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Summary

Description

Circa 1849 for the North British Railway. 5-arch railway viaduct crossing the River Tweed in an E-W direction. Squared sandstone rubble with ashlar voussoirs to segmental arches. Rusticated sandstone piers. Sandstone parapet with sandstone ashlar copes. Boat-shaped cutwaters on upstream and downstream sides.

Statement of Special Interest

This viaduct, known as Tweed Viaduct or Redbridge Viaduct, is a well-preserved and notable example of a railway viaduct of the mid-19th century, related to the Waverley line, which ran from Edinburgh to Carlisle - the most celebrated railway route of Southern Scotland. The viaduct, as well as making a significant visual contribution to this part of Galashiels, is an important survival, both as an example of the engineering related to the construction of the railway, and as a reminder of the prominence of the railway in the 19th century development of the town.

The arrival of the railway in Galashiels is closely linked with a massive increase in textile manufacture and trade in the later 19th century. The railway allowed easy access to both the English market and Lothian coal, which was increasingly used to power Galashiels mills from this date.

The Edinburgh and Hawick Railway was opened in 1849 by the North British Railway and formed the first part of the line from Edinburgh to Carlisle. The railway through Galashiels was initially known as the Border union, but in 1862 the railway was officially named the Waverley line, to emphasise the connection with Walter Scott, as nearby Abbotsford increased in popularity as a literary shrine. In 1856 a branch line opened to Selkirk and in 1866 a line opened to Galashiels from Peebles and Innerleithen. The route eventually closed in 1969.

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