The
Liverpool & Manchester line had
to cross the trench-like valley of the Sankey Brook. The Sankey Brook
Navigation Company objected to the building of the railway and made
life difficult for George Stephenson
and his team of engineers by insisting on a 60 ft clearance over their
canal. William Allcard was given the responsibility of designing the
Sankey Viaduct and came up with a nine arch structure. Each of the
arches is of 50 ft span and rises from massive sandstone slabs quarried
locally, including at Olive Mount. Thousands
of tons of marl and moss, compacted with brushwood, was used to increase
the height of the embankment. The Sankey Viaduct was built of brick
with stone facings and cost the company over £45,000 to produce.
The Sankey Viaduct
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