Arten Gill Viaduct | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 54°16′05″N2°20′42″W / 54.268°N 2.345°W |
OS grid reference | SD776859 |
Carries | Settle–Carlisle line |
Crosses | Artengill |
Locale | Dentdale, Cumbria, England |
Other name(s) | Artengill |
Owner | Network Rail |
Characteristics | |
Material | Sandstone Dent Marble |
Total length | 220 yards (200 m) |
Height | 117 feet (36 m) |
No. of spans | 11 |
Rail characteristics | |
No. of tracks | 2 |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
History | |
Architect | John Sydney Crossley |
Construction start | May 1871 |
Construction end | July 1875 |
Statistics | |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 18 October 1999 |
Reference no. | 1383817 |
Location | |
Arten Gill Viaduct is an eleven-arch railway bridge in Dentdale, Cumbria, England. The viaduct carries the Settle to Carlisle railway line over Artengill Beck. The viaduct was originally designed to be further west, which is lower down the steep valley side, but by moving the line slightly eastwards, the viaduct could be installed at a higher location, thereby using fewer materials in its height. Arten Gill Viaduct is constructed partly from Dent Marble in the inside of the arches instead of the more usual brick. Dent Marble is a type of dark limestone which was quarried from Artengill beneath the viaduct itself. The viaduct is a grade II listed structure, and a scheduled monument.
Groundwork on site was started in May 1870, with work on the viaduct itself beginning a year later, on 3 May 1871. [1] The parapets were completed in July 1875, with the date being set into the middle stone on each side of the parapet wall. [2] [3] Arten Gill Viaduct is 660 feet (200 m) long, and 117 feet (36 m) high, with the parapets being 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level. [4] [5] The viaduct has 11 arches, each of which is 45 feet (14 m) across. [6]
Whilst it is largely constructed of sandstone, the inner arches of the viaduct spans (soffit) are made from Dent Marble, as opposed to brick, which was normal practice for viaduct building at that time. [7] [8] Most of the Dent Marble used in the viaduct was sourced from a quarry directly underneath the bridge in Artengill, [note 1] and at least 50,000 tonnes (55,000 tons) of dressed stone was used in its construction. [9] The use of Dent Marble has been attributed to the proximity of the quarry, rather than of the need for that particular type of stone. [10] There was one recorded fatality during the building process, a worker in the quarry was crushed by a stone, with some of the stones weighing as much as 6 tonnes (6.6 tons). [11] [12] The size of the stones also often lead to the breakdown of the lifting gear. [13]
Due to the loose soil and rock on the valley floor, some of the viaduct piers were rooted to a depth of 55 feet (17 m). [14] Each pier of the viaduct is 38 feet (12 m) in circumference, and 15 feet (4.6 m) in diameter at the bottom, tapering to 6.5 feet (2 m) at the base of each of the arches. [13] [15]
The viaduct was constructed by Benton and Woodiwiss as part of Contract No. 2 (Dent Head to Smardale Viaduct, a total of 17 miles (27 km)), and Arten Gill is listed as bridge number 84. [16] Like many of the viaducts along the line, it was designed by John Sydney Crossley. [17] As designed, the viaduct was intended to cross the Artengill further west (where Great Knoutberry Hill slopes downwards), but by diverting the line eastwards, the viaduct straddled the top of a waterfall, rather than the bottom, saving some 50 feet (15 m) in height. [18] This course, and change of position, also meant that the viaduct bows out slightly eastwards, as it follows the contours of the hill. [19] The viaduct was also constructed with two sets of widened piers in the middle; this was in case of collapse, the widened piers would provide stability, and stop the rest of the viaduct collapsing too. [17]
As indicated by the name of the viaduct, it crosses a steep valley through which the small watercourse of Artengill passes, but also an old pack-horse route eastwards across the moors. [20] The route between Blea Moor Tunnel and Garsdale traverses the western edge of Great Knoutberry Hill and so needed several cuttings. These were prone to collecting snow during heavy winters, and attempts in clearing the snowdrifts involved dispatching the snow over the edge of Arten Gill Viaduct. [21]
The viaduct is included briefly in the film Miss Potter , though at least one writer points out that on her journey from London to Windermere, she would not have been travelling over the Settle-Carlisle Railway line at that point. [22] Arten Gill is a scheduled monument, and was also grade II listed in October 1999. [7] [23]
Most railway authors and railway mapping list the viaduct as being called Arten Gill. However, the beck it straddles is called Artengill, which persists as a variant spelling for the viaduct. Historic England name the viaduct both as Arten Gill, and Artengill in their heritage listing, [7] as do some writers. [9]
The Settle–Carlisle line is a 73-mile-long (117 km) main railway line in northern England. The route, which crosses the remote, scenic regions of the Yorkshire Dales and the North Pennines, runs between Settle Junction, on the Leeds–Morecambe line, and Carlisle, near the English-Scottish borders. The historic line was constructed in the 1870s and has several notable tunnels and viaducts such as the imposing Ribblehead.
The Ribblehead Viaduct or Batty Moss Viaduct carries the Settle–Carlisle railway across Batty Moss in the Ribble Valley at Ribblehead, in North Yorkshire, England. The viaduct, built by the Midland Railway, is 28 miles (45 km) north-west of Skipton and 26 miles (42 km) south-east of Kendal. It is a Grade II* listed structure. Ribblehead Viaduct is the longest and the third tallest structure on the Settle–Carlisle line.
Whernside is a mountain in the Yorkshire Dales in Northern England. It is the highest 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 and the historic West Riding of Yorkshire with the summit lying on the county boundary with Cumbria. It is the fifteenth most prominent hill in England.
Dent is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, within the historic boundaries of the West Riding of Yorkshire. It lies in Dentdale, a narrow valley on the western slopes of the Pennines within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 4 miles (6 km) south east of Sedbergh and 8 miles (13 km) north east of Kirkby Lonsdale. At the 2011 census, Dent and Middleton had a total population of 785.
Dent is a railway station on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station, situated 58 miles 29 chains (93.9 km) north-west of Leeds, serves the villages of Cowgill and Dent, South Lakeland in Cumbria, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains. It is the highest operational main line station in England.
Horton-in-Ribblesdale is a railway station on the Settle and Carlisle Line, which runs between Carlisle and Leeds via Settle. The station, situated 47 miles 40 chains (76.4 km) north-west of Leeds, serves the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Craven in North Yorkshire, England. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by Northern Trains.
Garsdale Head is a hamlet mainly within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the hamlet is now on the border with Richmondshire, North Yorkshire. It lies within the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Great Knoutberry Hill, also commonly known as Widdale Fell, is a mountain located near Dent at the heads of Ribblesdale, Dentdale and Wensleydale, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and within the boundaries of the historic county of Yorkshire. In fact, the borders between the West Riding and North Riding of Yorkshire meet at the summit, and the border between the modern administrative counties of Cumbria and North Yorkshire also runs over the fell. At a height of 2,205 feet (672 m) above sea level it is the 16th-highest fell in the Yorkshire Dales, with Rogan's Seat being exactly the same height.
Dentdale is a dale or valley in the north-west of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Cumbria, England. It is the valley of the River Dee, but takes its name from the village of Dent. The dale runs east to west, starting at Dent Head, which is the location of a railway viaduct on the Settle-Carlisle Line.
Settle Junction railway station was located near the town of Settle, North Yorkshire, England, immediately to south of the junction between the Midland Railway's North Western and Settle-Carlisle branches, 39+3⁄4 miles (64.0 km) northwest of Leeds.
Blea Moor Tunnel is a 2,629 yd (2,404 m) railway tunnel located 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.
Smardale is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Waitby, in the Eden district, in Cumbria, England. In 1891 the parish had a population of 36.
The Ingleton branch line was a rural railway line in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Westmorland in England. It was originally planned in 1846 to form part of a main line route from London to Scotland, but fell victim to rivalry between railway companies. Completion was delayed until 1861, and it was only ever a rural branch line, serving the towns of Ingleton, Kirkby Lonsdale and Sedbergh. It closed to passengers in 1954 and was dismantled in 1967.
Dent Marble is a highly polished form of limestone which occurs in the Dentdale district of Cumbria in England. The stone is noted for the presence of fossils which gives it its distinctive look. The stone is actually a crinoidal limestone and is not a true marble, but is known as a marble because it polished quite well. Dent Marble has been used for staircases, floors and hearths in railway stations and large buildings in England, Australia and Russia. The trade died out when import tariffs on Italian marble were relaxed, and Dent Marble became less popular.
Horton Quarry is a limestone quarry near to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire, England. The quarry, which is some 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Settle, has been operating since at least 1889, and produces limestone for a variety of purposes. Stone used to be exported from the quarry by rail, but now leaves by lorry, although there are plans to re-instate the railway sidings. The quarry used to produce its own lime by roasting the limestone in big kilns on the site, but the last of these were removed in the 1980s. Since 2000, the quarry has been owned and operated by Hanson.
Dandry Mire Viaduct,, is a railway viaduct on the Settle & Carlisle line in Cumbria, England. It is just north of Garsdale station, 21 miles (34 km) from Settle, and 51 miles (82 km) south of Carlisle. When the Settle & Carlisle line was being built, the traversing of Dandry Mire was to have been by use of an embankment, but the bog swallowed all of the material poured into it, so a trench was dug instead, and a viaduct constructed. The viaduct, which is 227 yards (208 m) long and 50 feet (15 m) high, is still open to traffic on the railway, and is a prominent landmark at the head of Garsdale.
Dent Head Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the Settle–Carlisle line in Dentdale, Cumbria, England. It is the second major viaduct on the line northwards after Ribblehead Viaduct, and is just north of Blea Moor Tunnel at milepost 251, and to the south of Arten Gill Viaduct. Construction of the viaduct began in 1869, and it was completed in 1875, extra time being needed due to periods of heavy rainfall. The line bows slightly to the east in order to follow the contours of Woldfell, which it navigates on the western side. The viaduct was grade II Listed in 1999. Dent Head Viaduct is 17 miles (27 km) north of Settle Junction, and 57 miles (92 km) south of Carlisle railway station.
Ribblehead Quarry is a former limestone quarry next to Ribblehead railway station in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It had a connection to the Settle–Carlisle line, with most of its products being sent out via the railway.
The Coal Road, is an unclassified highway which connects the railway stations at Garsdale and Dent in Cumbria, England. The road is within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire. The name derives from its use transporting locally mined coal, although before that it was used as a droving route between England and Scotland through Mallerstang.
Rise Hill Tunnel is a 1,213-yard (1,109 m) long tunnel that takes the Settle–Carlisle line beneath Black Moss in Cumbria, England. It is the second longest tunnel on the line after Blea Moor which is 2,629 yards (2,404 m). The route through Rise Hill Tunnel connects Dentdale with Garsdale, and for the most part, follows the contour line of the hills. A tunnel was necessary at Rise Hill to avoid a lengthy diversion around Black Moss, though this diversion was considered in the early plans.