| AdminHistory | The original wooden viaduct, sometimes called the "Seven Bridges", as designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The viaduct spanned across the canals at Parkhead and was built for the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway. They were absorbed by the Great Western Railway in 1863. In 1877 the Great Western Railway authorised the spending of £7000 for the reconstruction of Parkhead viaduct in brick. A tender of £9400 by a Mr. C. J. Smith of Westminster Chambers was accepted on 2 May 1877. The brick viaduct was built around the wooden one. A contract was awarded to Phillips & McEwan of Dudley for 1,000,000 bricks for the construction. It was to be finished by December, 1877. The Great Western Railway board agreed on 9 November, 1878 to purchase the mines under the new brick viaduct for £250.00, and approved payment of £50 to the Birmingham Canal Company on 24 th November, 1878 for land in connection with the viaduct. |