Geograph - photograph every grid square

This side of the viaduct is by far the more photogenic, the northern side has been attacked by graffiti vandals. The rosebay willowherb adds a splash of colour on a grey day.
The nine arch viaduct has the distinction of being the World's first major railway viaduct, It was built between 1828 and 1830 by George Stephenson to cross the Sankey Canal with arches some 70 feet high, this height being the clearance required for the masts of the local canal boats known as Mersey Flats. As the canal had the distincion of being the first purpose built canal of the Industrial Revolution, the area is of a unique significance in our industrial history.