Lasswade Viaduct

Completed in 1867, the Lasswade Viaduct stands as a testament to Victorian engineering. This impressive structure, designed by Thomas Bouch, was built to serve the Esk Valley Railway. The railway itself was initially conceived to support local paper mills. It received Parliamentary approval in 1863, but construction didn’t begin until September 1864. The Lasswade Viaduct, a key part of the railway, was largely finished by the summer of 1865. The viaduct’s construction contract, worth a substantial £20,994 at the time, was awarded to Alexander Wilson of Edinburgh. The Lasswade Viaduct features six segmental arches, each spanning 39 feet. These arches soar 75 feet above the North Esk River. Its rectangular piers, constructed from cream bull-faced sandstone, are accented by polished voussoirs. A string course runs beneath parapets topped with rounded ashlar copings and light steel railings. The viaduct curves gracefully with a radius of approximately 18 chains. While the viaduct and the Esk Valley Railway were ready by autumn 1866, the official opening was delayed until April 16, 1867. This delay was due to necessary improvements and signaling installations on the connecting Peebles Railway. The Esk Valley Railway, leased to the North British Railway, served passengers until 1951. Goods trains continued to rumble across the Lasswade Viaduct, supplying the paper mills, until 1964. Today, the Lasswade Viaduct is a Grade B listed structure. It stands as a silent sentinel, overseen by the Highways Agency Historical Railways Estate, a reminder of a bygone era of steam and industry.