IRON GIANT

摘要

Until just a few years ago, Bennerley Viaduct in the English midlands rated as one of the best-kept secrets of its industrial heritage portfolio. The 442m-long 'iron giant' strides across the flood plain of the River Erewash not far from the city of Derby, but by dint of the topography and inaccessible nature of the former industrial site, it was little known outside the immediate area. The structure - which is one of just two of its type remaining in the UK - was opened to trains in 1878. It has a long and cheguered past. Having survived being bombed in a Zeppelin attack in 1916, in the 1970s it had to be saved from demolition proposed by former owner British Rail, despite being legally protected as a historic asset (Grade II* listed). Since 1998, the viaduct has been under the stewardship of Railway Paths, a charity that was set up to own and manage retired railway infrastructure. Project manager Bill Tomson recalls how RPL worked with the local community to establish the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct (FoBV), a charity whose work has been crucial in raising the profile of this forgotten relic and bringing it to the attention of a wider audience. Tomson was employed in 2014 to project manage some of RPL's more challenging assets, after the organisation acknowledged that extra resources were needed to take these projects forwards. Not only is Bennerley a substantial structure, but the connections at each end were demolished when the line was closed, leaving it with no obvious purpose.