Bennerley Viaduct

This is one of only two iron and steel lattice railway  viaducts left in the UK. It was built in that form rather than the traditional brick arches used in the UK at the time because the Erewash Valley, which it crosses, was heavily affected by mining subsidence and a lighter structure was required.

The elegant design is said to  have been adapted from a similar viaduct in France designed by Eiffel , who later went on to use the lattice technique on the famous tower. It is just over 1400 feet long and the rail bed was 60 feet above the River Erewash.

Built between 1876 and 1877 it formed part of the Great Northern Railway Derbyshire Extension primarily to carry coal.

In 1916, as part of the "Great Midlands Raid" an attempt was made to bomb the viaduct by Zeppelin airship L20 of the German Navy. Seven high explosive bombs were dropped and one landed on the railway line just north of the viaduct.

In 2020 work started to incorporate it into a local cycle /walking network. It stands as an elegant reminder of  the British raliway boom of the 19th century and looks particularly  atmospheric  on winter mornings when partly shrouded in mist.