Larpool Viaduct, Railway viaduct in Scarborough, England
Larpool Viaduct is a red-brick railway viaduct spanning the River Esk near Whitby, in North Yorkshire, built with 13 arches that rise well above the valley floor. It is a Grade II listed building and one of the largest brick viaducts in England.
The viaduct was built in the 1880s to complete the railway line between Scarborough and Whitby. When that line closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts, the structure was converted into a footpath rather than demolished.
The viaduct now carries a footpath rather than trains, so walkers cross the valley on the old rail bed at a height that opens up long views in both directions. The crossing gives a sense of how the landscape was once divided by the river below.
The viaduct is easy to reach on foot from Whitby along well-marked riverside paths. Visiting in dry weather is advisable, as the paths leading to it can become slippery after rain.
Bram Stoker is believed to have seen the viaduct during his stays in Whitby, where he developed the story of Dracula. Some readers connect its dark brick outline against the sky to the brooding mood he captured in that novel.
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