Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

BARNS VIADUCT (STOBS VIADUCT)LB2063

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
B
Date Added
10/07/2003
Local Authority
Scottish Borders
Planning Authority
Scottish Borders
Parish
Cavers
NGR
NT 50478 9828
Coordinates
350478, 609828

Description

Circa 1860 for The North British Railway. Tall, 4 semi-circular arch viaduct with earth embankments spanning Barnes Burn and minor road. Whinstone voussoirs, brick and coursed whinstone rubble piers, ashlar parapet with harled spandrels marked to resemble ashlar. E AND W ELEVATIONS: tall viaduct with 4 semi-circular spans supported by 3 narrow piers and terminating in giant earth embankments. Whinstone rubble piers with some brick repair work leading to whinstone voussoired arches and soffits; rubble spandrels with ashlar-marked harling leading to low ashlar parapet with later open wire fencing. Diagonally angled cast-iron pipes drain track bed into 2nd arch (above burn). Track now dismantled.

Statement of Special Interest

This viaduct was formerly part of the 'Waverley Route', which ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle. This particular section of line was called The Border Union Railway and was under the control of The North British Railway. Work on the line started on the 7th September 1859 with Mrs Hodgson (the wife of the NBR chairman) cutting the first sod at Lynnwood House, Hawick. Work then moved south. The line gradient rises and falls, varying between 1 in 72 and 1 in 250; there was also a speed restrictive curvature due to the nature of the terrain. Although other viaducts formerly existed on the line between here and Hawick, Stobs is now the first viaduct (sited around 4 miles south of Hawick). It is known by several names due to its location. The railway station it was nearest to is called Stobs Halt (now a private residential house with its North British Footbridge still in place), which leads to the viaduct being called Stobs Viaduct. It also crosses the Barnes Burn (a tributary of the Slitrig Water) and it is bounded on the west by Barnsburn Woods; these differently spelled names also lead to it sometimes being called Barnes or Barns Viaduct. Just before World War I, a small station to the north of the viaduct was opened. Later, during World War II, it was primarily used by a nearby prisoner of war camp and became known as Stobs Camp Station. The camp was sited to the west of the railway line and its derelict sidings can still be seen to the north of Stobs Halt. These sidings were the largest between Edinburgh and Carlisle; the signal box that controlled them had around 85 levers. The bridges and viaducts on this route are becoming fewer (due to demolition) after the closure of the line in 1969. Hermitage, Lynnwood, Teviot and Liddel Viaducts are some of the lost structures. The few viaducts and bridges which remain are good surviving examples of Border railway engineering and testaments to the builders and workers employed in their construction; they have therefore been recognised and listed.

References

Bibliography

1st Edition (10560) ORDNANCE SURVEY MAP (circa 1857) showing BARNES Viaduct. 2nd Edition ORDNANCE SURVEY MAP (circa 1896) showing BARNS Viaduct. RVJ Butt, THE DIRECTORY OF RAILWAY STATIONS, p220 and p261. Additional information available on www.wrha.org.uk, www.qube.scottishborders.com, www.thewaverleyrout.co.uk and www.railscot.co.uk.

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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Printed: 29/03/2024 11:17