2 Bits of Old Railway Architecture near Manchester 

Incredible construction with the multiple arches at different angles

You won't need telling that even as recent as 1970 there was still an absolute ton of railway infrastructure around Heaton Chapel and Cheadle Heath areas just outside of Stockport, some used most awaiting demolition/lifting. It's kind of depressing that all that is left of the CLC Trafford to Bredbury/Reddish line that went through the middle of town, including significant three goods yards just west of the viaduct, is a couple of surviving supports for the 5 track wide bridge over George Street. It's mad to think that ~1900 to ~1965 Stockport had three separate major stations (Cheadle Heath was within walking or bus/tram distance of town centre and built to steal London commuters from Edgley Station) on three separate inter city lines, two of which served different London routes. Then in quick succession Beeching and West Coast Mainline electrification happened...

Like a ray of sunshine when you popped up with this, loved the brickwork and stone on that viaduct, I mean bridge , being a Brickie.

I wish I had digital cameras etc in 1980s, when I walked along a stretch on line that crossed the mersey at Cheadle Heath to the site of Tivot Dale Station. The line then passed through a tunnel crossed a large brick viaduct to a rail line that was still open at the time serving a yard. This has since closed and now the Midshires Way. All the bridges were still there and the line was in the process of being lifted. I remember walking along side M60 on an embankment.

Nicly done, I'm in awe at thee brickwork. Never seen aarches like that before. 72 yewr old bricklayer (still working)

What an amazing abutment.

You have to admire the ingenuity of the designers and builders of structures like this. The complexity of that abutments brickwork is amazing, especially when you think it was all designed with paper and pencils.

Excellent presentation, this sort of history amazes me, thanks

The old architecture is always fun to look at. way more interesting than modern stuff. It's a shame we destroy such great history :(

Amazing architecture

There's a good view point of Manchester and Ethiad from the latter half of your video with a drone - liked 👏👏

I used to go inside the tubular bridge,at Heaton Mersey,that the abutments were part of,(it carried the line from Tiviot Dale to Cheadle,Northenden)....can`t recall how we got in the tubular bridge, but it was always a dare to jump across the centre,where the support pillars had a gap,if you missed you were in the river..the sound of freight passing overhead was brill..they were bridges not viaducts,as seen in the pics you posted..and one small girder bridge,which was the Midland Main Line,via Cheadle Heath...I grew up around this area,and the amount of railway was unbelievable..mainly freight,.There were also sidings at Heaton Mersey,(now part of the motorway),and the loco shed(now an industrial estate next to the motorway).I can see the house I grew up in,on the map you showed..I started on the railway in 1974,on the line from Tiviot Dale,at Brinnington Jct, as a signalman,and were there until Sept 1977..freight with the odd passenger charter service...something I never thought I would do as I spent my childhood on,and around the railway..

I worked in Heaton Mersey for many years. Back then, I had an hour for lunch & often went exploring the local area. On one such occasion, I came across the lower bridge which although derelict, was still completely intact back then, complete with four massive girders and a "mirror image" brick abutment at the Heaton Mersey side of the river - quite a find for someone who's interested in old railways! Great video - thanks!

You were rather dismissive of these videos, but I really enjoyed them. I too thought the two River Mersey abutments belonged to the same bridge, so thank you for sorting out that confusion.

I love this walk from East Didsbury. Fabulous

Thank you so much!

Your videos are my favorites

"You are welcome, just treat like home, not like shit" That's cute

Thanks again. You really deserve a heck of a lot more subs. Really enjoy yr presentation and obvious enthusiasm.

The line that went off from Baguley Fold to Stuart st. power station, did indeed also serve a chemical works- at various times, maybe even at the same time, two of them. The older of the two, on Bank st. between Stuart st. and Ashton New Road, may have been demolished or repurposed when the power station high level railway and coal drops were extended. The other was on the other side of Ashton New Road, and was The Clayton Aniline Company. The power station line was extended to the first works which was at at ground level, in early days (pre high level railway extension) descending and turning back on itself into the premises. The Aniline had a connection later by extending the new high level over Ashton New Road and into their works, the bridges and viaducts only being demolished fairly recently, though some went when the velodrome was built. In fact, the Aniline line ran out of the works on the eastern side, across Clayton Lane, and thence into and around the English Steel Company's North St. works, serving them, and out of there on the south eastern side, across South st. , along the middle of Wood st., across Ashton Old Road, along Redby/Derby st., and into Ashburys sidings. Thus a through route on private railways ( three of them) existed between the two main lines, one ex-LMS, one ex-GCR. It was not, to my knowledge used as such, but in theory it was possible. Maybe traffic could have entered or left these different companies works by a different route, in case of difficulties with the regular routes? FWIW, I don't think the pic of the crane tipping the coal wagon is actually at Stuart st., as the power station did not have a street level railway, AFAIK, it was all at high level and on viaduct due to the topography.

Really enjoyed this pal.I lived in edgeley for 12 years and used to do this walk a fair bit.I now live in Clitheroe and there's some old bridge's and viaducts around a village called read a few miles away.

Reminds me of an IKS video shot in Germany of a much larger railway bridge complete with flak emplacements !

I always wanted to go along the abandoned section that runs from Blind Lane to Ashton old road but a ladder is needed and possibly a machete to get through the dense overgrowth. Great vid as always! :-)

Really entertaining, with amusingly dry commentary!

Perfect Friday eve viewing

I love your videos. Thanks!!

Omg, I live round the corner from the one in Stockport, I never knew about it! I’ll have to investigate it now the weather is nice. Thank you and keep up the good work!

Always wondered about that viaduct in Clayton. Good to know!

Now that was cool....

Nice vid. Keep up the good work.

Amazing Content Ollie 😎🤙

More Railway Tunnels Please so intresting

really a great video! 🎥

Watching your vid inspired me to return to this location today,as the weather has become more palatable,,not only to see again for myself the scene,but to re-live my childhood memories,because its the area I grew up in, only a few concrete posts,the bridge abutments give any indication..of a railway ever being there.there is also an info board, near where the two lines crossed,,top and bottom.I did notice however, that on the Aurora industrial estate on the Cheadle Heath side of the river, one unit is occupied by CAF, Rail UK..so at least a slight return on the railway front,but no railway,just a unit,I wonder what the purpose of the unit is?..but it made me smile at least there is something.

great vid, love it

Fantastic Channel, could you do a video on Manchester's Skyscrapers?

love your channel

That tin shed has not always been there, to answer your question. It wasn't there 3 years ago. I live very close and went down last that long ago. I have drone footage and checked it, no shed.

When i had a boat I used to cruise past an old off cut canal that went into a tunnel. It was on the right of the Leeds Liverpool canal not far from the turn onto the canal to Cheshire. I used to think ill go in there one day but never did. You may have explored it but if not it would be worth checking out

intersting i have allways wondered about both and know a little bit but not much! before the British rail days the bridge you stand on was part of the old cheshire lines continuing all the way up through a tunnel to Tiviot Dale station ...and beyond ...was still running as frieght till they closed the woodhead line in 1980 for coal to to fiddlers ferry power station .... then of course they built the M63 ( now the M 60) and that caused damage to the tunnel and was no longer safe to use so that was the end! .....now the other Bridge on the opposite side of the mersey was part of the midland line ...coming from new mills ( not into one of the 2 stations there so if they had a 3rd i dont know as there are 3 seperat lines running through new mills including this one!) right the way through to heaton mersey and chorlton cum hardy ...with spurs coming off to join the cheshire lines at the junction you are at! .....call me a bit of an anorack lol but i love exploring old rail lines ...even though i have now lived in Bristol for 16 yrs Im a local(ish) area lad born and bred in Ashton under lyne so next town over from you obv! keep up the good work and im loving the channel! oh heres a map of the rail lines in that area before the closed ect ;) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cheadle,_Chorlton,_Heaton_Mersey_%26_Northenden_RJD_149.jpg

great vid

This is great. At last I can see what the old bridges looked like at the mersey in stockport. I've known about the old bridges there for some years but never been able to find pictures of them until now. And I think it's high time those old remnants of bridges were made safer as in this video they certainly look seriously dangerous with all those sheer drops, especially into the deep and fast flowing rivers.

That was ace, I used to walk home to my folks that way after a beery night at the Egerton or Nelson in Stockport. It was a nicer walk to Gatley than via the roads. It looks the same now as it did then thirty years ago.. when I left. That whole area used to fascinate me, there was a tunnel somewhere near Decathlon. Nice one.

Cool interesting video

Nice one Ollie. What a great den that was...bunkbeds, the lot! Not sure kids make dens anymore though, too busy looking at a screen, which makes me think this was a shelter built by someone older, homeless maybe? As usual, fantastic brickwork on display in the abutment. Thanks for posting even during a lockdown. Looking forward to what you come up with once you're able to get about the place again. Stay safe!

Great stuff. I love history. I walked Hadrian’s wall which was excellent but the best part of it for me was the industrial architecture on Newcastle’s key side and at Port Carlisle. The building, so well shown off in this reminds me of St Bennett’s abbey on the Norfolk broads. As a monument the building shown here should have equal merit.

great to see that . got tonnes left in wigan

That first one may have been an industrial spur and shut around the beeching cuts .great video by the way

Walk starts at 3:35

Why not have a walk along the Buckley Line, terminating in Connah's Quay?

Stockport was the train centre station

Brill.If you ever get the chance .Theres a very old railway on the banks of the ship canal irlam side.It served the margarine and soapworks in the 1960s and the track was still there in the 1980s when i was in school.You get to it from irlam locks irlam side and it runs parallel to the express way called cadishead way and runs at the back of mackro to ,the stadium where the salford reds play.walked it 11 years ago not much left but enjoyed it .Just thought id mention it .

Ollie, I love your videos. The Mersey seemed to be running quite fast by the remains of the Viaduct, ooops I mean Bridge!!!! I take it, that the Mersey is still Tidal at this location? Take care.

Watch a video by one Manc. Stockport lost railways 1995. It shows an old photo of your viaduct bridge.

Cities would look very different if Beeching didn’t have his way

Damn I thought Manchester is just a big ghetto but this places are truly interesting

One of those viaducts was actually a viaduct, you showed a picture of a girder bridge fed by two spans on brick supports, The other viaduct was just a bridge though

Enjoyed video, keep them coming . I don't think the bridge or the power station are in clayton. Stuart St is in an area called Bradford (I know confusing) it was renamed Eastlands and I think it's now back to being called Bradford. My mum (who's now in her late 80's) grew up on Stuart street. Although I believe the area is now under the control of Clayton but I'm not sure you can call it Clayton?

There is a similar bridge in Durham City dismantled but remains either side of the river Wear i can just remember the old station it led to now a law court and university buildings and around a mile away is a old rope railway embankment, all the archeology is still there because just like the First World War they simply buried it.

I don't run your videos at higher speed because I'm in California and never been to Manchester. I go at speed so I can see more. Lovely architecture. The arches are aligned to allow high water to flow as linearly as possible. The old boys knew a thing or two :-) Part two seems a bit of a waste. Not you filming, but a nice piece of industrial engineering with heavy load capability. I think it would make for the foundation of a lovely elevated apartment house ... Views out, etc.

Hi olly 6:18 what a shot! Is that just Google earth ? Great work mate! By the way what's the difference between a bridge and a viaduct?

you need to go look at Dark Arches.

How can anybody give the thumbs down?

I wish they would find a way to connect partington to the transport links other than bus 30 minutes just to get to Stratford or Altrincham

Great graffiti "your mum is a slag" 😂 Kids of today.

boris started the pandemic?