The second of the two Scottish bridges to be rewarded in the Structures Restoration Award at the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards was the Grade B listed ex-North British Railway viaduct at Westfield, near Bathgate.
Dating to 1855, the viaduct became redundant in 1964. Now in the ownership of the Historical Railways Estate at National Highways, the structure was the subject of an 18-month programme, which commenced in July 2021, that had two primary aims. These were, firstly, to protect the masonry from water ingress through the installation of a new waterproofing membrane and, secondly, to restore the viaduct’s fabric. The latter required the careful sourcing of replacement stone to replicate the original and the manufacture of replacement steel pattress plates. As the citation for the award noted: ‘This impressive restoration not only secures the future of a much admired local landmark in a largely unchanged rural setting but also unlocks the possibility of Westfield Viaduct becoming the key asset in creating a traffic free route for “active travel”.’
A ceremony, in the presence of Andy Savage, chairman of the NRHA, and Helen Rossiter, Head of Programme for the Historical Railways Estate, was held on the morning of Wednesday 5 June on the viaduct itself to mark the structure’s success in the 2023 competition.
Helene Rossiter, Head of Programme for the Historical Railways Estate at National Highways, and Andy Savage MBE, chairman of the NRHA, display the plaque on the trackbed of the restored ex-North British Railway viaduct at Westfield.
The Historical Railways Estate at National Highways has responsibility for the maintenance of over 3,000 now-redundant railway structures; the work undertaken on the viaduct at Westfield, which dated originally to 1855, was rewarded with one of two awards made to restored structures, sponsored by Translink, at the 2023 National Railway Heritage Awards.