Yorkshire's architectural gems that were built to span the ages

Rainbow Bridge, or Butterbusk Bridge, was once a feature of the South Yorkshire Railway which opened in 1849, extending from Doncaster to Swinton.

Reporting on an early trip, one local newspaper from October 21, 1849 said: ‘The Butterbusk Bridge, spanning the River Don, was then approached. It is a work of consummate skill, and was the theme of admiration.

Some little idea of its noble character may be formed from the fact that, composed of three huge ribs with the beautiful spandrels, it contains about six hundred tons of metal.’

The bridge remained a feature of the Don Valley until 1928 when it was replaced by a more substantial, but arguably less attractive structure, in order to cope with the increasing weight of locomotives and their trains.

The Huddersfield & Sheffield Junction Railway was formally opened on July 1, 1850. The bleak terrain along the route meant that several bridges, tunnels and viaducts were necessary.

Of the latter there were a total of four: Paddock, Lockwood, Denby Dale, and Penistone.

A structure destined to make an appearance later in postcards was the Lockwood viaduct which crosses over the River Holme.

The foundation stone was laid in April 1846 by the wife of the contractor, John Shaw.

In November 1848 it was reported: ‘The viaduct includes two curious skew bridges, one at each end extremity; the mean height is 130 feet to the base of the parapet; it is upwards of 1,200 feet long...’.

Around the same time, when Earl Fitzwilliam viewed the structure, he declared it an important work of art.

At least three men were killed working on the viaduct. Comprising 32 arches, the structure was designed by John Hawkshaw and constructed by Miller-Blackie and Shortridge.

The Penistone viaduct was only 83ft above the River Don, but was quite long, measuring 330 yards, with 29 arches.

On February 2, 1916, the mid-afternoon service from Huddersfield had just arrived at Penistone station and the locomotive was engaged on shunting duties.

This was before returning north with the 16.40 train which was usually busy with schoolboys from Peniston Grammar School.

Upon passing on to the viaduct, the driver, George Lockwood, felt the track and engine sink down at which point he and the fireman alighted from the footplate.

This was just before the entire section surrounding the second pier collapsed into the River Don below.

A week earlier a disturbance in the masonry in this area had been discovered and work was progressing to correct the defect.

Luckily, the men employed in the section saw falling stones and were a safe distance away when the collapse occurred.

The L&Y moved quickly to rebuild and the task was completed by mid-August, with large quantities of concrete being used to reinforce the foundations.

Unfortunately, one workman, Edmund Peel, was killed in March when stones being lifted fell and struck him on the head.

The Midland Railway began work on the Ribblehead Viaduct or Batty Moss Viaduct situated on the Settle-Carlisle railway in late 1869.

It was completed by the end of 1874, the route opening for traffic in May 1876. The structure was designed by Sydney Crossley and James Allport.

Workers on the project were recruited from a wide area and an estimated 2,300 were involved.

Workers and their families were housed in camps. Records reveal that 200 people lost their lives in the construction period due to accidents and a smallpox outbreak.

The viaduct was the largest work on the line.

It consists of 24 arches, is 1,328 feet in length, has 23 piers and two abutments, is 100 feet in height to the level of the rails, the foundations going 25 feet deeper into the rock.

An estimated 1.5 million bricks were used in the construction of the arches.

By 1980 the viaduct required extensive repairs and British Rail considered closing the line. This caused an outcry and the Friends of the Settle to Carlisle was formed to campaign against the threat.

Ultimately, it survived and was given Grade II-listed status in 1988. Further work was carried out in subsequent years.

The Staithes viaduct was situated on the Whitby, Redcar & Middlesbrough Union Railway.

The first sod on the undertaking was, with due and proper ceremony, cut in 1871 by the Dowager Marchioness of Normanby.

At the time it was predicted to take three years to complete. A report from July 16, 1883 said the railway from Whitby to Loftus was finished and expected to open shortly afterwards.

There had been a number of problems in the preceding years and the work was done by the North Eastern Railway. Staithes viaduct was one of five similar structures erected along the railway.

The same report said Staithes viaduct was 150 feet in height, measuring from the bed of the ‘beck’ below, it was 264 yards long, and constructed entirely of iron.

It continued: ‘This was one of the weak points of the line, but since the Government inspection, which happened immediately after the Tay bridge catastrophe, singular precautions have been taken in order to test thoroughly and well its capabilities.’

The Disused Stations website mentions: ‘Staithes viaduct was protected by a wind gauge which rang a bell in the signal box when the wind pressure reached 28 lb/sq. ft. At this point traffic over the viaduct was suspended and could only be resumed after the structure had been inspected.’

The line closed on May 3, 1958 and the viaduct was cleared shortly afterwards.

The building of the Conisbrough viaduct, in the early 20th century, was the greatest engineering undertaking ever witnessed in the Doncaster area.

It was the main feature of the new Dearne Valley Railway.

This was an enterprise to connect the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway from Crofton, near Wakefield, with the Great Northern and Great Eastern Railways at Black Carr just below Balby.

It was the most distinguishing feature of the No. 4 section of the new railway. The centre is 115 feet above the River Don.

It consists of 21 arches, 14 on the western or Cadeby bank of the river, and 7 on the eastern or Conisbrough bank which are connected by an iron girder bridge.

The contractor for this section of the line was Henry Lovat Ltd of London and Manchester. The work was carried out under the supervision of R.H. Clayton.

It was considered at the time of building that the viaduct would alter the appearance of the Don Valley’s picturesque character.

Yet, the symmetrical outline and grandeur of its proportions added to the attractiveness of the view rather than detracted from it.

A feature of the work was the overhead travelling cradle, which was used for carrying men and materials to and fro across the river.

It was technically called a ‘Blondin’ and was an American invention which was first used in England in connection with the erection of Vauxhall Bridge across the River Thames.

The last official passenger train across the Conisbrough viaduct was in 1951.

On Monday March 13, 1989, the Yorkshire Evening Post said that work had started on a scheme to clean up Kirkstall viaduct, which dominated one of the main approaches to Leeds.

The 23 arches were getting a face-lift as part of a £150,000 scheme jointly funded by British Rail, Leeds Development Corporation and the City Council.

Constructed by the Leeds & Thirsk Railway, the viaduct, spanning the River Aire and the Leeds & Liverpool canal, was designed by Thomas Grainger, using the local Bramley Fall stone.

It opened during March 23, 1849. Restoration work was to include re-pointing and the removal of advertising hoardings.