The Victorian Society has welcomed a decision by one of the highest courts in the Church of England to prevent a Somerset parish selling a font out of its listed church.

An intricate carving depicting one of the four ages of man

The Court of Arches decided that St Peter’s Church in Draycott was not facing a financial emergency and that allowing an important architectural feature to be sold to a private collector was unacceptable.

The parish had applied for permission to sell the font from the church after being approached by a speculative buyer in 2006.  The buyer offered £100,000 for the font, plus an additional £10,000 for a replica to take its place.  Initially the Diocese of Bath and Wells ruled that the sale should be allowed but the Victorian Society appealed against the decision and the case was transferred to the Court of Arches.

There the judges explicitly rejected claims that the church was faced with the real possibility of closure.  They ruled that no compelling need to dispose of the font had been demonstrated and said that, had removal been allowed, ‘much of which adorns and adds interest, both historically and architecturally, to our churches would be lost to future generations.’

‘We are delighted by the court’s decision.  We were very concerned that allowing part of a listed building to be sold off in this way would have set a dangerous precedent,’

The richly-carved Romanesque stone font was designed by William Burges, architect of iconic buildings such as Cardiff Castle and Cork Cathedral. It is still in reg, as it has been since the church was consecrated in 1861.

It is made up of a cream-coloured, fine-grained stone cap and base separated by a polished Purbeck Marble column. Each of the four sides of the top has a carved panel showing one of the four ages of man. Although there is some dispute about which church the font was originally intended for, it has stood in St Peter’s since the church’s consecration.

Note the fine Purbeck Marble Column

The Victorian Society is the national charity campaigning for the Victorian and Edwardian historic environment.

The society provides valuable information for owners of  Victorian and Edwardian properties, to help them look after their buildings.

It helps people understand, appreciate and enjoy the architectural heritage of the Victorian and Edwardian period through its publications and educational programmes.

Spanning the River Eden in the North West corner of the City of Carlisle is the Waverley or Eden Viaduct.

The Waverley or Eden Viaduct

With 6 arches the bridge is a Grade 2 listed structure.  Originally a link between Carlisle and Hawick it formed a part of the Border Union Railway which came to be known as the ‘Waverley Route’. The bridge has the British Railways Board reference   BRB etc 265. Upriver of the viaduct is the Willowholme Industrial Estate, the West Coast Main Line and the back of Carlisle Castle.    

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Starting at Hartley Quarry on the outskirts of Kirkby Stephen the history trail follows the trackbed of the former Stainmore Railway crossing the two viaducts of Podgill and Merrygill.

Welcome - Northern Viaduct Trust

Being a former railway line the path is well drained and  ideal for wheelchairs, horses, cyclists and walkers. It is a permissive right of way.

The route is owned by the Northern Viaduct Trust.

Set up in 1989 to to acquire, restore and maintain the spectacular Smardale Gill viaduct near Ravenstonedale the Trust then moved on to this second project and has created a circular walk which takes in some spectacular views and has preserved some of our Cumbrian heritage.

Merrygill Viaduct

Passing the noticeboards that give a history and brief overview of the project you arrive at one end of the Merrygill Viaduct.

With a total length of 366ft, 9 arches built from local limestone span the Hartley Beck valley.

Originally being one track wide it cost just over £3k to build and it is over 70ft from the beck below.

Work to widen the viaduct to two tracks was completed around 1892.

The restoration of this viaduct cost around £50k  and was completed in 2005.

Children and animals are protected from the view as the high stone sides offer great natural security.

The platelayers hut and the Merrygill viaduct in the distance

With the gradient of the walk sloping gently downhill you find a former platelayers hut to your right.  Pictures from former times when the railway was in full usage are displayed on the walls along with the history of the area.

Hartley Quarry is a good source of high quality limestone and operations were started in 1925 by Sir Hedworth Williamson‘s Limeworks Ltd. 

During the Second World War the limestone was needed in ever greater amounts for the steel industry and as a ground powder to improve fields for food production.  This work at the quarry became a reserved occupation as it was essential to the war efforts.

Two lime-burning kilns were in operation at the quarry upto 1996.

As you continue along the path you may spot some out of season flowers or other quirks of nature.  

The high, sheltered sides of the railway cuttings have created a unique micro climate.  

Trees, planted along the edge of the embankments, create a canopy from harsh sunlight and are helping to trap self seeding plants and no doubt sustaining animals and insects.

The gentle walk continues towards the next viaduct, Podgill.

The 11 arches span the 466ft valley of Pod Gill

You could continue straight across the bridge however to your right is a steep set of steps to some picnic tables and a great view back up underneath the viaduct.  A word of caution here is needed as these steps are steep so please take care.

If you do venture down to the bottom of the viaduct you will be able to see the full glory of this local limestone construction.

Originally only 12 feet wide between parapets for single track, it was built by contractors Chambers & Hilton at a cost of £6,189.

Sir Thomas Bouch was the engineer on this project and the Merrygill viaduct visited earlier.

Looking up from below - The Podgill viaduct

He was born at Thursby in North Cumbria and is best known for his work on the Tay Bridge in Scotland.

When the Podgill viaduct was widened, around 1890, a new, almost identical, viaduct was built alongside the existing, to which the new structure was tied.  You can still see the join if you look up from below.

Podgill Viaduct was acquired by the Northern Viaduct Trust direct from the British Rail Property Board in 2000.

As you continue along the upper path another platelayers hut comes into view. Here you will find details of the hayday of the railways in this area.

The South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway, connecting the Eastern coalfields to the Western iron ore and the evolution of the many single rail companies into the larger railway boards is all explained using maps, photographs and text.

Poem in stone

Art meets industy

Keep your eyes alert as your journey continues because hidden in the woods is some heavyweight art.

The Poetry Path comes into contact with your railway walk as large carved stones appear.

Square poems

Depicting a year in the life of a hill farmer. The Poetry Path is a celebration of the hill farmer’s ancient and enduring relationship with the beautiful landscape in and around the upper Eden valley.

Twelve short poems written by local poet Meg Peacocke have been carved by lettering artist Pip Hall into blocks of stone.

Further details of this trail are available below.  

You are almost at the end of this trail as your route now takes you back towards Kirkby Stephen  however one last delight remains.

Spanning the River Eden

From the approach you see the bright blue railings and can hear what sounds like steam escaping from the trains of former years, but as you cross the Millennium Bridge you are in for a surprise.

Bubbling and dramatic

Below you is the bubbling and dramatic River Eden on its way towards Carlisle and the sea.

The bridge was designed by local civil engineer, Charles Blackett-Ord.

It is constructed of galvanised steel with a pre-cast concrete deck and a span of 65ft.

This spectacular bridge provides the access between Stenkrith Park at the south end of Kirkby Stephen, to the trackbed of the former railway which forms the footpath to Hartley from where you have just walked.

Further information

The Northern Viaducts Trust brochure can be found via  -  Exploring the Eden Viaducts - leaflet NVT

Further details on the walk and the trail are via  - Walks Guide - Kirkby Stephen

Details about the Poetry Path are via  - Kirkby Stephen Poetry Path