Artengill Viaduct
| Artengill Viaduct | |
| Yorkshire West Riding | |
|---|---|
 The Artengill Viaduct | |
| Location | |
| Type: | Railway viaduct |
| Carrying: | Settle–Carlisle line |
| Crossing: | Artengill Beck |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD776859 |
| Location: | 54°16’6"N, 2°20’43"W |
| Structure | |
| Length: | 220 yards |
| Type: | Railway viaduct |
| History | |
| Information | |
The Artengill Viaduct (also written as Arten Gill Viaduct) spans the treacherous terrain of Upper Dentdale in the West Riding of Yorkshire, carrying the Settle–Carlisle line over a minor stream, the Artengill Beck, in a stretch of the line alternating with cuttings and embankments as it passes along the steep slopes of the dale over numerous burns draining the moorland into its river, the Dee.
The viaduct is a Grade II listed structure.[1]
Running south from Artengill, the line crosses the Dee at the Denthead Viaduct and passes into the Blea Moor Tunnel. Heading north past Dent station, it enters another tunnel, taking the line to Garsdale. The viaduct, the tunnels and the earthworks all along the line here show the ingenuity and effort of the Victorian engineers in passing such troublesome terrain. The whole line was the most difficult and hazardous feat in railway engineering in the land, of which this stretch is a snapshot.
Of the two viaducts on this stretch of the Settle–Carlisle line, Arten Gill is the larger. It is built of massive blocks of Dent ‘marble’, from the now-disused quarries nearby. This stone was popular for use in ornamental masonry and was remarkable for its wealth of fossils.
On film
The viaduct featured in a scene in the movie “Miss Potter” – the film about the life of Beatrix Potter staring Renee Zellweger: her train is shown crossing the Arten Gill Viaduct as she travelled from London to the Lake District (a journey she did make, though in reality she would not have travelled by this route).
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Artengill Viaduct) |
- Engineering Timelines - Arten Gill Viaduct
- Arten Gill Viaduct on 'Victorianweb'
References
- ↑ Artengill Viaduct, Dent - British Listed Buildings
