All Our Wigan Yesterdays Adam viaduct

News Report Archive
6th August 2000
News reports from Wigan Observer, Wigan Reporter and Wigan Evening Post


Adam Viaduct, which carries the Wigan/Kirby railway line over the River Douglas at the Saddle, looks set to become a major attraction for industrial historians.
The anonymous looking structure is, it has been revealed, the FIRST pre-stressed concrete bridge in the world!
And now the government culture and arts (DCMS)Minister Alan Howarth has announced that he is considering making the viaduct a Grade II listed structure to protect it for posterity. The news has delighted Metro planning department's conservation officer Philip Powell who says that the council pointed out the viaduct's historical significance to the government almost seven years ago.
The viaduct was constructed by the former London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1946 and was the result of 'pioneering research' into pre-stressed concrete, where concrete is poured over an already manufactiured and tightened iron skeleton.
Mr Powell said: "We are aware of the historical importance of the bridge and it is very good news that the DCMS is in the process of recognising it by listing."
The listing means that Railtrack would need full justification and explanation for any move to replace the bridge with a more modern structure, rather than repair it, should work become necessary.
It also outs the bridge into the same historical importance as the rather more grandiose Glenfinnan Viaduct built of un-stressed concrete by 'concrete Bob' Robert McAlpine on the majestic west Highland railway line between Fort William and Mallaig in the North West of Scotland. This magnificent structure from 1900 contains 21 arches is 416 yards long on a continuous curve of 792 feet and still in regular use today.

News Report Archive
13th August 2000
News reports from Wigan Observer, Wigan Reporter and Wigan Evening Post

WIGAN MARKET IN TOP 100 LEAGUE

Wigan's revamped Market Place has been chosen as one of the best new public spaces across the country by a leading group of design experts.
The nationally respected Urban Design Group is to include the scheme in a planned list of 100 good places to be highlighted in a pocket guide to the best recently designed public areas in Great Britain.
So far, the panel of experts has chosen just 87 schemes across the country for inclusion in the guide, and Wigan is in the comapny of well-known places such as the new Exchange Square in Manchester and the Pier Head in Liverpool.
The refurbishment of Market Place was completed in April 1998 and was designed by Wigan Council's planning and engineering officers. The highly praised central mosaic, designed by sculptor Sebastian Boyesen, commemorates the granting of Wigan's charter by Henry III in 1246.
The space has now become a focus for events such as Street Ahead Festival and performances by the Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra as well as somewhere people can relax and just watch the world go by.
Now the council and Wigan town centre manager Mike Matthews are planning to give the area a facelift over the next two months. Deputy Director of Planning and Development, Nick Taylor, said "Market Place has proved so popular as somewhere to sit and relax that it has suffered from an unexpected amount of wear and tear. To restore the space to it's original condition, the council and the town centre manager are planning a spring cleaning programme over the next couple pf months. This will see the mosaic and stone work cleaned and the benches revarnished and painted.
"We understand that the vast amount of improvements taking place in the town centre can cause inconvenience to shoppers and businesses, but this recognition from the Urban Design Group shows how Wigan's image and prosperity is being boosted."
Also planned is some lighting to be mounted on the buildings in Market Place while refurbishment of the buildings surrounding market Place and The Weind is under discussion as part of a plan to be funded by Europe and Wigan's Conservation Area Partnership Scheme.

Have thunderground loos gone? They be gerrin them listed if still there!

No they've gone Ragbru

Filled in and no trace left. Not even a lingering/pervading smell of slash as you stroll by.

Adam Viaduct
Adam Viaduct (built in 1946) near Wigan replaced the original (1848) Lancashire & Yorkshire bridge and carries the Wigan to Kirkby railway over the River Douglas. This is the first example in this country of a prestressed concrete viaduct carrying a railway. It has 4 spans of about 29' each, with 16 I-beams in each span. It was prestressed with the Freyssinet system. The advantages were claimed to be the speed of erection; ballasted track could be used and the heavier beams meant that the bridge was less lively. This bridge is still in use and has recently (1999) been listed by English Heritage.

© Copyright David Ashcroft and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Did the Winstanley Colliery Mineral Railway line (line from Wigan Pier coal tipper) pass under the 1848 bridge also?  It would have been gone by 1946.

I bet if those underground bogs had carried on being used for another few years, they would have ended up becoming a listed building

Came in handy for Southgate then!

More pics of Adam Viaduct

Good ones.

Ta

Smashing Sir Bob.

Ragbru wrote:Did the Winstanley Colliery Mineral Railway line (line from Wigan Pier coal tipper) pass under the 1848 bridge also?  It would have been gone by 1946.

No, that ran south of the viaduct, through Goose Green and Worsley Mesnes.

Thanks dodger, yes, that sound right. Been a long time since I have looked at historic maps of the area.

Admin wrote:News Report Archive
6th August 2000
News reports from Wigan Observer, Wigan Reporter and Wigan Evening Post


Adam Viaduct, ....... is, it has been revealed, the FIRST pre-stressed concrete bridge in the world!    

Another bullshit local rumour for you all to believe in !      

Admin wrote:News Report Archive
13th August 2000
News reports from Wigan Observer, Wigan Reporter and Wigan Evening Post

 WIGAN MARKET IN TOP 100 LEAGUE ........

And THAT'S clearly a joke !  

PS: Unless, of course, there's only 100 markets left in the UK, and Wigan market is 99th, with Hindley market being 100th !

Tonker please explain about Adam bridge

dodger wrote:

Ragbru wrote:Did the Winstanley Colliery Mineral Railway line (line from Wigan Pier coal tipper) pass under the 1848 bridge also?  It would have been gone by 1946.

No, that ran south of the viaduct, through  Goose Green and Worsley Mesnes.

I think this is the route of the old mineral line in between Goose Green and Worsley Mesnes and up until recently, as you can see, it was a path between  two council housing estates, until they started building the Vicarage Park development, which are the new houses they are building, off the new roundabout on Warrington Road, that they built opposite Little Lane at Goose Green.

http://www.wainhomes.net/developments/Vicarage+Park+-+Gt+Manchester/

The photo was taken from the Goose Green side of the path, with St Pauls Church, only a few yards behind the photographer, the bridge is over Smelly (Smithy) Brook and now all the land on the other side of that bridge, has now been or is in the process of being built on and I presume that as part of the development, that there will be some provision to reopen that pathway, in between the two estates.



At the side of that footbridge there is/was the remains of a brick structure, which someone told me was originally part of a bridge which carried the old mineral railway over Sniffy Brook, the mineral railway and then the path, went under the Westwood Loop line via a bridge through the embankment.

Tonkiepops seethes when Wigan is mentioned.. MORE WIGAN...MORE WIGAN!

Quite possibly, Sir Bob. There was an old bridge there  as you can see with the stone stanchions, and there are Victorian railings there. Probably built for the workers of Eckersley mill, and or the factory that was on the other side of the bridge. There was a lot of red shale there once, maybe it was a brick factory or somesuch?

stumpy wrote:Tonker please explain about Adam bridge

Adam Viaduct was the first prestressed concrete bridge to have multi (more than two) lines running over it. It was not the first prestressed concrete bridge in the World. It wasn't even the first prestressed concrete bridge in Lancashire!

But, if all the Wigan lovers constantly tell everybody that it was, for another few years, it'll become true!

Adam Viaduct was a first!

Thanks for the pics.

I used to love the scrub-lands that grew around the routes of former mineral lines in the vicinity of Wigan: plenty of Birch and Willow. They were like linear mini nature reserves. I enjoyed exploring them more than the developed recreational area that has been made out of Three Sisters.

where was the first one in Lancashire