ISSUE ONE ISSUE Viaduct: Bennerley of DH Lawrence country Lawrence DH of Walter Wilson. Walter a wealth of heritage in this corner corner this in heritage of wealth a the raid: James Hall and and Hall James raid: the Two men were killed by by killed were men Two wrought iron railway viaduct and and viaduct railway iron wrought dropped 15 more bombs. bombs. more 15 dropped Discover this magnificent magnificent this Discover Ironworks where it it where Ironworks C E N E C headed towards Stanton Stanton towards headed R O Bennerley Viaduct Friends Group Friends Viaduct Bennerley Facebook: W U box. The L20 then then L20 The box. A N L destroying the signal signal the destroying www.bennerleyviaduct.org.uk Web: T R bomb fell onto the railway below damaging the line and and line the damaging below railway the onto fell bomb H [email protected] Y Email: D were dropped with one narrowly missing the viaduct. The The viaduct. the missing narrowly one with dropped were www.sustrans.org.uk Web: over the Erewash Valley. Here several high explosive bombs bombs explosive high several Here Valley. Erewash the over W coming from Bennerley Ironworks and at 8.20 pm loomed loomed pm 8.20 at and Ironworks Bennerley from coming 0115 853 2953 853 0115 on: Sustrans Phone O E T L Franz Stabbert, it is thought, was attracted to the glow glow the to attracted was thought, is it Stabbert, Franz C E O M walking and cycling route: cycling and walking One of the airships, the L20 captained by Kapitanleutnant Kapitanleutnant by captained L20 the airships, the of One conserving Bennerley Viaduct and bringing it into use as a a as use into it bringing and Viaduct Bennerley conserving Find out more about Sustrans and the progress on on progress the and Sustrans about more out Find became lost or turned back. back. turned or lost became mechanical problems some of the airships airships the of some problems mechanical Due to bad weather, basic navigation and and navigation basic weather, bad to Due Photo by Steve Cole Steve by Photo as their targets, crossed the North Sea. Sea. North the crossed targets, their as airships, with Liverpool and Manchester Manchester and Liverpool with airships, On Monday 31 January 1916 a fleet of 9 9 of fleet a 1916 January 31 Monday On Bennerley also survived a Zeppelin raid. raid. Zeppelin a survived also Bennerley Zeppelin Attack! Zeppelin Viaduct as a cycleway were put forward. forward. put were cycleway a as Viaduct Mapperley Bennerley re-open to plans and established was Trust Hallam West DERBYSHIRE Preservation Viaduct Bennerley A off. held was demolition it, Abbey Dale HEANOR Aldercar LANGLEY Public Inquiry was held and because of local demand to keep keep to demand local of because and held was Inquiry Public MILL Viaduct Draycott Shipley a 1980 In refused. Councils Borough Erewash and Broxtowe Breaston Shipley but permission, for applied Rail British when 1975 in started it Hallam Park Stanton-by-Dale Risley Kirk Cotmanhay ILKESTON demolish to attempt second The protection. some it affording Bennerley Stanton II* Grade as it listed who Heritage English by recognised Hallam New Little M1 was value heritage its 1974 In high. too were costs the M1 www.sustrans.org.uk here: here: Stanton because failed Viaduct Bennerley of attempt demolition first EASTWOOD Gate Find out more about Sustrans Sustrans about more out Find the National Cycle Network. Network. Giltbrook Cycle National the EATON the Fortunately report. Beeching the following closed were LONG Awsworth Newthorpe Cossall of the journeys we make every day and the charity behind behind charity Trowell the and day every make we journeys the of NOTTINGHAMSHIRE carried they lines the after demolished were Most gone. have STAPLEFORD THE EREWASH VALLEY EREWASH THE people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more more for transport public or bike foot, by travel to people Moorgreen England in viaducts iron wrought other all Viaduct, Meldon Greasley Bennerley Viaduct is a remarkable survivor. Apart from from Apart survivor. remarkable a is Viaduct Bennerley Sustrans is the sustainable transport charity that’s enabling enabling that’s M1 charity transport sustainable the is Sustrans OF OF GIANT IRON THE Find Out More Out Find M1 Survivor The KIMBERLEY Watnall M1 M1 Strelley Bramcote Bilborough rediscovering BEESTON Broxtowe Wollaton Beachdale Aspley Cinderhill Lenton Abbey Location Bennerley’s Heritage The Bennerley Bennerley Viaduct spans the Nottinghamshire/ Derbyshire border between Awsworth and Cotmanhay Value puts it in the top Viaduct Story The Midland Railway Company which formed in 1844 had 8% of listed structures a monopoly of trade coming into Derby and sole access to the thriving collieries of the Erewash Valley. Colliery owners, in England. businessmen from Derby and directors of the Great Northern Bennerley Railway Company were keen to break the Midland’s stranglehold Viaduct Built between May 1876 and November 1877 to carry the Great Northern Railway’s line over the Erewash on trade and they were successful in securing permission from Page 45 Valley, Bennerley Viaduct has great heritage value. It is Parliament to construct a new line from Staffordshire to Nottingham an outstanding example of the railway architecture of the via Derby. This ‘Friargate’ line named after its Derby station was challenging to build as the natural routes following river valleys had time surviving in an almost unaltered state. It is also one of been taken up by the Midland. One of the engineering challenges only two wrought iron viaducts left in England. The other was to take the line across the Erewash Valley and over the is Meldon Viaduct in Devon, however Bennerley is much Midland’s Railway, the River Erewash and the Nottingham and longer. Because of its importance and to help protect it, Erewash Canals. To do this Bennerley Viaduct was designed. it has been given Grade II* listed status since 1974 which puts it in the top 8% of listed structures in England. It Due to extensive mining in the area the Great Northern Railway’s Scale: Mile designers needed a design for Bennerley Viaduct which would Kilometre spans the Erewash Valley for 440 metres (approximately ¼ mile) with its deck standing 18 metres (60 feet) above avoid the problems of unstable ground. Resident Engineer Samuel the valley floor. Abbott and Chief Engineer Richard Johnson came up with a wrought iron latticework design that was light in weight and could Erewash Valley Trail Broxtowe Country Trail links be built quickly and cheaply. Broxtowe Country Trail Nutbrook Trail Future Plans Broxtowe Country Trail (on road sections) Rivers and Canals The ironwork was prefabricated by Eastwood, Swingler & Co. of The viaduct came into the ownership of Sustrans, the Derby and then assembled on site by the railway construction firm, sustainable transport charity, in 1998 as part of a deal Benton and Woodiwiss, the metalwork held together by rivets and Walking & Cycling cotter pins. Construction was completed by November 1877 and A great way to get to the Bennerley area is by bike or on to convert 200 miles of disused railways into cycling foot along the many paths and trails. Canals pass close and walking paths. Working with communities and the viaduct opened early in 1878. by both ends of the viaduct and the Erewash Valley Trail partner organisations, Sustrans wants Bennerley Viaduct The line was very profitable and extensions were built into the follows these for much of its route. This beautiful 30 mile conserved and brought into public use by building a path heart of the coalfield. A familiar sight on the viaduct was steam largely traffic-free circular trail has multiple access points. across it. It will connect with a network of routes including Visit: www.erewashvalleytrail.co.uk for information. locomotives hauling coal wagons from the nearby collieries. The the Erewash Valley Trail and will be a key link in the route Rail links line also meant that Skegness became the locals’ seaside resort, Langley Mill is the closest train station from where it’s a between Nottingham & Derby. reachable on day trips from Ilkeston. pleasant 3miles\5km ride south along the Erewash Canal to the Bennerley area. In 1948, the railways were nationalised. In 1963, following a report by Dr Beeching, the government made plans to close thousands Long Eaton train station lies 8miles/13km to the south from where it’s an excellent ride north along the canal to of miles of railway lines and over 2000 stations. The Friargate Line Bennerley. was closed with the last passenger train crossing the viaduct in Visit: www.nationalrail.co.uk for train times 1964 and the last goods train in 1968. A NEW STATION IS CURRENTLY BEING BUILT FOR ILKESTON. Once completed it will be a short bike ride or walk to Bennerley. Bus links From Nottingham catch Trent Barton’s ‘The Two’ to Bridge Street, Cotmanhay from where it is a short walk to the Erewash Canal. Visit: www.trentbarton.co.uk/ services/two for bus times. From Derby catch Trent Barton’s ‘Ilkeston Flyer’ to Bridge Street, Cotmanhay from where it is a short walk to the Erewash Canal. Visit: www.trentbarton.co.uk/ services/Ilkestonflyer for bus times. rediscovering Nottingham Canal T Opened in 1796 the Nottingham Canal met the Erewash D E W A O R Canal and the Cromford Canal in Langley Mill. Driven out G L of business by the railways it closed to traffic in 1937 and GRADE E I S THE IRON GIANT OF THE EREWASH VALLEY R only short sections are still in water.