O/T Old Barnsley In Colour

[animallittle3]

Never knew the Denby Dale Viaduct was predominantly made of wood originally. You can see the 2 original stone arches at either end on the photograph, this is where you drive under the arches on the road these days.

I just did a bit of research and the original timber structure was erected in 1850 with the stone arch abutments at either end. The decision to use timber was because there was a stonemason strike.

The viaduct we see today was built in 1877 and opened in 1880 using over 100,000 tons of stone and is a grade 2 listed building. The construction of the stone viaduct took place directly alongside the old timber structure which was becoming unsafe. The timber structure wasn't dismantled until 1884.

Me neither Pass , it's a fantastic feat of engineering and construction when you consider the tackle they had to work with .

I'm assuming there wouldn't be any safety harnesses worn back then .

Must have had ballax like footballs .

[pass_and_move]

Me neither Pass , it's a fantastic feat of engineering and construction when you consider the tackle they had to work with .

I'm assuming there wouldn't be any safety harnesses worn back then .

Must have had ballax like footballs .

Absolutely Animal. The largest drop from the railway level of the viaduct to floor is 108ft. It's an mazing structure and approaching 150 years old, something that most people wouldn't really appreciate. Architecture is of a big interest to me. The construction of the entire railway network back in the 1800s is mindblowing. The canals even more so in the 1700s.

The Navvies who did all the spadework, construction and tunnel blasting with, as you say, basic equipment are heroes in my eyes and deserve much more recognition in what was a revolutionary part of British history. Ok, their reputation for drinking heavily and general unruly behaviour casts them in a negative light which is unfortunate considering their achievements
and the squalor that they lived in (shanty towns due to much of their work being carried out in rural areas). Many men died or were seriously injured working in horrendous conditions but their legacy lives on. The amount of civil engineering work undertaken by these people was colossol.


People say that the Internet was a huge invention that revolutionised the world which is true. However, people tend to overlook and underestimate what the invention of the railways brought. It literally changed everything from how people lived to the transportation of goods and mail etc. We invented a transport system that revolutionised the world that we live in today.