The Coalport Bridge, over the River Severn, in Shropshire, England. The bridge dates from 1818, the original built in 1780.
Architect & Bridgebuilder, William Hayward designed the first crossing over the Severn at Coalport based on two timber framed arches built on stone abutments and a pier. It was originally built by Robert Palmer, a local timber yard owner based in Madeley Wood, and opened in 1780, the bridge known as Wood Bridge, connected the Parish of Broseley on the south bank of the river, with the Sheep Wash, in the Parish of Madeley and Sutton Maddock on the north bank. Its opening was somewhat played down as the now famous "Iron Bridge" further upstream was already being prepared as an icon by Abraham Derby, but the wooden bridge was short-lived and lasted less than 5 years when in 1795, severe winter flooding virtually washed away the mid-stream supporting pier. After the destruction of 1795, the bridge remained closed until the Trustees, of what was to become known as Coalport Bridge, had it rebuilt in 1799 as a hybrid of wood, brick and cast-iron parts, cast by John Onions. The two original spans were removed and replaced by a single span of three cast iron ribs, which sprang from the original outer sandstone pier bases. The bridge deck was further supported by two square brick piers, the northern one constructed directly on top of the stone pier base and the southern one set back slightly towards the river bank. The remainder of the superstructure was built of wood and may have reused some of the original beams. However by 1817, this bridge was failing again, due to the insufficient number of cast iron ribs proving inadequate for the volume of traffic. So,the bridge proprietors decided to rebuild Coalport Bridge once again, this time in iron. 1818–2005 – The date of 1818 displayed on its midspan panel refers to this substantial work which allowed the bridge to stand without major repairs, for the next 187 years. Some further strengthening work was carried out on the bridge in 2004-5. It still takes vehicular traffic, unlike the more famous Iron Bridge.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Coalport, Shropshire, England.
Photo credit: © Rob Carter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: arch, bridge, coalport, eddy., england., industrial, iron, preens, revolution, river, sever, shropshire, span, wood
