Construction is underway for a new visitor centre to serve Bennerley Viaduct, with completion set for Autumn 2025, funded by the Kimberley Means Business Fund.
Situated on the Eastern side of the ‘Iron Giant’, the new visitor hub will include a café, outdoor seating and bicycle parking.
The visitor centre will also contain an educational space providing a more in depth understanding of the landmark for visitors and any tours or school trips. This will also double up as an exhibition space, which will host a variety creative works from the local community.
Many environmentally friendly features have been incorporated into the design of the building, including light tubes which channel sunlight inside, reducing the use of electricity for lighting. The visitor centre will also include energy efficient LED lighting and insulation, as well as solar panels.
Peter Collins, operation director at the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct, said: “The new visitor centre and café will be an amazing additional attraction to our area. It will be the focus of our activities as we look, with our partners, to bring to life the heritage and the environment of the Bennerley Viaduct, sustainably.”
Leader of Broxtowe Borough Council and portfolio holder for economic development and asset management, councillor Milan Radulovic MBE, said: “The new visitor centre will be a welcome addition to the iconic Bennerley Viaduct. Not only will it attract more visitors to Bennerley and surrounding areas, but it will also provide an opportunity for more to learn about its history and the part it played in our local mining heritage.”
Completed in 1878 and standing 60m above the Erewash valley, Bennerley Viaduct is a marvel of Victorian British engineering, previously connecting Nottingham to Derby via rail.
