During 1859, Parliament gave its assent to the construction of the West London Extension Railway; one of the most prominent civil engineering projects of this new line would be the crossing of the River Thames at Battersea.

[2] In terms of its general configuration, the Battersea Railway Bridge comprises five arches composed of wrought iron that are flanked on either side by brick approach viaducts.

The wrought iron segmental arches are relatively lightweight, being strengthened via pairs of ribs that are connected to lattice-type spandrel members to the deck girders; the structure is largely rivetted together.

It is suspected that, during various refurbishments during the twentieth century, some of the original ribs have been strengthened or even entirely replaced by steel counterparts; however, the upper and lower chords and spandrel members of the arches remain entirely composed of wrought iron through to the present day.

[2][6] A three-arch brick viaduct carries the line on the north side of the bridge, with one arch having been opened to provide a pedestrian route under the railway, as part of the Thames Path.

On the south side are four arches, two of which are used as storage for the residents of a houseboat community moored immediately downstream, and another one of which was opened to Thames Path pedestrian traffic as part of the Lombard Wharf development.