Today, Daisyfield Viaduct is part of a greenway, affording spectacular views for walkers and cyclists. On one side lie the outskirts of post-industrial Bury, and on the other the River Irwell, making its way past open fields. The viaduct carried the Bury to Bolton railway line, created by an Act of Parliament in 1845. The five large spans took the railway over not only the Irwell, but also the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, and Wellington Street.
The line was opened in 1848 and operated by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. A short distance from the viaduct was Knowsley Street Station, the Bury terminus. From there, passengers could continue south to Manchester. In the other direction, the line headed for Liverpool, via Bolton, Wigan and Kirkby. The Bury to Bolton line necessitated the creation of three new stations at Black Lane, Bradley Fold and Darcy Lever.
Closure and Renewal
Transport priorities change, and decisions made in the past can be rued at length today. The Bolton to Bury line was seen to be making a loss, and despite protestations by the public and local MPs, the axe fell on the Bury to Bolton passenger line in the late 1960s. The railway continued to be used for freight until 5th October 1970. The tracks were then removed and the Daisyfield Viaduct was blocked off from public use.
Twenty-nine years later, it was reopened to cyclists and walkers as part of the Bury Bolton Greenway Project. The route initially ran a modest distance, terminating at a blocked bridge at Buckingham Drive, close to Elton Reservoir. Plans were drawn up to extend the cycleway all the way to Bolton, but there were problems: in the intervening years, housing, playing fields and warehouses had been built over parts of the railway line; also, permission for access from the many landowners that held parcels of land along the route had not always been forthcoming.
After the initial Bury project, Bolton Council were very keen to get as much of the route reopened as possible. In 2008, the Burnden Viaduct and the Darcy Lever Viaduct were taken over by Sustrans Nationals Cycle Network, on a long lease. Burnden Viaduct crosses over the A666 St Peter’s dual carriageway and Darcy Lever crosses over the River Tonge and Radcliffe Road. Both impressive feats of engineering in their own rights, it was felt necessary to put steel cages over them to protect traffic travelling below. In 2015, they were both reopened to cyclists and walkers.
Though slower off the mark, Bury Council drew up its plans to link up with the Bolton part of the cycleway. There were already some existing cycle paths, but they all needed to be linked up if a continuous route was to be achieved. To tackle ongoing landownership problems a bridleway creation order was put into place, giving a legal route over the land.
The Daisyfield Greenway followed the route of the old line as far as Buckingham Drive, where the original bridge remained blocked. To overcome this, an alternative path was opened that brought cyclists off just before the blockage, rerouting to the top of the bridge. The cycleway then went on to Spen Moor where the trail could run along the original trackway once again. Further along, another block occurred where large buildings had been constructed at Hardman Fold. Here the cycleway was able to be diverted via Hardman Street. New signals were installed which enabled the busy Ainsworth Road to be crossed more easily. The cycleway then headed out to Bradley Fold where it once again was able to run along the original railway line. The route finally reached the Bolton section at Darcy Lever, again following the path of the tracks. Beginning in 2018, the work was completed three years later.
A detailed, zoomable map of the whole route can be seen on the website here
The Trains Don’t Run Here Anymore…but Could Trams?
There had been campaigns to reopen the original Bury to Bolton line to trains in the past, even as recently as 2013. But with the establishment of the cycleway, and the considerable difficulties this comparatively modest infrastructure development had faced, this was never going to be a viable option. Trains were off the agenda, but trams have the advantage of being able to use both rails and modified main roads. In 2019, the Campaign for Better Transport published its recommendations, and the following year the government’s own Restoring Your Railways scheme was used to consider viable routes.
After the HS2 line to Manchester was scrapped, politicians stated that the money that was saved could be used for other northern infrastructure projects. Two routes were proposed: a Bolton to Bury route, and a Bolton to Radcliffe route. (Both these made sense as the original Bolton to Bury railway line had split at Ainsworth Road. The eastern part went on to Bury via Spen Moor, and the southern part headed down to Radcliffe).
At the time of writing, Bolton is not on the Metrolink tram service, and either of these routes would link it in. The most obvious route was to Radcliffe, as this was already on the Metrolink system. Local opinion differed, with some critics saying that bringing trams to Bolton would not be cost effective, and pointing out that Bolton already had a railway route to Manchester. Despite the initial flurry of enthusiasm, when the new UK government entered office in 2024 they claimed to have found a large funding shortfall for many projects. They decided that unfinalised, unfunded projects would not go ahead, and at this point the plans foundered.
What does look likely is a proposed tram station at Elton Reservoir. The original railway line (now the Daisyfield Greenway) ran to the north of the reservoir, but this new tram stop would be to the south on the Bury to Manchester Metrolink. With a huge new housing estate in development for the Elton area, this is a very real possibility.
Exploring the Daisyfield Viaduct and Surrounding Area Today
Visitors to the Daisyfield Viaduct today have two distinct areas to explore. The first is the Daisyfield Greenway, which takes the walker or cyclist out to the northern part of Elton Reservoir. From there, paths and bridleways radiate out into the area known as Elton Basin Country Park, and further on as far as Bolton if desired. The second area of interest is the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal towpath, which will take the walker out to the southern part of Elton Reservoir. Linking the viaduct to the canal towpath is an old concrete bridge over the River Irwell, which is barely a metre wide and so unsuitable for cyclists. Plans are afoot to replace it with a new one, some four metres wide.
Around the viaduct itself, the Bury map of 1891 shows that the footprints of industry and housing remain, little changed. Bury Plant Miliken Company is creating textiles on the site of Wellington Mills. The mill reservoir is being used by Bury District Angling Society. Railway terrace houses are still being lived in on Cherry Tree Lane.
The Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal was abandoned in 1961. Its route underneath the viaduct is now filled in, but where it was can still be discerned. It emerged where the Fire and Training Centre entrance can be seen today, and then passed in front of Athol Paints. Starting at the diminutive Hinds Road, the line of the towpath can be followed. Although the canal is no longer present at this point, the edging stones of its side are still clearly visible as the route is pursued. Following this path towards Elton Reservoir will reveal that the canal still exists, though with a huge amount of water-adapted plant growth within it, forming a fantastic wildlife habitat. The whole of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal system was fed by Elton Reservoir, still very much intact and home today to the Elton Sailing Club.
Site visited by A. and R. Bowden 2024
Access
Daisyfield Viaduct and Greenway are open access, as is the whole of the Bury to Bolton Cycleway.
To see the viaduct, park at Buxton Street (on-street parking). Turn right and head down Wellington Street which still passes under the viaduct. Turn left and go over the concrete footbridge. The way up to the viaduct is on the left. The route will take the walker up to the blocked bridge near Buckingham Drive. There is a path immediately to the left at this point, where the walker can then follow further paths around Elton Reservoir Basin and on towards Bolton if required, along the cycleway. (The cycle ramp leading off to avoid the blocked bridge is just before this point).
To visit the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal, pass under the viaduct at Wellington Street. Before reaching Athol Paints, bear to the left to the block paved area. This is Hinds Lane. Follow the narrow path between the trees – this is the old towpath. The edging of the canal will be seen along the path, and later the canal itself. This route leads to Elton Reservoir.
Nearby
References
General
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_and_Bury_Railway
burytimes.co.uk/news/17666844.looking-back-rail-line-closures-black-pudding-battles-arsonist-burglars/
maps.nls.uk
railmaponline.com
britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw042024
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Bolton_%26_Bury_Canal
Greenway/ Cycleway
madcyclelanesofmanchester.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-daisyfield-greenway.html
madcyclelanesofmanchester.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-cycle-route-and-footpath-to-be.html
nationalhighways.co.uk/our-work/historical-railways-estate/project-profiles/burnden-and-darcy-lever-viaducts/
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/11000980.new-cycle-route-and-footpath-to-be-created-between-bolton-and-bury/
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/11442452.Final_stage_of_new_Bolton_cycle_route_gets_green_light/
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/20208469.bolton-viaducts-transformed-walking-cycling-paths/
happycyclist.org/?p=1131
bury.gov.uk/planning-building-control/policy-and-projects/planning-projects/bury-bolton-railway-path
burytimes.co.uk/news/24024649.bury-railway-line-pathway-plan-progress/
burytimes.co.uk/news/18456141.bridleway-created-along-650-000-bury-bolton-railway-path-route/
plotaroute.com/route/662987
burytimes.co.uk/news/19457354.new-footbridge-plans-river-irwell-bury/
Trams
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/15693172.no-viable-option-to-restore-disused-bolton-to-bury-railway-line-despite-new-government-plan-to-bring-back-old-routes/
anonw.com/2020/08/10/beeching-reversal-reinstatement-of-bolton-radcliffe-bolton-bury/
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/18534855.plans-bolton-metrolink-route-radcliffe-see-new-bid-submitted/
bettertransport.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/legacy-files/research-files/case-for-expanding-rail-network.pdf
gov.uk/government/publications/restoring-your-railway-fund-successful-bids
theboltonnews.co.uk/news/24037675.bolton-metrolink-extension-poor-value-money/
burytimes.co.uk/news/24456137.metrolink-stop-proposed-elton-reservoir-part-housing-plans/
bury.gov.uk/asset-library/chapter-5-metrolink.pdf
burytimes.co.uk/news/23385990.plans-500m-investment-3-500-homes-elton-reservoir-site/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_developments_of_Manchester_Metrolink
Lancashire Past 
Comments are closed.