THE RAILWAY VIADUCT
The word ‘viaduct’ is derived from the Latin - ‘via’ meaning ‘way’ or ‘road’ and the latter syllable from that of the word ‘aqueduct’. The Oxford English Dictionary refers to ‘a long bridge-like structure, especially a series of arches, carrying a road or railway across a valley or dip in the ground’.
In selecting suitable examples, I have stretched the dictionary definition a little to include some variants performing the same purpose. The diagram on the next page demonstrates the various styles discussed in this article.
When hearing the word, my mind immediately turns to the iconic form of ‘Headstone Viaduct’ at Monsal Dale in Derbyshire; erected by the Midland Railway (MR) in 1863, it once carried that company’s line between Derby and Manchester, crossing the River Wye at a height of 21m.
In 1951, British Railways (BR) considered this viaduct to be suitable promotional material as the subject for a poster intended to whet the appetites of would-be visitors to the Derbyshire Peak District; engaging the skills of artist Peter Collins ARCA, prints of the resulting artwork are still available, and one cannot help thinking that this massive piece of civil construction, built from local limestone, enhances its natural surroundings rather than being a ‘blot on the landscape’.
The castellated columns of Knaresborough Viaduct, crossing the River Nidd, situated on the Leeds-York line close to Harrogate, were also considered poster material when BR commissioned artist Jack Merriot to produce the feature-painting to attract passengers to Yorkshire.
Paintings depicting the 24 arches that comprise the iconic Ribblehead,
