Bridge SAC/8 (aka Kirkgate Viaduct & Marshfield Viaduct) carries the Settle & Carlisle Railway across Kirkgate, in the heart of the market town of Settle, North Yorkshire. It is 52 yards (47.5m) long, 32 feet (9.8m) high, has 4 arches (each with a 29ft. 9in. span) and it was completed in 1871.
In theory, a short single-span bridge would have been sufficient to carry the railway across the road. However, this option would have required the purchase and demolition of two adjacent properties (Marshfield House and Bond End House) to create room for the embankments at the north end of the bridge. By constructing a short viaduct, the Midland Railway Company avoided the need for these costly purchases (and probably reduced the level of opposition to the new railway as well).
