Bennerley Viaduct restoration project receives top honour at national awards

Those who worked to restore Bennerley Viaduct, which is also known as the ‘Iron Giant’ of the Erewash Valley, received the Chairman’s Special Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards 2022.

The award was presented by Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, at a ceremony held at the Merchant Taylor’s Hall in London on Tuesday, December 6.

Bennerley Viaduct was re-opened to the public for walking, cycling and guided tours in January 2022 after more than 54 years of closure.

The award was specifically given to Railway Paths Ltd, which owns the viaduct, ‘for its work undertaken to ensure the survival and reuse of the superb’ structure.

Opened to trains in 1878, the quarter-mile-long wrought iron viaduct is one of only two such structures remaining in the country and is Grade II listed by Historic England.

After a year that has seen thousands of visitors enjoying the viaduct, a ribbon-cutting event and the start of a National Lottery Heritage Fund project, staff and volunteers who worked on the project see the award as a fitting formal recognition of the importance of the viaduct and their efforts to preserve it for generations to come.

Bennerley Viaduct is managed by a charity, the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct (FoBV), which holds the lease from Railway Paths Ltd.

John Scruton, Chair of FoBV, said everyone is delighted.

He added: “We are thrilled to see Bennerley Viaduct gaining this national recognition, and delighted that Railway Paths Ltd have won this award.

“The Friends of Bennerley Viaduct, and our community, will always owe a debt of gratitude to the work and funding from Railways Paths Ltd that enabled the viaduct to welcome visitors, and give us a bright future as a visitor attraction – and rare survivor from our industrial past.

“We are currently looking ahead to exciting plans in 2023 that would not be possible without the restoration and access work.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​