‘Sky park’ beds in
MANCHESTER’S new skyline park has taken a major step forward with its first plants being bedded in.
The Castlefield Viaduct project is set to open next month.
Initially set to open on July 3, bosses this week confirmed that ‘unexpected delays’ meant the park would now open no later than the end of next month.
However, work is still continuing at pace on the 330m former railway viaduct.
Now, just over three months on from the M.E.N.’s first visit to the site, plants are being bedded in ahead of waves of visitors.
Tickets are free but limited in number due to weight restrictions on the Victorian structure, which was built by Heenan & Froude – the same firm that constructed the Blackpool Tower.
Despite the setbacks, National Trust officials are still excited about the grand unveiling in the summer.
Sophie Wardell, programme manager, said: “This is not about us taking it over, but it is about working with them to do something important for the residents – that’s to provide nature and green space on
Pam Smith their doorstep. “Where the National Trust works well is projects that bring both beauty, health, and nature together. This project does that really well. We’re really keen to get people up here.” Visitors will first be welcomed at the start of their 45-minute guided visit of the garden in an area which will shield their view of its iron trusses. From there, guests will be able to see the planting and information boards ‘in context’ of how the viaduct was originally, Sophie said.
The middle section of the garden will feature guest projects from local residents, who have curated a section of planting which reflects Castlefield in 2022.
There will also be sections from the Museum and Science and Industry, which is celebrating the first passenger railway station, built just a few hundred metres away.
They will all be housed in speciallymade planters that were craned in. The metallic boxes are the exact width of a railway track, are shaped in the same curve the Viaduct follows and also feature details on track points.
Visitors will be able to freely explore that portion of the garden, before coming back together at the end to the events space, where guides will ask them for feedback on how they would like to see the space used after the yearlong ‘pilot park’ ends.
Pam Smith, lead horticulturist on the project, said: “We are responding to the quality of the plants. All these plants, until a week ago, were in nurseries. They’re now in the middle of Manchester. We’re planting in extremely lightweight compost because of the weight limit. It’s adapted from roof garden compost.”
Visitors will be encouraged to arrive on public transport, Rebecca Alexander, who heads up the operational side of the project, said. The park will also be fully wheelchair accessible.
She added: “We have not got a car park. We don’t have spaces in the Manchester Central car park.
“It is a good [spot for] public transport. We have the Metrolink and mainline train station nearby. There’s Liverpool Road, too, which has bus routes as well.”