Monsal Dale
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Monsal Dale is a valley in the Peak District of Derbyshire.
This area of Derbyshire is formed from an uplift of limestone in the centre of the sandstone and shales, having long ago been under water, known as the Derbyshire Dome, or the White Peak. Monsal Dale is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) (1) and part of a Europe wide network called Natura 2000.
The local landmark is the Headstone Viaduct, built by the Midland Railway, over the River Wye, immediately after the 533 yard Headstone Tunnel, travelling north from Great Longstone. The viaduct, usually incorrectly called 'Monsal Dale Viaduct', is 300 feet long, with five 50 foot span arches, some forty feet high at the centre. Initially, some slippage occurred, and remedial work was carried out in 1907-8. It is now part of the Monsal Trail, though the tunnel and the cutting preceding it is sealed off. A proposal which was never came to fruition was for another viaduct for the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway to cross both the valley and the Midland Line, some three hundred feet high.
Monsal Dale railway station opened in 1866 to serve the villages of Upperdale and Cressbrook, with the latter's cotton mills. The down line and platform was built on a shelf carved in the rock face, while the up was built on wooden trestles over the hillside. It closed in 1959 and nothing remains of the timber buildings.
From Monsal Dale, the line proceeded through Cressbrook (471 yards) and Litton (515 yards) tunnels to Millers Dale on its way north. Cut through solid limestone they were both complex tunnels, on a gradient of 1 in 100, and curved to allow the line to conform to the terrain.
[edit] External links
- Map sources for Monsal Dale
