A VICTORIAN footbridge originally installed at a railway station in the Midlands is set to get a new lease of life at Bolton Abbey.

The former Marple station footbridge, which dates back to 1875, has been bought by the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway where it will form part of the railway's ongoing platform rebuilding project.

The footbridge will mean the fruition of a long-held ambition by the railway to reinstate a crossing between the existing platform one and the soon to be reopened platforms two and three and has been supported thanks to a grant of £27,100 from the Association of Industrial Archaeology.

Rob Shaw, director of the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, said it was all part of a long held dream of restoring the railway to its Edwardian heyday.

He said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Marple footbridge to the railway. Its superb condition, Midland Railway heritage and generous dimensions make it perfect for our needs.

“Our members and supporters have been hopeful for many years of completing the vision of Bolton Abbey station in its Edwardian heyday.

"With the completion of platforms two and three approaching after much hard work, it was very opportune for this footbridge to become available to us. A footbridge was a key part of the Bolton Abbey scene. This will allow members of the public to enjoy the fruits of our labour in rebuilding platforms two and three.”

He added: “We are grateful to the AIA for their grant support, Kidderminster Railway Museum who are the most recent owners of the bridge, and the committed preservationists who saved the span initially. We look forward to resurrecting Marple footbridge for the benefit of the public.”

The footbridge once stood at Marple Station in Cheshire, a former joint station of the Midland and the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railways. Preserved in the late 2000s when it was removed from the Network Rail station. The bridge has been moved to a specialist contractor before it is put into place at Bolton Abbey.

To find out more about the project, and how it can be supported, go to: https://www.embsayboltonabbeyrailway.org.uk/platform2

The project has been supported by a restoration grant from the Association for Industrial Archaeology, the national society for industrial heritage, which has supported the study, preservation and presentation of industrial heritage in Britain since 1973.