Footbridge At Garforth Station

1494/0/10009 26-MAR-10

GARFORTH Footbridge at Garforth station

II

Railway station footbridge at Garforth station, in cast and wrought iron, c.1900. The footbridge is in the standard design of the North Eastern Railway. It consists of an elliptical arch in four sections with roundels in the centre of each section. Decorative railings to the steps have crossed bars between iron balusters. The steps return to the east on each side of the bridge, and rise to the road above on the north side. An inner line of metal railings has been added to the steps, with horizontal bars between posts.

History: Garforth station was opened by the Leeds and Selby Railway in 1834; it was leased by the York and North Midland Railway in 1840 and bought outright in 1844. It thus became a part of the North Eastern Railway on its formation in 1854. It was engineered for four lines of track although only two were ever built at this point, as this footbridge demonstrates. It was added to the station in c.1900, the adjacent road bridge being used previously.

References: M.F.Barbey, Civil Engineering Heritage, Northern England, Thomas Telford, (1981), pps 102-3. C.Awdry, Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies, Patrick Stephens Limited, (1990), p 142. K.Hoole, Railway Stations of the North East, David and Charles, (1985)

Reasons for designation The footbridge at Garforth Railway Station is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Architecture: the footbridge is an attractive example of the standard North Eastern Railway design * Intactness: the footbridge is complete and intact, without alterations