The official opening date of Manchester‘s New York-inspired ‘sky park’ at Castlefield Viaduct has now finally been confirmed.
After the National Trust announced its ambitious vision to create an urban green space in the heart of the city centre by tackling the challenge of “greening” the Grade II-listed Castlefield Viaduct and celebrate the history of this well-known landmark, it has now been revealed that visitors will be able to enjoy the park from next weekend.
Construction company MC Construction, Twelve Architects, and four local partners have been working with gardening specialists and apprentices at the National Trust to create the new park – with thousands of plants, shrubs, and trees having been planted over the past five months.
Now, less than half a year after work began to transform the giant 330-metre steel viaduct into an elevated park, the finishing touches are being made.
The temporary urban park at Castlefield Viaduct will open to the public on Saturday 30 July.
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Artist impression images of what Castlefield Viaduct will look like once it opens to the public in summer 2022 / Credit: Twelve Architects & MC Construction (via National Trust)
The park will be or the next 12 months, with green spaces stretching across the elevation, and during this time, visitors will have the opportunity to explore part of the structure and find out more about the viaduct’s heritage, the city’s long relationship with plants and trees, and learn urban gardening tips.
You’ll also get to experience a variety of planting displays as you walk along the viaduct while enjoying the elevated setting above the historic cobbled streets, according to the National Trust, and see the park “develop, evolve, and respond” with the changing seasons.
The plans for Castlefield Viaduct are part of the National Trust’s work to “increase access” for everyone to nature, history and beauty in, around, and near urban areas.
The Castlefield Viaduct dates back to 1892 and was built by Heenan and Froude – the same engineers who worked on Blackpool Tower – but the site closed in the late 1960s, and before the National Trust took over and began to add over 3,000 plants, shrubs, trees, and more, it had sadly been left derelict.
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Castlefield Viaduct before work began to transform the derelict site / Credit: National TrustPlanting underway on Castlefield Viaduct / Credit: Annapurna Mellor (via National Trust)
The industrial heritage of Castlefield has been reflected through all elements of the design of the park.
The National Trust says the design of the planters at the new park gives “a subtle nod” to the industrial architecture of the viaduct, and mirrors the curve of the railway tracks that once transported goods across the structure to the Great Northern Warehouse.
A section of the viaduct has also been left untouched to “provide a sense of how nature has reclaimed the space” since the site closed.
Speaking ahead of the park officially opening to the public next Saturday, Andy Jasper – National Head of Gardens & Parklands at the National Trust – said: “Creating a garden on an industrial heritage structure such as this is new territory for us and we have created a test bed that represents how the park in the sky might be, if the people of Manchester want it.
“With more than 3,000 individual plants planted in completely peat free growing media over the past couple of months, we’ve been literally trialling new planting techniques as we go – working with limited growing depths and thinking about how these plants will deal with the more challenging conditions of being 17 metres in the air.
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“I cannot wait to see what people say, and I am intrigued to see how the plant life will take in its new surroundings.”
A green oasis from industrial foundations, new life is being breathed into Castlefield viaduct: https://t.co/Eu9xBfIBuO
Once carrying heavy traffic into the heart of Manchester, it’s now set to be transformed into an elevated park that celebrates the city’s heritage. pic.twitter.com/ftjYraNaa4
Duncan Laird – Head of Urban Places at the National Trust – added: “This has been an intensely busy few months as we prepared to open the doors of the pilot project, and we are incredibly excited to finally be able to open this space for people to visit for the first time in over 50 years.
“As the trees and plants start to bed in and grow it will slowly begin to match the vision for this space, and we will be keenly listening to visitor feedback that we will use to shape the ongoing evolution of the viaduct.
“We’re at the start of the journey – not the end.”
100 people a day will be able to visit the Castlefield Viaduct from Saturday 30 July.
Entry onto the structure will be free, but a booking system will be in place to help manage numbers, and as part of the experience, visitors will be able to join guided walks – with plans to host various community events, workshops, and consultations in the pipeline.
Featured Image – Howard Bristol (via National Trust)
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New Lancashire Cricket investors aiming to make Manchester Originals as big as United and City
Danny Jones
Lancashire County Cricket’s new investors and Manchester Originals’ majority owners have stated their desire to make the local Hundred team as big as Man United and City.
The Originals were courted by the RPSG (Rising Pune Supergiant) Group this month, with the Goenka family agreeing to buy up a 70% share of the club after LCCC sold part of their stake in the franchise.
Famously in charge of the Lucknow Super Giants over in the Indian Premier League and their Durban equivalents in South Africa, the possibility of not just a shiny new kit but the Originals being renamed the ‘Manchester Super Giants’ isn’t out of the question, though it would be much further down the line.
Although the conglomerate was initially interested in one of The Hundred’s Southern teams, London Spirit – and they were quizzed on this in a press conference on Friday, 14 February – Vice Chairman Shaswat Goenka’s answer was simple: “Lords is Lords but Manchester is Manchester.”
Expressing a huge amount of respect and admiration for the city’s competitive history, even dubbing it a “sporting powerhouse”, Goenka began by insisting that the opportunity presented is one to build a perfect marriage of culture and a love for cricket.
Going on to identify sport as “one of the single biggest things that unites people across the world, regardless of race, colour” and so forth, he believes that while this is categorically not football, this new chapter could rival its prominence here in the UK and especially Manchester.
From there, he went so far as to argue that the stopping power is there and that RPSG “want the Manchester franchise in the Hundred to become the third biggest sports team in Manchester and challenge those two sports teams [Man City and Man United] in Manchester.”
Quite the statement indeed – but one that was echoed by his two new key collaborators in Lancashire’s CEO, Dan Gidney, and Manchester Originals Chair, James Sheridan.
Gidney in particular was visibly energised by the prospect, reflecting on the moment he realised a great potential after seeing the fanaticism shown by the crowd during India vs Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Even with new leadership, Lancashire Cricket will remain 30% owners of the Manchester Originals. (Credit: The Manc Group/Matt Eachus)
Waxing lyrical about seeing “just how much supporters celebrate a single game of cricket”, he said the goal is to “inject some of that passion into Manchester and LCC“.
Doubling down on Goenka’s statement, he continued: “We’re a bit conservative in the UK, we need to embrace the power of this sport; the fandom is off the scale – [it could be] stronger than the Premier League, in my opinion.”
All three executive speakers were also keen to reiterate that is by no means a complete takeover but rather a “joint venture” aiming to achieve a “true partnership” which could pose even more exciting cross-pollination in the future.
The consensus seems to be that further collaboration with the Super Giants is pretty inevitable and not just in regards to the men’s game but that this merging of brands presents a huge opportunity for young players and the women’s team too, the idea of players spending more time over in India and even some games perhaps being held still sounding very plausible.
Manchester Originals’ Chair, James Sheridan, did caveat the discussion by noting that “contracting isn’t straightforward in franchise cricket” but that conversations have at least started to take place” and, like Goenka, they don’t see this as a gamble but what is bound to be a “formidable partnership.”
He also reiterated the belief that Manchester is “probably the UK’s No 1 sporting city, adding “There you go, I said it”, and that the vision is to build the best team, the biggest fan base and the best culture – with this particular region being the perfect staging ground to do so.
The Manchester Originals Chair and LCCC Chief Exec welcome the incoming co-owners. (Credit: Supplied)
Two players were present for the press conference as well, with Originals Women’s star Beth Mooney saying she had “admired The Hundred for afar” since it started and quickly knew she “100% wanted to be a part of it”, aiming to “help create a legacy with the Originals as the tournament.”
Men’s player Phil Salt welcomed the new ownership as the start of an “extremely exciting new era” that should help them “bring the best product to the UK”, reiterating that “being part of the right organisation is key.”
Although the investment is yet to be fully ratified by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) and Lancashire made no bones about the arrears they still have on the books, Gidney was keen to label a lot of as ‘good debt’ and an investment in facilities and infrastructure, something which RPSG will only further aid.
One of the biggest outlays even prior to the new co-owners is the ongoing Farrington project but since the wider county region may have struggled to cheer on a Manchester team, the Originals and Lancashire, more importantly, will no doubt benefit from its completion.
The new sister stadium will be based over in Preston, offering a second home for what is crucially a Lancashire club. (Credit: Supplied)
Featured Images — Matt Eachus (supplied via Lancashire County Cricket Club)
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Leigh Leopards make history with landmark albeit narrow win over Wigan Warriors
Danny Jones
Local rugby league side Leigh Leopards made multiple kinds of history with a landmark win over Greater Manchester rivals Wigan Warriors on Thursday night – their first in over four decades.
Head coach Adrian Lam called on his team to live up to the standards and energy they’ve been showing in and out of training of late, and although it turned out to be an even more hard-fought victory than anyone expected, they managed it.
It was a Super League season opener that no one could have predicted and despite not being a high-scoring game (far from it, in fact), the fans watching inside the ground and on TV couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic atmosphere and eventual outcome.
For starters, they even got to see legendary boxing announcer Michael Buffer get the 2025 Betfred Super League proceedings underway.
In case you haven’t seen the scoreline already, Leigh Leopards defeated Wigan Warriors for the first time since 1983 – a whole 13 years before the Super League era had even begun.
Prior to this fixture, the reigning champions were on a five-game winning streak too, but they ultimately found themselves down to just a dozen players while the Leopards still boasted 13 as the clock ticked on.
As no one could find a breakthrough in the normal halves, the two teams went on to play out an extremely tense golden point decider, with only a handful of matches having unfolded this way in 2024.
Step-up 33-year-old Warrington-born former Wolves player, Gareth O’Brien, whose single drop goal in the 82nd minute sealed the result.
Here’s the moment it happened and just look at the reaction around the Brick Community Stadium:
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Leigh fans, players and dugout alike were sent into absolute bedlam, with an ecstatic Lam embracing his coaching staff in the stands.
Winning just 1-0 might not sound that exciting but you have to take into account the wider context.
On the one hand, although it was the lowest-scoring game ever since the modern era started back in 1993, it was also Leigh’s first win over the old adversaries for more than a generation.
And the milestones didn’t stop there.
Thursday night’s ‘Battle for the Borough’ was also the biggest attendance for the first game of the season in Super League history, with 21,748 turning up for Round One – the most since Wigan‘s opener against Warrington Wolves in 2007 (21,693).
Safe to say it doesn’t need explaining how much it meant to them.
Speaking on the “football score” after the game, Lam argued the end spectacle will do wonders for the sport’s exposure, adding: “This is just the beginning. [We need to] keep our feet grounded and keep working hard.”
Even last season’s quadruple-winning Coach of the Year, Adam Peet, had to hold his up and just applauded the scenes, telling Sky Sports: “An amazing game, all the credit goes to Leigh […] both sets of players were incredible […] what they’ve built in the last couple of years, they deserve it.”
Is this the start of a new era for Leigh? There’s certainly plenty for Greater Manchester rugby fans to be excited about and the competition looks set to be stronger than ever.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd July 2022 
