Gardens in the sky

RAILWAYS RE-USED

While it is relatively simple to re-purpose former stations, sheds and signal boxes into something else, other legacy structures are a bit more complicated. Just what do you do with a redundant railway bridge, for example? Steam Railway takes a look at a few notable examples to find out.

WORDS: ANTHONY DAWSON

The idea of a linear park isn’t new. It probably originated in the United States, creating a public green space which is longer than it is wide. This means it is ideally suited to re-purposing landscape features such as redundant railway lines.

The first elevated linear park was the Promenade Plantée in Paris, which follows the former Chemin de fer de Vincennes which closed in 1969 after only 90 years of operation. Opening in 1993, it was designed by prominent landscape architect Jacques Vergely and architect Philippe Matthieux.

Perhaps the most famous elevated urban park is the High Line in New York – a 1.45-mile long elevated park which re-uses an abandoned section of the New York Central Railroad, and which opened in phases between 2009 and 2014. Chicago has the three-mile Bloomingdale Trail, while in Britain, Bath Linear Park re-uses a disused section of the old Somerset & Dorset Railway trackbed. What was lacking, however, was a UK equivalent of the Promenade Plantée. Enter the National Trust and the Castlefield Viaduct.

Castlefield, Manchester

Castlefield is the ancient heart of Manchester where the Romans built their fort and where, over a millennium later, George Stephenson laid out the first inter-city railway and its station at Liverpool Road. Already a vibrant transport hub thanks to the Bridgwater and Rochdale canals and their attendant warehouses, Castlefield became a key element to the expanding transport links which served the growing Cottonopolis. Even today, Castlefield is a convergence of road, rail and canal, the area being bisected by not only the main line toward Liverpool and Altrincham, but the Metrolink heading into Salford, re-using the Cornbrook Viaduct built in 1877 by the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC). Its northern partner, also built by the CLC, remained desolate and unloved from 1969 to 2022. That said, it provided the backdrop for many film and TV productions, including Coronation Street and Peaky Blinders, where it stood in for industrial Birmingham in the 1920s.

Castlefield Viaduct was built by the Cheshire Lines Committee, a joint line administered by the Great Northern, Midland, and Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire railways (latterly Great Central). The CLC opened its new Central station in 1880, with the new viaduct being built to relieve congestion from the existing Cornbrook Viaduct by providing freight-only lines. It was estimated in 1893 that “as many as 350 or 400 trains will then pass over the structure, in each twenty-four hours” with sufficient capacity to include an additional 100 trains per hour in the future.

In order to span Castlefield, the CLC approached Heenan and Froude, the engineers who built the iconic Blackpool Tower, to construct the new 56-arch viaduct. The 330m long viaduct was completed in 1893, and one Manchester newspaper report declared it “a triumph of engineering skill”, and stated that “some notion may be formed of the nature and importance of [the viaduct] from the fact that the total cost has amounted to £250,000.” The Manchester Evening News in June 1893 reported that the new viaduct was load-tested by parking 12 locomotives “representing an average weight of seventy tons each” on the eight-span steel viaduct during its inspection by the Board of Trade, “and gave satisfaction.”

First in Britain

Following disuse in 1969, time and a lack of substantive maintenance had not been kind to the viaduct, something not helped by Manchester’s wet weather. In the care of what was then British Railways Board (Residuary), the Grade II-listed structure was by the early 21st Century in poor condition with rusting metal and rotting concrete being observed falling from it. Given the risks, BRB(R) established a project to make it safe, but owing to the number of affected property owners, consultations and planning approvals took around a year until work could begin to repair the iconic structure. This also included an ecological survey, looking for any bats which called the disused viaduct home and thus had to be protected, as well as the abundant plant life on the bridge deck, and for any rare or protected species. Thankfully there was neither, and work began in 2009, descaling, removing flaking paint and corrosion products; making brick work and pointing safe, removing plants and roots, and waterproofing the deck. Although – due to the small budget available – this was a short-term fix, the 2009 programme of works safeguarded the future of the viaduct, enabling it to become Britain’s first elevated urban linear park, thanks to the intervention of the National Trust.

Inspired by the New York High Line, during 2021 the National Trust unveiled plans to turn the Castlefield Viaduct in to a 150-metre-long linear urban park, albeit a temporary one, at a cost of £1.8 million. The Castlefield ‘Sky Park’ is the result of the partnership between Highways England (which cares for the structure), the National Trust, and the Castlefield Forum, the local community group.

Worked carried out on the viaduct included strengthening the deck, as in the words of Highways England engineer Fiona Smith who has responsibility for the structure: “The viaduct’s iron structure has more than enough strength to support the visitor centre and the hundreds of daily visitors walking over the top of it. But the deck that previously carried the railway tracks wasn’t designed to entertain so much weight. Our designers had to think about how they would spread the load and make sure anything heavy was supported adequately across its metal beams.” Not all the viaduct required strengthening work, but the work required listed building consent. It first opened to visitors in summer 2022 and saw 50,000 visitors during the next 12 months. This success meant that in July 2023 planning permission was extended to keep the park open until Autumn 2024. Plans for the next phase, making the park permanent as well as an extension, were announced by the National Trust in June and September 2024. Project manager Nichola Jacques described the extension was aimed at creating “a bigger, bolder and more beneficial green space” which will utilise the full length of the viaduct, to create a 330m-long linear park. The new designs also introduce a second entry and exit point on the west side of the Mancunian Way, offering a more accessible route into the park via a lift and stairway. This extended park will feature paths winding through planting which, it is hoped, will encourage visitors to slow down and connect with their surroundings – a moment of calm above the bustling city below.

The National Trust has already secured £400,000 from National Highways’ Users and Communities Designated Funds programme, and a planning application was submitted in September 2024. Manchester Council approved the application for the £3m scheme in April this year, and the National Trust is already seeking partners to fill the funding gap.

Castlefield Viaduct project manager Nichola Jacques said the approval was a “positive step towards realising our bigger plans, and those of our partners and supporters… The viaduct gives us an opportunity to create an accessible green space for the 50,000 residents living within a 20-minute walk of the area.”

Monk Bridge, Leeds

Over the hills and far away in Leeds, Monk Bridge – a fragment of the former Leeds Central station – has also seen an urban renaissance. Originally built in 1847 by the Leeds & Dewsbury Railway to a design of Thomas Grainger, it was built to span the River Aire and Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Only a 200-metre section of the viaduct was preserved after closure of Leeds Central which, other than the waggon lift which forms the focus of Wellington Place, has been wiped from the cityscape of Leeds.

Thoughts of creating an elevated urban linear Park in Leeds, on the lines of the Promenade Plantée, appeared in 2017 which would see the re-use of the Holbeck Viaduct, of which more anon. Monk Bridge Viaduct was not part of this plan, but in 2019 it was ear-marked to play a crucial role as part of The Junction waterside development project by Highline Investments.

The redevelopment of the former industrial part of Leeds involved the construction of five high-rise residential blocks and, crucially, the revival of the viaduct itself. Work on the viaduct began in 2022, led by the Nurture Group which saw the re-use of the deck as a linear park “complete with winding pathways, inviting seating areas, and lush greenery. The true stars of this transformation are the trees. Carefully planted to enhance the greenery, they blend harmoniously with the revitalised urban park. Multiple seating areas provide space for relaxation, while a new path encourages pedestrians and cyclists to explore and enjoy.” Access is provided through both lifts and stairs to make the park open to all users, ‘granting the public the chance to marvel at the city from a truly unique vantage point.”

Regeneration of the bridge has also seen the arches beneath it put to new use. Nurture Group notes that these “are set to become vibrant hubs of activity, housing bars, restaurants, and shops that will breathe new life into this historic structure.” About the transformation of Monk Bridge, Nurture Group said: “The Monk Bridge viaduct now stands not only as a testament to architectural and landscape innovation but also as a symbol of Leeds’ commitment to preserving its rich history while embracing a greener, more sustainable future.”

Holbeck highline

More ambitious than the Castlefield Viaduct or Monk Bridge is the £2m community-led proposal to turn the former Holbeck Viaduct in Leeds into a linear park. The mile-long structure which stretches from Granary Wharf in the city centre, and ends close to Elland Road – home of Leeds United – has not seen rail movements since 1988, but would be brought into community use as a green space and active travel route. The first suggestion to use the viaduct as an urban park came in the 2000s as part of the regeneration of Holbeck, and the present community-led project was begun in 2013. A pre-feasibility report was produced in 2017, which John Paddington, from the Holbeck Viaduct Project, said proved the scheme was “very much feasible.”

Constructed by the LNWR in 1882, the 92arch viaduct meanders its way through a former industrial part of Leeds and would provide a much-needed ‘green lung’ in that part of the city. As the pre-feasibility report notes, it would become a key link in the regeneration of ‘South Bank Leeds’, “providing a catalyst for development and community engagement.” Concept art shows walkways and planting along the bridge deck, with access provided by stairs and lifts to ‘create a vibrant green space for everyone to enjoy.’

Now a CIC, the Holbeck Viaduct Project has the vision to create the longest elevated linear park in Britain which would boost sustainable travel, boost the local economy and provide a much-needed green space for leisure and recreation with spaces under the arches to be developed for community and retail space. Unfortunately for the project, uncertainty over whether HS2 will come to Leeds as well as proposals for West Yorkshire Mass Transit systems meant that things have been on hold.

Shoreditch shortline

The Kingsland Viaduct in Shoreditch was built by the North London Railway in the 1860s to allow the railway to run into Broad Street station, next to Liverpool Street station. However, when Broad Street closed in 1986, it too closed. In recent years, the northern half of the viaduct came back into use as the London Overground, but the southern end was left derelict. But, as in Leeds, regeneration and new housing developments saw the disused part of the viaduct re-purposed into an urban park on the bridge deck, with the arches beneath becoming home to various commercial units. Access is provided with lifts and stairs providing entry to a small urban oasis next to the busy Great Eastern Street. It is laid out with paths, planters and play areas, with trees providing shade and habitats for birds.

Iron giant

The Bennerley Viaduct, although not a linear park per se, was restored to new life in 2022 following its closure in 1968, opening to pedestrians and cyclists at a cost of £1.7m with the funding coming from Railway Paths, the Railway Heritage Trust, and others. Saved from demolition twice in 1975 and 1980, it was placed on the Heritage at Risk register since 2007 and was thought to be in danger of collapse. A condition report was prepared in 2016 which showed the viaduct was in better than condition than previously thought, and in the following year the Heritage Lottery Fund gave a grant to the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct, a group working alongside the owner Railway Paths, promoting the history, repair and re-use of the viaduct. Finally, in 2019, Historic England provided £120,000 toward the restoration.

The wrought iron structure was in poor condition with extensive work being required to the ironwork, the bases of the piers, and abutments and partial reconstruction of the parapets at the eastern end. The embankment at the western end was rebuilt to provide ramped access from the Erewash Canal towpath, and steps were built from the eastern end. In January 2023, funding was awarded towards creating ramped access from the western end. The viaduct provides a spectacular vantage point for the Erewash valley, as well as providing nature habitats and encouraging green travel.

Old bridges, new tricks

Redundant railway architecture may present many problems for re-use and adaptation, but as the Castlefield Viaduct and Monk Bridge show, with a little imagination and community engagement even something as unloved or as massive as a Victorian viaduct can come back into use, provide community space, green space and gardens in the sky in areas of our city centres which need them most. Castlefield Viaduct has been a triumphant success and shows there is new life in old bridges yet.