New visitor centre opens at Iron Giant site

A new visitor centre has opened next to the historic Bennerley Viaduct as part of a 10-year project celebrating its heritage and significance to the area.

Nicknamed "The Iron Giant", the viaduct stands 18m (60ft) above the ground and stretches 442m (1,450ft) across the Erewash Valley. When it opened in 1878, it carried goods and passengers by rail before closing as part of the Beeching cuts in 1968.

The viaduct, which spans the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border, was restored and reopened as a public route for cyclists and pedestrians in 2022 after being closed for 54 years.

The visitor centre includes a cafe and displays from the viaduct's 150-year history.

The new visitor centre, funded by Broxtowe Borough Council and the Kimberley Means Business Fund, is clad in Corten steel, inspired by railway carriages and designed to reflect the viaduct's industrial heritage.

Paul Baker, director of operations at Bennerley Viaduct, said it was important the building's design paid tribute to the landmark's history.

"We've been inspired by the viaduct. It seemed fitting that it should be a metal building to celebrate this wonderful wrought iron viaduct," he said.

"What we wanted to avoid was just a brick building that could have been anywhere."

The restoration project has faced several challenges, including repeated work on the entrance ramp, which delayed the opening of the centre.

Baker added: "The most publicised challenge is the fact that we rebuilt the entrance ramp several times.

"That must have been so frustrating for people who have been wanting to see this visitor centre open."

The centre marks the start of wider plans to develop the site as a visitor attraction.

A bid has been submitted to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to improve public engagement and access to the surrounding landscape.

Baker said future plans could include multimedia features, mobile technology and audio storytelling to help visitors learn about the viaduct's impact on local communities.

"We've got lots of personal stories we want to tell, and this is about sharing them with visitors," he said.

The viaduct fell into disrepair after its closure in 1968 but was restored and reopened as a walkway and cycle path in 2022, with the support of the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct.

The viaduct originally carried trains across the Erewash Valley between Cotmanhay and Awsworth. For the next 90 years, it transported coal, iron ore, goods and passengers between Nottingham and Derby.

During the 1940s and 1950s, families packed on to trains bound for Skegness, when a return ticket cost just 13 shillings and sixpence.

Despite several attempts by British Rail to demolish the structure, conservation charity Railway Paths took ownership of the site, helping to preserve the landmark.

Today, the bridge is one of only two remaining wrought iron railway bridges in the UK, with the vast majority of its original structure still intact.

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