...Manchester
Home

Castlefield Viaduct

Duke Street

Tour along railway viaduct proposed as park

Where?

image of castlefield-viaduct

Get there

Public transport: Deansgate/free buses, 4 mins. ‘Deansgate‐Castlefield’ tram stop, 3 mins. Private transport: at‐your‐own‐risk in Collier Street, More reassuring at Bridgewater and Stone Streets. Tour needs booking in advance, sometimes months. Duration: 1 hour

Review

Book through the National Trust website. No need to register. Note: almost always fully booked. Warning: a tower of stairs or lift from Duke Street. Flat walk from the tram stop but, if you have mobility issues, check access. Castlefield Viaduct was built to bridge a railway across Castlefield Basin. Designed by the same people as Blackpool Tower, disused and Grade II listed. The National Trust propose to turn the viaduct into a park, 1/3 of a mile, sometimes 80 feet above ground. Currently open for tours, with a partial garden. The tour is well‐informed, talky, and only covers half the viaduct. The engineering is show‐stopping, the garden a sketch, the views unique. The proposal is not conservation, but from the impulse that created the New York ‘High Line’ and similar spaces. Currently needs generosity and imagination but, as much as the latest microprocessing gadget, is the future.