Crawfordsburn Viaduct facts for kids
The Crawfordsburn Viaduct is a special kind of bridge. It carries a railway line across a valley or a river. You can find it in Crawfordsburn, a lovely place in County Down, Northern Ireland.
Contents
How It's Built
The Crawfordsburn Viaduct is made from strong Scrabo sandstone. It's wide enough for two railway tracks, about 10 meters (33 feet) across. The whole bridge stretches for 100 meters (328 feet).
It has five big arches that help support it. The sides of the bridge have strong cast-iron railings, called parapets, with a cool criss-cross design. A famous architect named Charles Lanyon designed this amazing structure.
A Look Back in Time
Building the Viaduct
Building the viaduct started in 1863. The Belfast, Holywood & Bangor Railway (BHBR) began the work. The very first stone was laid on October 3rd, 1863.
The viaduct was finished in 1865. The first passenger train crossed it on May 18th. Important people like Charles Lanyon and Lord Dufferin were there to celebrate.
An Interesting Story
People say that once, a child fell from the viaduct. This happened before 1884. Luckily, the child's clothes got caught on a tree. This saved them from a bad fall!
Changes Over the Years
Between 1897 and 1902, the railway line was made bigger. It changed from one track to two tracks. This happened after the Belfast and County Down Railway took over the line.
Later, in 1948, the Ulster Transport Authority became in charge of the line. Then, in 1968, Northern Ireland Railways took over. They still own it today.
In 1989, a special stone was removed from the viaduct. This stone was placed there by Charles Lanyon. It was removed 100 years after he passed away.
The Viaduct Today
The Crawfordsburn Viaduct is still used every day. It carries trains on the NI Railways Belfast–Bangor line. These trains cross over Crawfordsburn Glen.
During quieter times, two trains cross the viaduct each hour. You can get a great view of the viaduct from Crawfordsburn Country Park. The park entrance is about a 30-minute walk from Helen's Bay.
Crawfordsburn used to have its own train station. But that station closed in 1997. The viaduct became a special protected building in 1975. This means it's an important historical structure.
