Northern Perspectives’ view of the Balder Viaduct, Teesdale

The Balder Viaduct on the Tees Valley Railway, by Northern Perspectives (Image: Northern Perspectives)

It is a view that Hannah Hauxwell would probably recognise although it is one some Victorian dalespeople doubted the 21st Century would see. In 1879, such a strong rumour circulated that a collapse of part of the parapet meant the whole structure was unsafe that the North Eastern Railway requested the Teesdale Mercury to publish an “unqualified contradiction” on September 3, saying that it was “as strong as when first built”.

From the Teesdale Mercury of September 3, 1879 (Image: Chris Lloyd)

It was first built in time for the opening of the eight mile long Tees Valley Railway on May 12, 1868.

It was one of two £5,000 viaducts on the line – the other, over the Lune, suffered a partial collapse in August 1867 when four men were injured – designed by Alexander Nimmo and Thomas MacNay. They were not big-name engineers but they had worked under Sir Thomas Bouch on the remarkable constructions at Deepdale and Belah on the Stainmore line.

It spans the River Balder, which is an Old Norse name, perhaps from a Viking settler called Baldr who shared his name with a Norse god.

SEE LAST WEEK’S NORTHERN PERSPECTIVES’ VIEW HERE

On the railway’s opening day, the Darlington & Stockton Times said the Balder was crossed by “a graceful viaduct of nine arches of 30ft span, the structure being 100ft in height”.

And so it is today. The viaduct survived the scare of the late 1870s. It survived the closure of the line in the 1960s. It survived talk of demolition in the 1980s due to maintenance costs and it is now one of the highlights of the Tees Railway Path, rising up above the trees but still giving views of the rippling river down below.

Northern Perspectives is a weekly contributor to Memories. He is a Durham-based photographer who uses the latest drone technology to shed new light on our beautiful and historic landscapes, and the stories they contain. To see more of his amazing work, including his aerial videos, search “Northern Perspectives” on Facebook.