The Ribbleshead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales is an example of Victorian engineering at its very best. At 1,320 feet long and 104 feet high, this spectacular viaduct spans the Ribble Valley and can be seen from miles around. Today it still carries the Settle-Carlisle Railway, and is one of Yorkshire's most distinctive landmarks. Two thousand railway workers lived in nearby shanty towns when the viaduct was built. Work started in 1870 and the viaduct was completed in 1874. Conditions for the workers or navvies were harsh with atrocious weather conditions - hundreds of men lost their lives during the construction. There are memorials along the line to commemorate the lives of the navvies who died at St Leonards' Church, Chapel-le-Dale and St Mary's Church Outhgill. One and half million bricks were used in the building of Ribbleshead and some of the limestone blocks weighed eight tons each. The sheer scale of the structure is still awe-inspiring: the legs of the viaduct are 45 feet apart and the foundations extend down 25 feet. | 
