Twin Bridges
Although now a beautiful area to come and relax, Healey Dell has not always been that way. From very early on, coal was extensively mined in the area and then, in the late 18th Century, the Industrial Revolution began. Unluckily for the valley it was the perfect location for both woollen and cotton mills. Later, as steam superceded water power, factory chimneys and railway engines belched out smoke, changing the landscape forever.
During the latter years, the locomotive power used at the Dell consisted mainly of Austerity 2-8-0 freight engines and Ivatt Moguls, with very occasional Black Five passenger trains.
The construction of the Healey Dell branch line proved very difficult. In May 1868, Sturges Meek, the LYR's chief civil engineer, reported difficulties with a cutting near Broadley Station. The problem came from the thick clay and silt that covered the area, which kept sliding down the sides of the cutting.
There was an additional problem for Barners and Beckett, the contractors, who had difficulty with another embankment where a new bridge which, after construction, slid over the sloping greasy clay towards Heap Mill Reservoir.
This meant that they had to build another bridge and embankment 19m closer to the hillside. This is why today we have two bridges on the site; the one which actually carried the railway, and it's Siamese twin. This was a complete and utter failure.
Now the noise and dirt from the railways have gone, the area around the double bridge is a haven for wildlife. In May, Bluebells deck the banks, whilst Green and Greater Spotted Woodpeckers bring up their families in holes in the trees.
