Our vision for Castlefield viaduct

We are in the early stages of a project to bring this Grade II listed viaduct back into use, transforming it into a green oasis created by and for the benefit of local people. 

A brief history of Castlefield viaduct 

This 330m long viaduct sits in the oldest part of the city – Castlefield. It’s an area steeped in rich history. Castlefield is the site of Manchester’s Roman origins, the world’s first passenger railway, and was the terminus for the Bridgewater Canal, the world’s first industrial canal. 

Built in 1892 and constructed by Heenan and Froude, the engineers who worked on the iconic Blackpool Tower, the viaduct was used to carry heavy rail traffic in and out of Manchester Central railway station (now the Manchester Central Convention Complex). It stayed in use until 1969 when Central Station closed. 

As the city of Manchester has continued to grow, the viaduct has stood unused and unchanged with only the essential repairs and maintenance carried out. 

It’s now time for the viaduct to reclaim its place in this vibrant city, celebrating its part in Manchester’s past, present and future. 

Finding a future for the viaduct 

For several years, local people and organisations in the community have been passionate about finding a future for Castlefield viaduct. We’re excited to be working with them to try to make this a reality. 

As a charity committed to protecting nature, beauty and history, our work covers everywhere from remote islands and nature reserves to urban heritage and city parks. Our work in, around and near urban areas is about giving more people the opportunity to enjoy the health and wellbeing benefits of green, nature-rich parks and gardens.

The vision is to transform Castlefield viaduct into a free-to-access park and meeting place for people and nature. Imagine a hidden oasis sitting above this busy city. It will be a space that respects the listed structure, celebrates the nature, beauty and history of the viaduct, and fits in with existing plans for the city. As well as bringing people closer to nature in the city, it will be a stepping stone to other South Manchester green spaces and attractions on foot or bike. The viaduct will take its place in this vibrant area for cultural and heritage, sitting alongside iconic Manchester venues including the Science and Industry Museum and The Factory.

Next steps and getting involved

At the moment we are assessing the safety and condition of the viaduct. This will help us to understand what its future could look like. We have some initial ideas, but we need the local community and partners to share their thoughts so we get this right for Manchester. We want to open the viaduct next summer as a temporary park to test ideas and get some feedback. To do this we need to apply for planning permission.

We’re inviting people who live close to the viaduct to come along and find out more at our drop-in event on 22 July from 12-3pm at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester. If you would like to have a look around the museum as part of your visit, please check the Science and Industry Museum's website to see if you need to book a ticket.

You can take a look at our plans in detail here and see more images of what next year's temporary park on the viaduct could look like. There's also our masterplan showing what the viaduct plans could look like from above. You can view a large font version of the plans here or contact us at castlefieldviaduct@nationaltrust.org.uk or on 07813 393 602 for alternative formats. 

Working together to make it happen

We are working with a range of partners across the city and nationally. We have had support from Castlefield Forum and the Science and Industry Museum to begin to explore options. 

We want to create this project with other organisations, local businesses, members of the community and under-represented groups. Most importantly, we want to take this forward with you. We will shortly be asking for your views on what you’d like this hidden oasis to be, so please watch this space and get thinking. There’ll be plenty of opportunities to get involved and help shape our plans – this is just the beginning.  

To turn these ideas and plans into reality we'll also need support from fundraising, donations and corporate sponsors.