Ribblehead Viaduct
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Ribblehead Viaduct is a railway viaduct across the valley of the River Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
at Ribblehead
Ribblehead
Ribblehead is the area of moorland at the head of the River Ribble in the area known as Ribblesdale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, England....
, in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, northern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The viaduct is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
.
Description
Ribblehead viaduct is 440 yards (402.3 m) long, and 104 feet (31.7 m) above the valley floor at its highest point. It is made up of twenty-four arches of 45 feet (13.7 m) span, with foundations 15 feet (4.6 m) deep. The north end of the viaduct is 13 feet (4 m) higher in elevation than the south end.History
It was designed by the engineer John Sydney Crossley. The first stone was laid on 12 October 1870 and the last in 1874. One thousand NavviesNavvy
Navvy is a shorter form of navigator or navigational engineer and is particularly applied to describe the manual labourers working on major civil engineering projects...
building the viaduct established shanty town
Shanty town
A shanty town is a slum settlement of impoverished people who live in improvised dwellings made from scrap materials: often plywood, corrugated metal and sheets of plastic...
s on the moors for themselved and their families. They were named the towns after victories of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, sarcastically for posh districts of London, and Biblical names. There were smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
s and deaths from industrial accidents; meaning that the church graveyard at Chapel-le-Dale
Chapel-le-Dale
Chapel-le-Dale is a hamlet in the Yorkshire Dales, England, very near Ribblehead Viaduct. The hamlet is in close proximity to Ingleborough and several potholes, the best known being Great Douk Cave. The source of the River Doe is nearby.-External links:*...
had to be extended. One hundred navvies were killed during the construction of the viaduct.
In 1964, several brand new cars
CARS
Cars, or automobiles, motor cars, are wheeled motor vehicles used for transporting passengers.Cars or CARS may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Cars , a Disney/Pixar film series...
being carried on a freight train that was crossing the viaduct were blown off the wagons they were being carried upon and landed on the ground by the viaduct.
Location
It is the longest and most famous viaductViaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
on the Settle-Carlisle Railway
Settle-Carlisle Railway
The Settle–Carlisle Line is a long main railway line in northern England. It is also known as the Settle and Carlisle. It is a part of the National Rail network and was constructed in the 1870s...
, a railway line passing through some spectacular British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scenery. Ribblehead railway station
Ribblehead railway station
Ribblehead railway station is located at the southern end of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire, England. It is operated by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services....
is located less than half a mile to the south of the viaduct. Just to the north of it is the Blea Moor Tunnel
Blea Moor Tunnel
The Blea Moor Tunnel is a 2,629 yd railway tunnel that is between Ribblehead Viaduct and Dent railway station in England. It is the longest tunnel on the Settle-Carlisle Line, being almost twice as long as the second longest tunnel, Rise Hill Tunnel...
, the longest tunnel on the Settle-Carlisle Line. It is located near the foot of the mountain of Whernside
Whernside
Whernside is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales and is one of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, the other two being Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent. It is the highest point in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire,Mickle Fell in southern Teesdale is the highest point within the boundaries of the historic...
. The viaduct is curved, and so may be seen by passengers on the train. The train journey from Settle
Settle
Settle is a small market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is served by the Settle railway station, which is located near the town centre, and Giggleswick railway station which is a mile away. It is from Leeds Bradford Airport...
to Carlisle
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
is short enough to allow the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales
The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area in Northern England.The area lies within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and Cumbria...
holidaymaker to make a return day trip (steam-hauled, in the tourist season) including a few hours in the border town of Carlisle.
The Settle & Carlisle line is one of three north-south main lines; along with the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
through Penrith
Penrith, Cumbria
Penrith was an urban district between 1894 and 1974, when it was merged into Eden District.The authority's area was coterminous with the civil parish of Penrith although when the council was abolished Penrith became an unparished area....
and the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
via Newcastle
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
attempted to close the line in the 1980s, citing the reason that the viaduct was unsafe and would be expensive to repair. A partial solution was to single the line across the viaduct in 1985, preventing two trains from crossing simultaneously. The closure proposals generated tremendous protest and were eventually retracted. The viaduct, along with the rest of the line, was repaired & maintained and there are no longer any plans to close it.
Two taller viaducts are the Smardale viaduct
Smardale
Smardale is a small village in Cumbria, England, in the civil parish of Waitby.-Geography and history:The village of Smardale lies in hilly agricultural land at a height of around 1.75 km southeast of Crosby Garrett and 3.5km west of Kirkby Stephen...
near Crosby Garrett
Crosby Garrett
Crosby Garrett is a hamlet and civil parish in the Eden District of Cumbria, England.In May 2010 the Crosby Garrett Helmet, a copper alloy parade helmet dating to Roman Britain was discovered near the hamlet.-Description:...
(131 feet (39.9 m) high) and Arten Gill (117 feet (35.7 m)).