Dowery Dell Viaduct

Dowery Dell Viaduct is a railway viaduct in Worcestershire that spans across the Rea valley through a wooded landscape, rising on cast-iron supports and stone foundations. It features a lattice girder design with vertical H-shaped iron members, built to carry trains across the valley in this rural area.

Construction began in 1878 at New Dock Bridge Works under Mr. Tillotson and introduced vertical H-shaped iron members as an engineering innovation. Its completion in 1883 represented an advance in how railway viaducts were designed and built in that period.

The viaduct played a key role in supporting local coal mining operations when it opened, marking an important moment in the region's industrial growth. Its construction reflected the community's dependence on rail transport for economic prosperity.

The viaduct sits in a wooded valley and can be viewed from several angles, particularly from the river valley below. Walking around and underneath the structure gives you the best sense of its scale and engineering.

The viaduct features a lattice girder design on trestles, an uncommon construction method for its time that was rarely copied. Only one similar structure of this type remains elsewhere in Britain, making this an unusual survivor from the Victorian railway era.

GPS coordinates: 52.42337,-2.03936

Latest update: December 14, 2025 11:00