Hurstbourne Viaduct, photographed on 15th May 2010. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

Hurstbourne Viaduct, between Whitchurch and Andover, takes the railway over the valley of the River Swift. It was designed by Joseph Locke for the London & South Western Railway and completed in 1854. It is constructed of dark red bricks, is 127 yards long and has nine round-headed arches of 34 feet span.

Hurstbourne Viaduct. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

The viaduct has been the subject of strengthening work. Three tie bars have been added above the crown of each arch and old rails have been used to support the spandrels. These prevent the spandrels from moving outward under the load imposed by trains. The viaduct has corbelled, brick imposts, the upper part of which are in blue brick.

Hurstbourne Viaduct. photograph by Gregory Beecroft

There are extensive mineral deposits on the lower parts of the arch soffits and spandrels, caused by water filtering out through the structure. This has probably been caused by a problem with the viaduct's drainage system. The lack of deposits higher up, suggests that the inner faces of the structure have been waterproofed where it has been possible to excavate from track level.