trees on the horizon under a blue sky. Ant Saddington/BBC
The stunning viaduct was built by hundreds of navvies
News imageKate Bradbrook/BBC A ground shot looking up at a Victorian viaduct heading off into the distance surrounded by a grass field. Blue sky can be seen between the first two arches and above it. Kate Bradbrook/BBC
The brick built structure, which is 1.16km (0.7 miles) long and has 82 arches, each of which has a 12 metre span (40ft), was completed in 1878
News imageAnt Saddington/BBC An aerial shot of a brick-built Victorian railway viaduct. It shows two rows of track and beneath it, about 10 of its arches. It is standing above a stream, which can be seen top right, and is crossing a grassy meadow. Ant Saddington/BBC
It lies on the Oakham to Kettering Line and is mainly used by freight trains today
News imageAnt Saddington/BBC An aerial shot showing a brick-built Victorian railway viaduct in the distance. It standing above a stream, which can be seen top right, and is crossing a grassy meadow. Ant Saddington/BBC
John Hillier, secretary of the Railway Photographic Society, said recent research has enabled him to map out how the fields were used during construction
News imageAnt Saddington/BBC A high up aerial shot of a brick-built Victorian railway viaduct. It shows two rows of track and beneath it, many of its arches. On either side are green fields, with many trees and hedges. On the left some houses can be glimpsed. Ant Saddington/BBC
A railway line ran along the base of the viaduct and the line delivered coal to the workers, he added
News imageAnt Saddington/BBC A close-up of three arches of a Victorian viaduct. They are largely faced in blue bricks, with some red bricks along its top edge. It stands in green fields with hedges, trees and a couple of houses in the distance, under blue skies. Ant Saddington/BBC
The viaduct was initially faced in red bricks, but within 20 or 30 years they began to be replaced with blue bricks, said Hillier's colleague Nick Hill

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