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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 552,261. 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.
Bangor is a city and seaside resort in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to which it is linked by the A2 road and the Belfast–Bangor railway line. The population was 64,596 at the 2021 census. Bangor was granted city status in 2022, becoming Northern Ireland's sixth city.
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 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. Helen's Bay had a population of 1,890 in 2020
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Crawfordsburn is a small village in County Down, Northern Ireland. The village, which is now effectively a commuter town, lies between Holywood and Bangor to the north of the A2 road, about 4 km west of Bangor city 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. the village is served by the nearby Helen's Bay railway station.
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.
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Bangor Bus and Rail Centre is a combined rail and bus interchange which serves the city of Bangor in County Down, Northern Ireland.
The Belfast to Bangor line is a railway line in Northern Ireland, originally part of the Belfast & County Down Railway. All services are operated by NI Railways, the only operator for Northern Ireland (NI). Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, no railway in NI is part of the National Rail network and none is owned by Network Rail. Services run every half-hour, with up to six trains per hour in each direction at peak times.
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.
The Belfast–Derry line is an intercity railway line, running from Belfast to Derry in Northern Ireland.
Holywood railway station serves Holywood in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is located along the shore of Belfast Lough and during the Summer months, provides excellent views over the lough to Carrickfergus.
Marino railway station is a railway station in the townland of Ballycultra in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Helen's Bay railway station serves Helen's Bay as well as the nearby village of Crawfordsburn in the townland of Ballygrot, County Down, Northern Ireland.
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.
Craigavad railway station was a railway station in the townland of Ballygrainey on the Belfast, Holywood and Bangor Railway until it was absorbed by the Belfast and County Down Railway in 1884, the line ran from Queen's Quay station to Bangor railway station in Northern Ireland and was located 6.7 miles (10.8 km) from the Queen's Quay terminus.