Fairfield Underbridge (aka Prospect Creek Underbridge)
Main
Collection SummaryThe railway bridge located near Fairfield Street and the Horsley Drive is listed in the Fairfield City Council's Local Environmental Plan.DescriptionSTATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:
The Prospect Creek Underbridge is of local historical, aesthetic, technical and research, and representative significance. The Underbridge is of local historical significance as it was constructed in 1891 as part of the duplication and upgrading of the original 1856 Granville to Liverpool stretch of the Main South Line. It demonstrates the upgrade and expansion of the NSW rural railway network in the late 19th century and is a good example of the introduction and usage of brick arch railway viaduct constructions in a major infrastructure capacity by the NSWGR.
The Underbridge is also of local aesthetic significance as it is a highly visible landmark structure in a parkland setting, exhibiting the key characteristics of brick arch railway viaduct construction as developed and introduced across the NSW rural railway network in the 1880s and 1890s. The design, technique and construction materials all contribute to the Underbridge’s historical and aesthetic significance, as they are examples of cost saving measures and technical innovation implemented by the NSWGR in the tough economic climate of the early 1890s, which then continued to be used into the early 1920s due to the outbreak of World War I.
In conjunction with the other late 19th century brick arch railway under bridges and viaducts constructed by the NSWGR, this item also forms part of a valuable representative data set which has the potential to yield information that can contribute to our understanding of the history and development of the NSW rural railway network throughout the 19th century.
While not rare, the item is also a good representative example of a smaller span brick arch railway viaduct of the type typically constructed across the NSW rural railway network, and particularly on the Main South Line, in the late 19th century. The high integrity and intactness of the Prospect Creek Underbridge also contribute to its local heritage significance, with the item remaining largely unmodified since its construction in 1891 and retaining its original form and the majority of its original fabric in a fair to good condition.
