On the Stockton & Darlington line George Stephenson's buildings were very plain. The directors of the Liverpool & Manchester Company suggested to George Stephenson that they would like something more ornate on their line. The result was the Moorish Arch at Edge Hill. This was the point where cable haulage changed to locomotive power. Stephenson therefore used the Moorish Arch as camouflage for the stationary engines which powered both inclines.

The Liverpool & Manchester line was so successful that in the the 1860s it needed a wider line to give additional access to Crown Street Station. Unfortunately, this meant that the Moorish Arch had to be taken down.