Restoration of Grade II listed viaduct complete

The viaduct sits above Scandal Beck in the Westmorland Dales

Work to restore a Grade II listed Victorian viaduct has been completed.

Smardale Gill in the Westmorland Dales near Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, has had 130 stones repaired or replaced and the equivalent of half a football pitch worth of stonework repointed.

The structure, which sits 90ft (17m) above Scandal Beck, needed urgent repairs in 2023 to stop water infiltration.

Northern Viaducts Trust, which looks after Smardale Gill, said the work meant the viaduct would be preserved for future generations.

The viaduct has 14 arches and is part of an old railway that once ran from Tebay to Darlington.

It is surrounded by Smardale Nature Reserve, which has more than 400 species of plants, and is open to walkers.

A spokesman for Northern Viaducts Trust said: "The viaduct has under-gone regular maintenance over the years but this extensive restoration programme aims to properly preserve the viaduct for future generations as an important part of Cumbria's industrial history and the UK's railway heritage."

The work was funded with grants from the Benny Walker Charitable Trust and the Railway Heritage Trust.