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The Crawfordsburn Viaduct is a railway viaduct in Crawfordsburn, County Down, Northern Ireland.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2018) |
The Crawfordsburn Viaduct is a railway viaduct in Crawfordsburn, County Down, Northern Ireland.
The viaduct is built out of Scrabo sandstone, and carries a double-track railway at a width of 10 metres across a distance of 100 metres. It has five arches and cast-iron lattice parapets. It was designed by Charles Lanyon. [1]
The viaduct was constructed by the Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway (BHBR), beginning in 1863, with the foundation stone being laid on October 3 of that year, and finishing in 1865, with the first passenger train to cross it being on May 18. The opening of the viaduct was attended by Charles Lanyon, Lord Dufferin, Major Crawford, and BHBR chairman Robert Ward.
It is alleged that some time before BCDR takeover in 1884 that a child fell from the viaduct and was saved only by his clothes catching on a tree.
The viaduct, along with the rest of the Holywood - Bangor line, was upgraded from single to double track between 1897 and 1902, some 13 years after having been taken over by the Belfast and County Down Railway.
The Ulster Transport Authority took over the line in 1948, and with it, the viaduct. It changed hands once again in 1968 becoming the property of Northern Ireland Railways, who removed Lanyon's foundation stone in 1989 on the centenary of his death. [2]
The viaduct remains in use today, carrying the NI Railways Belfast–Bangor line across Crawfordsburn Glen. Off-peak there are two trains per hour in each direction across the viaduct. It can be seen from Crawfordsburn Country Park, the entrance to which is half an hour's walk from the nearest railway station, Helen's Bay. (Crawfordsburn did have its own railway station at one point but it closed in 1997). It became a listed building in 1975. [3]
County Down is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of 961 sq mi (2,490 km2) and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the north, the Irish Sea to the east, County Armagh to the west, and County Louth across Carlingford Lough to the southwest.
The Belfast and County Down Railway (BCDR) was an Irish gauge railway in Ireland linking Belfast with County Down. It was built in the 19th century and absorbed into the Ulster Transport Authority in 1948. All but the line between Belfast and Bangor was closed in the 1950s, although some of it has been restored near Downpatrick by a heritage line, the Downpatrick and County Down Railway.
Belfast Lough is a large, intertidal sea inlet on the east coast of Northern Ireland. At its head is the city and port of Belfast, which sits at the mouth of the River Lagan. The lough opens into the North Channel and connects Belfast to the Irish Sea.
Helen's Bay is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballygrot, between Holywood, Crawfordsburn and Bangor. It is served by a railway station and had a population of 1,390 in the 2011 Census. It is part of the Ards and North Down Borough Council area.
Belfast Lanyon Place is a railway station serving the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Located on Bridge Street in the Laganside area of central Belfast, it is one of four stations in the city centre, the others being Great Victoria Street, City Hospital and Botanic. Lanyon Place is the northern terminus of the cross-border Enterprise service to Dublin Connolly. It is also served by Northern Ireland Railways, which operates routes to other locations in Northern Ireland, including Derry, Bangor, Portadown and Larne.
Crawfordsburn is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village, which is now effectively a commuter suburb, lies between Holywood and Bangor to the north of the A2 road, about 4 km west of Bangor town centre. Bounded to the north and north east by Crawfordsburn Country Park, the village attracts many visitors. It had a population of 587 people in the 2011 Census.
Seahill is a village on the northern coast of County Down, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Ballyrobert, with Holywood to the west and Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn to the east. Seahill was once a stand-alone settlement but it is now joined to Holywood and the Greater Belfast conurbation. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 1,018 people.
The Belfast–Newry line operates from Lanyon Place station in County Antrim to Newry in County Down, Northern Ireland. The manager for this line is based at Portadown railway station, although the line extends to the border to include the Scarva and Poyntzpass halts and Newry. Newry is on the fringe of the network, being the last stop before the border with the Republic of Ireland. The line follows the route of the northern half of the main Dublin–Belfast line, with the exception of calling at Belfast Great Victoria Street.
Bangor railway station is a terminal railway station which serves the town of Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The Belfast–Larne line, or Larne line, is a railway line in Northern Ireland, operated by Northern Ireland Railways. It runs as double track along the majority of its route north along the scenic east Antrim coastline from Belfast to the coastal seaport town of Larne, serving commuters and ferry passengers.
Holywood railway station serves Holywood in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Helen's Bay railway station serves Helen's Bay in the townland of Ballygrot, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Bangor West railway station is located in the townland of Ballyvarnet in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Botanic railway station serves the Botanic area in south Belfast, Northern Ireland and students for Queen's University Belfast; it is also near Shaftesbury Square which is along Botanic Avenue. It is named after the nearby Belfast Botanic Gardens. It is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being City Hospital, Great Victoria Street, and Lanyon Place.
The Belfast suburban rail commuter network serves the metropolitan area of Greater Belfast and some of its commuter towns with three lines. The network is owned by Translink and operated by its subsidiary NI Railways.
Crawfordsburn railway station served Crawfordsburn Hospital and Crawfordsburn Country Park in County Down, Northern Ireland. It was situated between Carnalea and Helen's Bay. The halt closed in 1997 because of low passenger numbers. The platforms were removed in 2001 during the relaying of the Belfast-Bangor railway line.
Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is a large-scale waterfront regeneration, comprising historic maritime landmarks, film studios, education facilities, apartments, a riverside entertainment district, and the world's largest Titanic-themed attraction centred on land in Belfast Harbour, known until 1995 as Queen's Island. The 185-acre (75 ha) site, previously occupied by part of the Harland and Wolff shipyard, is named after the company's, and the city's, most famous product, RMS Titanic. Titanic Quarter is part of the Dublin-based group, Harcourt Developments, which has held the development rights since 2003.
Carnalea is a townland west of Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. It consists of the Killaire area, Station Road area and Seymour area and falls under the control of Ards and North Down Borough Council and within the Bangor West electoral boundary. Carnalea is bordered by Belfast Lough to the North, Crawfordsburn to the immediate West, Wandsworth and Springhill/Rathmore to the immediate South, and Bryansburn to the East, which then leads into Bangor town centre. The area has seen relatively increased development in recent years, notably with the creation of Carnalea Glen, Station Court, and Killaire Court. The closure of the Carnalea Mini-Market after Christmas of 2005 has led to the site's redevelopment for residential use, such is the high demand for housing in the area.
Great Victoria Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is one of two major stations in the city, along with Lanyon Place, and is one of the four stations located in the city centre, the others being Lanyon Place, Botanic and City Hospital. It is situated near Great Victoria Street, one of Belfast's premier commercial zones, and Sandy Row. It is also in a more central position than Lanyon Place, with the Europa Hotel, Grand Opera House and The Crown Liquor Saloon all nearby.