London Road Viaduct, Brighton, photographed on 3rd March 2007. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

London Road viaduct, completed in 1846, carries the Brighton to Lewes line east from Brighton station. It has 27 arches, all of which are round headed and of 30 feet span, except for the tenth from the Brighton station end which is an elliptical arch 50 feet wide over Preston Road. The viaduct is up to 67 feet high and 390 yards long. It is in red brick, but with yellow brick arch rings. As with Ouse Viaduct, there is an attractive balustrade and prominent imposts of Caen stone, and the piers are pierced. The viaduct is on a curve, so all of the piers are tapered in plan, being wider on the north side than on the south. The spandrels are hollow, with the tracks carried on jack arches. The viaduct suffered a direct hit by a bomb during an air raid on 25th May 1943, which destroyed two arches. However, the line was reopened less than five months later, on 12th October, and the viaduct was rebuilt to the original design.

The arch over Preston Road. The piers either side of this arch are wider than the others and have panelled pilasters in red and yellow brick. photograph by Gregory Beecroft