The viaduct was designed by Henry Welsh, and built by Deas and Hogg,[note 1] for the Great North of England Railway (GNER) between 1837 and 1840, costing £14,481 (equivalent to £1,663,000 in 2023).

[2][3][4] Digging for the foundations started on 25 November 1837, and the formation of the line northwards from the viaduct would go on to use the trackbed of the old Croft branch of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

[14][15] Apart from some re-inforced concrete, the viaduct is largely composed of the original stone; dressed ashlar cream sandstone, with late 20th century parapet railings.

[16][17] A tradition of newly-appointed bishops arriving into County Durham being presented with a falchion which slew the Sockburn Worm, is normally associated with the road bridge at Croft-on-Tees, which in railway terms, is 35 chains (2,300 ft; 700 m) upstream.

[17] The original Croft Branch of the Stockton & Darlington Railway had a proposal to cross the Tees to venture 1-mile (1.6 km) into Yorkshire, but the cost of building a bridge was found to have been prohibitive.