Viaducts are great, the UK having quite a few to speak of and some even having such strong ties to popular culture they attract many visitors every year.
I want to talk about one in particular, which in spite of the fact it stands at 18 metres high is actually hidden away in North London, there’s a good chance you’d never find it if you didn’t know where to look.
In our visit to East Finchley we talked about the Northern Heights project and the plan to connect Finchley Central with Edgware. The line running over this viaduct would have formed part of that connection, but even though there’s the width for two tracks, today a single set of rails only makes it as far as Mill Hill East in what is now a branch line with a single station – albeit one which to this day remains part of the London Underground’s Northern Line, with direct services through central London. Yet such a magnificent structure seems massively over-engineered for the meagre service it gets today, being originally intended to serve a busy main line.
The viaduct towers over the valley, challenging even the adjacent trees to best its height. It’s hard to see from the surrounding area, as most of the locality is on higher ground. But ride a train over and the views are impressive.
Beneath the viaduct passes the 16 kilometre Dollis Valley Greenwalk, a 10 mile linear park following the valley of the Dollis brook connecting Hampstead Heath to Moat Mount near Arkley.
If you’re wondering how things look from the top, well that’s easy; Just grab a tube train and ride over:
You can visit for yourself and be impressed by the scale and seclusion of the thing, it’s around a 15 minute walk from Mill Hill East station. On leaving the station follow Bittacy Hill down to the roundabout, and then pick up Dollis Road, which will lead you right underneath the viaduct. Don’t forget to look up!
