FROM THE RM FEBRUARY 1982
EDGAR Sanderson, in his expansive 1899 work The British Empire in the Nineteenth Century, describes John Sydney Crossley’s Ribblehead Viaduct as “one of the finest of these structures, surrounded by scenery of impressive grandeur”. It is an assessment that still stands today, with the magnificent Ribblehead (or perhaps more correctly, Batty Moss) standing strong among Britain’s most enduring icons of Victorian railway engineering.
Crossley designed this 24-pier, more than 1300-foot long viaduct for the Settle to Carlisle Line: the highest and, many would argue, most picturesque of Britain’s great main line routes. The 72-mile line traverses the Pennine Hills, which posed significant topographic hurdles for Crossley, making Ribblehead just one of 21 viaducts he built along the line over the six years from 1869 to 1875, using 6000 navvies.
“The MP for Skipton John Watson asked the Under-Secretary of State for Transport Kenneth Clarke how he reconciled his statement that the decision to divert passenger train services between Nottingham and Glasgow away from the S&C to run via Manchester and Preston was taken on commercial grounds by British Railways, with his letter to MP for Leeds North East Sir Keith Joseph stating that BR’s decision to reroute the Nottingham-Glasgow service arises from the deteriorating condition of Ribblehead Viaduct.
In this feature we travel from Settle to visit six of Crossley’s largest viaducts at Ribblehead, Dent Head, Arten Gill, Dandrymire, Smardale and Ormside, tracing their histories and survival. After savouring the keynotes on our trip to Carlisle, we then take in some lesser-known gems on the return journey, all testament to the treats on offer along this popular recreational railway route.
“Mr Clarke replied that the letter to Sir Keith Joseph had been sent upon advice but without consulting BR, and that BR had subsequently pointed out that the decision to reroute the Nottingham-Glasgow services had nothing to do with the condition of Ribblehead Viaduct, and that a local service between Leeds and Carlisle over the S&C would be introduced.
Orphaned during infancy, Crossley came into the care of an architect whose son, engineer Edward Staveley, trained him. He proved himself an apt pupil, cutting his teeth working on canals and docks.
“The MP for Christchurch & Lymington Robert Adley suggested that the National Heritage Memorial Fund could be used to support the S&C line and Ribblehead Viaduct, and Mr Clarke undertook to personally ask the chairman of BR Sir Peter Parker to take up this idea. The MP for Keighley Bob Cryer suggested the European Economic Community sources of funding be explored, though Mr Clarke said that a preliminary look at this had not been very encouraging.”
“It is, quite simply, a symbol of Britain-as-spearhead throughout the railway age, and an icon of the island itself ”