A ‘park in the sky’ on a former viaduct in Manchester is due to open at the end of the month, the National Trust has announced.
Located along the Grade II-listed Castlefield Viaduct, the 330m temporary park is inspired by New York’s High Line public park and features 3,000 types of plants in gardens created by architects and community groups.
As part of the National Trust’s move into poorer urban areas, the 12-month pilot aims to explore Manchester’s history and introduce some greenery into a post-industrial landscape dominated by gray and brown steel and red brick. It will be open to visitors from July 30.
The £1.8m development has been made possible thanks to funds raised from the People’s Postcode Lottery and public donations. The charity fundraiser aims to make the venue a permanent fixture on Manchester’s skyline.
The shape of the pots imitates the curve of the viaduct. Photo: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
Speaking at a launch event on Friday, accompanied by the rumble of Manchester and a soundscape of buzzing trams, National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady described the project as “a collision of everything the National Trust stands for”, combining architectural beauty, gardens and history.
The viaduct was built in 1892 by the engineering company behind Blackpool Tower, Heenan and Froude. The shape of the planters mimics the curve of the viaduct and is the same width as the railway tracks that once transported goods to the Great Northern warehouse. Diagonal flower hedges mimic the diamond shape of the viaduct’s cross steel structure.
Sign up for First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
The viaduct was closed in the 1960s and the wildflowers that grow around it have since been a staple window view for passengers on trains and trams through Manchester city centre. A much-loved filming location for Coronation Street, the area under the viaduct also recently gained notoriety as the setting for the Garrison pub in the latest episode of Peaky Blinders.
Castlefield Viaduct Experience and Visitor Program Manager, Dympna Gould, discussed their hopes for the site, speculating about potential Happy Mondays events, catwalks and collaborations with film and games students.
The viaduct closed in the 1960s and was often used as a backdrop to Coronation Street. Photo: Mark Waugh/The Guardian
A number of community groups have partner plots on the site. Urban Wilderness works with Manchester-based charity 42nd Street, supporting young people who have experienced mental health issues. The Garden of Possibilities includes plants known to have a positive effect on mental health.
Castlefield Forum Garden symbolizes the topology of the area. The red caladiums reflect the red brick warehouses of Castlefield. The blue salvias represent the blue of the canal and the steel of the viaduct. The taller foxtail lilies are a nod to the recent influx of skyscrapers onto the Castlefield skyline.
Up to 100 people a day will be able to visit the viaduct and entry will be free, with a booking system to help manage numbers – a different model for visitors to other National Trust properties.
Castlefield, nearby Hume and other inner city areas are densely populated with a lack of green space. About 52,000 people live within 20 minutes of the site, according to Gould, and she hopes every one of them will visit the garden.
Add Comment