The arch was built by 1837 for the London and Birmingham Railway (LBR), whose chief engineer was Robert Stephenson.

The LBR was one of the first long-distance railways and its route became the southern section of the West Coast Main Line.

It featured in several contemporary illustrations of the construction of the LBR, including one by Thomas Roscoe.

A moulded cornice runs the length of the bridge above the arch and below a parapet, which is finished with stone coping.

[1][2][3][4] Up to this junction, the line was quadruple-tracked in the 1880s but the Northampton loop added capacity, negating the need to modify structures between Roade and Rugby, including the Blisworth Arch.