Conisbrough Viaduct - Conisbrough, UK - Arch Bridges on Waymarking.com

"The viaduct crosses the River Don. It has a central girder section across the river itself and also has 21 brick arches, 14 to the north side of its girder span and seven to the south.

At 1,527 feet in length, it is truly a Goliath structure built of 15 million bricks - many sourced locally and each one put in place by contractors Henry Lovat Ltd. An aerial ropeway - called a Blondin - was deployed to carry men and materials across the valley during its construction, supported by two 80 feet masts at either end. The 160-foot lattice girder span was built using a three-piered timber scaffold and carried the tracks at a height of 116 feet above the river. Opened on 17th March 1909, the route - which by then had been single-lined - was closed on 11th July 1966. It remained in the hands of British Rail and then BRB (Residuary) until 2001 when agreement was reached for its transfer to Railway Paths Ltd. Although the deck was unofficially used as a footpath for several years, Sustrans laid a tarmac path across it in 2010, forming a link to the Trans Pennine Trail at its north-western end." link

"The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) is an exciting route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders linking the North and Irish seas, passing through the Pennines, alongside rivers and canals and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England.

The Trail from coast-to-coast between Southport and Hornsea is 215 miles (346Km) long."

A north-south route connecting Leeds and Chesterfield, a spur to York and a spur to Kirkburton means there are approximately 370 miles (595 km) of Trans Pennine Trail available to explore." link

This viaduct is on the north-south section of the route. At this point the trail has a low route, opened before the bridge was converted for use as a high level route. The low level route largely follows the River Don, but has a diversion away from the river between here and Mexborough.

Length of bridge: 1527 ft Height of bridge: 116 ft What type of traffic does this bridge support?: pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders What kind of gap does this bridge cross?: The River Don Date constructed: 1909 Is the bridge still in service for its original purpose?: No Name of road or trail the bridge services: Trans Pennine Trail Location: Conisbrough, South Yorkshire

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