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One of Britain’s most remarkable surviving railway structures, Meldon Viaduct in Devon, is facing a repair bill of up to £3 million over the next decade, according to a newly published report.
The viaduct, which is a scheduled monument, is one of only two surviving railway bridges in the UK constructed with wrought-iron lattice piers and trusses. Built by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) and opened in 1874, the 540-foot-long structure spans the West Okement River, around 2.5 miles west of Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor.
Meldon Viaduct carried the LSWR main line over the valley of the West Okement River. PHOTO: NILFANION – CC BY-SA 3.0
Originally forming part of the main line between Exeter and Plymouth, Meldon Viaduct last carried passenger trains in 1968. Today, the structure has found a new lease of life as part of the Granite Way, a popular walking and cycling route linking Okehampton and Lydford and skirting the northern edge of Dartmoor National Park.
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Responsibility for the viaduct is now changing hands. The Meldon Viaduct Company, established in 1998 to oversee maintenance and attract funding for repairs, is being dissolved, with Devon County Council set to take over management of the structure.
A report presented to the council’s cabinet has warned that “significant renovation works” will be required, with costs estimated at £2 million to £3 million over the next ten years. Survey work has already begun to assess the condition of the viaduct and inform future restoration plans, but funding for the repairs has yet to be secured.
Devon County Council is expected to explore potential grant funding options, including applications to organisations such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England, to help safeguard the long-term future of the historic crossing.
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