Dene Beck Culvert

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Overview

Stream culvert through the railway embankment engineered by George Stephenson for the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825. Read the official list entry to find out more.

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476142
Date first listed:: 31-Mar-2023
List Entry Name:: Dene Beck Culvert

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1476142
Date first listed:: 31-Mar-2023
List Entry Name:: Dene Beck Culvert
Location Description:: Sited at NZ 27514 20097 where the Dene Beck passes below the railway embankment 260m north-north-west of the railway crossing the A1(M).

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Darlington (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Coatham Mundeville
National Grid Reference:: NZ2751420097

Summary

Stream culvert through the railway embankment engineered by George Stephenson for the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway in 1825.

Reasons for Designation

Dene Beck Culvert is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest: * as a rare surviving and little altered structure built for the 1825 opening of the pioneering and internationally influential Stockton & Darlington Railway; * for the well-considered design of the portals, being good examples of Georgian masonry construction characteristic of the early railway.

Historic interest: * as a clear example of George Stephenson’s influential approach to railways, employing extensive engineering to build routes that were as straight and level as possible.

Group value: * with the contemporary accommodation bridge 60m to the south.

History

The Stockton & Darlington Railway (S&DR) was engineered by George Stephenson (1781-1848), its initial construction being authorised by Acts of Parliament passed in 1821 and 1823, the main line opening to traffic in 1825. Dene Beck Culvert is considered to be one of the original structures of the line, built before September 1825 to allow the Dene Beck to flow through the embankment for the railway. The portals to the culvert are of smoothly dressed ashlar stonework and are similar in design to the slightly more elaborate accommodation bridge about 60m to the south and the larger bridge over the Hummer Beck south of West Auckland, both of which are also thought to be original structures of 1825 line. The projecting wing walls revetting the embankment are built in slightly different stonework and may be the result of later repair work, but still likely to be early C19.

Through its willingness to share information with visiting engineers and railway promoters, the S&DR was highly influential in the establishment of other early railways both in England and abroad. A significant part of this influence was via Stephenson who also established the world’s first locomotive works with his son Robert (1803-1859), supported financially by Edward Pease of the S&DR. Stephenson also went on to engineer the Liverpool & Manchester Railway (opened 1830), being popularly regarded as ‘the Father of the Railways’. One of the approaches that Stephenson took to engineering rail routes was to make them as straight and level as possible, despite the added expense of having to construct cuttings and embankments with their attendant bridges and culverts. This resulted in Stephenson realigning the original, rather circuitous route that had been planned by George Overton (1774-1827) which had been authorised by the 1821 Act of Parliament. Stephenson’s straighter route, including the crossing of Dene Beck and Myers Flat, necessitated a second Act of Parliament, this being passed in 1823.

Details

Culvert beneath a railway embankment, by George Stephenson for the Stockton & Darlington Railway, 1825.

MATERIALS: coursed and ashlar sandstone.

DESCRIPTION: the portal to the culvert on the western side of the embankment is detailed in a similar way to that of an accommodation bridge in miniature. The arch is semi-circular, around 2m high, constructed with ashlar voussoirs; the spandrels and flanking terminal piers being of coursed dressed stone. Above, there is a horizontal ashlar stringcourse marking the base of the parapet, which is also of finely dressed ashlar stonework. One of the square terminal piers retains a moulded cap. Extending from the piers flanking the arch are short wing walls built of coursed stone with ashlar coping.

The eastern portal is more plainly treated, lacking a parapet. The culvert tunnel is not straight, but bends slightly southwards at its eastern end.

Sources

Books and journals
North Eastern Railway Association, , Line Diagrams of the North Eastern Railway, Darlington-Shildon-Bishop Auckland - Wearhead, (2013)
Websites
The 1825 S&DR: Historic Environment Audit, Appendix 4 (see page 5), accessed 29/10/21 from https://www.darlington.gov.uk/media/1949/appendix-4-2016-10-27management-county-boundary-to-north-road-station-darlington.pdf

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.