Arthington Viaduct, also known as Castley Viaduct or the Wharfedale Viaduct, is a railway bridge on the border of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

and

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...

in northern England. It is in the parishes of

Arthington Arthington is a linear village in Wharfedale, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It is a civil parish which, according to the 2011 census, had a population of 532. It is in the Otley ward of the City of Lee ...

(West Yorkshire) and

Castley Castley is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It lies on a bend in the River Wharfe about north of the centre of Leeds. The population of the civil parish was estimated at 70 in 2015. In the 2011 census the po ...

(

), between

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...

. It is a Grade II listed structure.

History

Construction work on the viaduct began in 1845 and was completed in 1849. It was part of the Leeds and Thirsk Railway's line from

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

via

, later the Leeds Northern Railway and eventually amalgamated into the North Eastern Railway. Opening of the line was delayed by problems with the nearby Bramhope Tunnel. During construction construction of Arthington Viaduct, a worker was killed when one of the arches collapsed. The railway company's chief engineer,

Thomas Grainger Thomas Grainger FRSE (12 November 1794 – 25 July 1852) was a Scottish civil engineer and Surveying, surveyor. He was joint partner with John Miller (engineer), John Miller in the prominent engineering firm of Grainger & Miller. Life Graing ...

surveyed the line and designed the structures, including the viaduct. Grainger also built the better-known

Knaresborough Viaduct Knaresborough Viaduct carries the Harrogate line over the River Nidd in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England. The railway line was supposed to have opened in 1848, but the first unfinished viaduct collapsed into the river and its replacemen ...

on the same line over the

River Nidd The River Nidd is a tributary of the River Ouse in the English county of North Yorkshire. It rises in Nidderdale at Nidd Head Spring on the slopes of Great Whernside. In its first few miles it has been dammed three times, creating Angram Rese ...

. The viaduct is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, a status which provides it legal protection. It is listed in both West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.

Description

The viaduct spans the

River Wharfe The River Wharfe ( ) is a river in Yorkshire, England originating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. For much of its middle course it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. Its valley is known as Wharfedale. ...

consists of 21 arches in punched sandstone, each with a span of and are carried on tall rectangular piers, rising to a maximum height of . The piers in the river are fitted with round-nosed cutwaters. At the spring of the arches are moulded impost bands and above them is a

string course A belt course, also called a string course or sill course, is a continuous row or layer of stones or brick set in a wall. Set in line with window sills, it helps to make the horizontal line of the sills visually more prominent. Set between the ...

which runs the length of the bridge. The bridge is crowned with coped parapet. The arches have rusticated, stepped

voussoir A voussoir ( UK: ; US: ) is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.“Voussoir, N., Pronunciation.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2024, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/7553486115. Acces ...

s and several have circular metal tie plates. The viaduct curves to the north east and has substantial stone

abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end that provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...

s at each end. The six southern arches are in the parish of

, West Yorkshire and the remainder in the North Yorkshire village of

References

{{Coord, 53.90576, -1.60050, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Railway viaducts in North Yorkshire Grade II listed buildings in West Yorkshire Grade II listed buildings in North Yorkshire Bridges completed in 1849 Wharfedale Railway viaducts in West Yorkshire Grade II listed bridges in England

History

Description

See also

References