Disused railway bridge over River Clyde - geograph

Westburn Viaduct, also known as Carmyle Viaduct, is a disused railway bridge over the

River Clyde The River Clyde ( gd, Abhainn Chluaidh, , sco, Clyde Watter, or ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. It is the ninth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third-longest in Scotland. It runs through the major cit ...

between

Carmyle Carmyle ( gd, An Càrn Maol) is a suburb in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, directly north of the River Clyde. It is in an isolated location separated from the main urban area of the city and has the characteristics of a semi-rural village. A ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

(north side) and Westburn (

Cambuslang Cambuslang ( sco, Cammuslang, from gd, Camas Lang) is a town on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater Glasgow, Scotland. With approximately 30,000 residents, it is the 27th largest town in Scotland by population, although, never having had a ...

) in

South Lanarkshire gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Deas , image_skyline = , image_flag = , image_shield = Arms_slanarkshire.jpg , image_blank_emblem = Slanarks.jpg , blank_emblem_type = Council logo , image_map ...

(south side). It is constructed of a steel lattice frame with sandstone pillars and has three main spans over the water. The bridge was constructed in 1897 as part of the

Glasgow Central Railway The Glasgow Central Railway was a railway line built in Glasgow, Scotland by the Caledonian Railway, running in tunnel east to west through the city centre. It was opened in stages from 1894 and opened up new journey opportunities for passengers ...

between

and

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

stations and linked to the

Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway The Rutherglen and Coatbridge Railway was a railway line in Scotland built by the Caledonian Railway to shorten the route from the Coatbridge area to Glasgow. It opened in 1865. It was later extended to Airdrie in 1886, competing with the riva ...

Fence around disused railway bridge - geograph

A further connection towards

Kirkhill Kirkhill or Kirkhills may refer to a number of places. In Canada: * Kirkhill, Nova Scotia * Kirkhill, Ontario, an area of North Glengarry In Northern Ireland: * Kirkhills, a townland in County Antrim In Scotland: *Kirkhill industrial estate, near ...

on the

Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway The Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway (L&AR) was an independent railway company built to provide the Caledonian Railway with a shorter route for mineral traffic from the coalfields of Lanarkshire to Ardrossan Harbour, in Scotland. It opened in st ...

was made in 1904. The passenger train services using the bridge ended in 1964, although freight services, mostly serving

Clydebridge Steelworks The Clydebridge Steelworks, also known as Clydebridge Works, is a steel works in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The plant opened in 1877. The works made steel sheared plates to build ships (among other uses) - plates from Clydebridge were used ...

and

Clyde Iron Works The Clyde Iron Works was a Scottish-based ironworking plant which operated from 1786 to 1978. Clyde Iron occupied a large site near the Carmyle and Tollcross areas of Glasgow. The plant was built by William Cadell (1737–1819) and Thomas Edi ...

, continued until 1983 when those facilities ceased operating. The bridge was officially closed and fenced-off, although for some years it was still accessible to pedestrians determined enough to overcome the barriers. After gang disorder involving youths from Westburn and Carmyle escalated into serious violence in 2012, the barriers were further reinforced to prevent the bridge being used by the youths to approach their rivals’ territory. Between 2013 and 2015 a project to add illumination to the bridge developed with input by pupils from local schools ( Bannerman HS, Trinity HS and Cathkin HS) in an effort to build bonds between the communities on either side of the bridge. In early 2021,

Sustrans Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network. Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kin ...

Scotland announced a project to refurbish the bridge as a walking and cycling route across the river, inviting consultation from locals (with some residents on both sides objecting to the plans due to the recent history of violence associated with the route being accessible to rival youths).

References

External links

*
RailscotWalking Up To Top Of Disused Carmyle Viaduct
(2013 video) {{coord, 55.82817, N, 4.14790, W, region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in Cambuslang Bridges across the River Clyde Bridges in Glasgow Bridges completed in 1897 Buildings and structures in South Lanarkshire Railway bridges in Scotland 1897 establishments in Scotland Transport in South Lanarkshire

See also

References

External links