Auckland Way Railway Path
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Description
The line was built in two stages. In 1841 the section between Byers Green and Spennymoor was opened as part of the Clarence Railway Company’s‘Byers Green Railway’which served Port Clarence on Teesside. This was used to carry coal around Byers Green and Willington. In 1885,NER opened the route between Byers Green and Bishop Auckland and the whole line was then used by passengers. When in operation, it formed a link between Bishop Auckland and Cornforth, connecting the Darlington-Bishop Auckland line with what is now the main East Coast route. It was closed in 1939. The Railway Path passes through countryside which was once part of the Bishop’s Park. Remnants of its railway history can be seen along the route. Look for the very wide railway bridge with mature trees on it. Bishop Lightfoot hated the railway and would only give his consent for the use of his land if a special ‘double’bridge was built over the railway for his personal use.The bridge is twice the normal width and had trees planted along each side to screen the Bishop from the detested railway. It is now known as the Bishops Bridge and is unique in County Durham and possibly the country. At Byers Green you can see the remains of the old station platform. ‘Byers’means‘ancient woods’. They grew around the village, giving it its name...... -
Owner
Durham County Council -
Source
Local (Co-Curate) -
License
What does this mean? Unknown license check permission to reuse
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Further information
Link: https://www.durham.gov.uk/media/4400/Railway-Path-Auckland-Way/pdf/RailwayPathAucklandWay.pdf
Resource type: Text/Website
Added by: Simon Cotterill
Last modified: 9 hours, 37 minutes ago
Viewed: 11 times
Picture Taken: Unknown -
Co-Curate tags
