Stockport Viaduct

Built in 1840 by George Watson Buck, Stockport viaduct’s 27 arches span a third of a mile, reach to a height of 111 feet and use 11 million bricks. At the time of construction it was claimed to be the largest viaduct in the world.

Stockport Viaduct, with the Mersey flowing beneath

Graceful in its solidity and might, elegant in its uniformity of form and colour, if it spanned a rural valley it would set off a scene of picturesque beauty. As it is, positioned high above an industrial town, it has instead earned a place in paintings by the urban chroniclers LS Lowry and Alan Lowndes.

To one side, far below, lies the town’s bus station, the double-deckers dwarfed by the colossal arches. A little way to the other side, the distinctive glass pyramid of the Co-operative bank emits its sci-fi glow. Beneath runs the M60 and flows the River Mersey, a mere hint of the vast estuary it will become by the time it reaches Liverpool. Close by, sharing the same rust-red hue, is the chimney of Hat Works, a Victorian Mill-turned museum and another fine remembrance of Stockport’s industrial heritage.

But paradoxically, perhaps its remarkable stature is best appreciated when you can’t see it  – by hopping on a train at Stockport station, just on the southern side, and travelling atop the viaduct towards Manchester. Which is something you will always be able to do: a local story goes that when plans were announced a few years ago to cut the number of trains stopping here, a local councillor cited an Act of Parliament from the time of the viaduct’s construction stating that any service wanting to use it had to stop at Stockport. An extra reason for the town to be proud of its iconic landmark.

The buses turn below, while the ‘Stockport Pyramid’ is just visible through one of the arches

Wellcome Collection, London

A “destination for the incurably curious” is how the Wellcome Collection styles itself. And if you’re intrigued by the notion of Disraeli’s death mask, a lock of George III’s hair, some grotesque momento moris, a mummified Peruvian and a collection of amputation instruments all occupying cabinets mere metres apart, well then yes, you probably are incurably curious, and this is probably the destination for you.

The Wellcome Collection – a “destination for the incurably curious”

The artifacts just described belong to the collection assembled by Sir Henry Wellcome, the pharmaceutical entrepreneur whose wealth laid the foundations of the medical charity that now bears his name (and who sported a moustache to rival Elgar’s). But what in the multimedia age is an engagingly esoteric gathering of curios would, in the early 20th century, have been an exotic insight into medical understanding and practice across cultures and eras. There is much to intrigue and bemuse here, not to mention make one wince, but perhaps its greatest charm is to take it in its entirety as an insight into one man’s personality and preoccupations, something the Wellcome Collection shares with the original core of museums such as the Horniman or Pitt Rivers.

The Wellcome Collection is more than just selected objects from its founder’s vast collection though. The first floor of this imposing 1932 Portland stone building also contains the Lightbox – a dark room – displaying biomedical images, and another exhibition space exploring modern medical issues through scientific objects and medically-themed art. Downstairs plays host to temporary exhibitions (one about skin was being prepared at the time of my visit), a large airy cafe and shop, and sculptures by Anthony Gormley (look up) and Marc Quinn (look down).

Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London. Entrance is free.