Albert Edward Bridge

Last updated

Albert Edward Bridge
Albert Edward Bridge.JPG
Coordinates 52°37′51″N2°30′11″W / 52.6309°N 2.5030°W / 52.6309; -2.5030
Carries Wenlock, Craven Arms and Lightmoor Extension Railway
Crosses River Severn
Locale Coalbrookdale
Named for Edward VII
Heritage statusGrade II listed building
Characteristics
Design arch bridge
Material Cast iron
Longest span200 feet (61 m)
No. of spans1
Rail characteristics
No. of tracks 2
Track gauge 4 ft 8.5 in (1,435 mm)
History
Designer John Fowler
Opened1 November 1864
Statistics
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameAlbert Edward Bridge [1]
Designated24 February 1986;38 years ago (1986-02-24) [1]
Reference no.1055277 [1]
Location
Albert Edward Bridge

The Albert Edward Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, England.

Contents

History

Opened on 1 November 1864 and named after the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), its design is almost identical to Victoria Bridge which carries the Severn Valley Railway over the Severn between Upper Arley and Bewdley in Worcestershire. Designed by John Fowler, its 200 feet (61 m) span cast iron arch has four ribs, each of nine parts bolted together. The patterns for the radiused beam castings for the bridge were prepared by Thomas Parker at the Coalbrookdale Iron Company. Originally it was built to carry the Wenlock, Craven Arms and Lightmoor Extension Railway of the Wellington and Severn Junction Railway across the river. Until the closure of Ironbridge power station it carried coal traffic as part of the line between Lightmoor Junction and Ironbridge Power Station.

The bridge's timber and wrought iron deck was replaced by a structural steel deck in 1933. It may be one of the last large cast iron railway bridges to have been built. [2] Due to its age and the condition of the ironwork, traffic over the bridge is restricted to a 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) speed limit to minimise stress. Although it carries two tracks only the one on the downstream side is still in use.

The bridge is a Grade II Listed Building, one half by Shropshire Council, the other by Telford and Wrekin District Council as the boundary is mid-span. [3]

Telford Steam Railway have aspirations to run trains over the bridge using the presently unused track as part of their southern extension to Buildwas.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironbridge</span> Village in Shropshire, England

Ironbridge is a riverside village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. Located on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, it lies in the civil parish of The Gorge. Ironbridge developed beside, and takes its name from, The Iron Bridge, a 100-foot (30 m) cast iron bridge that was built in 1779.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ironbridge Gorge</span> Deep river valley in Shropshire, England

The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge, containing the River Severn in Shropshire, England. It was first formed by a glacial overflow from the long drained away Lake Lapworth, at the end of the last ice age. The deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay, which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalbrookdale</span> Town and civil parish in Shropshire, England

Coalbrookdale is a town in the Ironbridge Gorge and the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England, containing a settlement of great significance in the history of iron ore smelting. It lies within the civil parish called the Gorge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail transport in Shropshire</span> Overview of rail transport in Shropshire, England

The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford Steam Railway</span> Heritage railway in Shropshire, England

The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalport</span> Village in Shropshire, England

Coalport is a village in Shropshire, England. It is located on the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge, a mile downstream of Ironbridge. It lies predominantly on the north bank of the river; on the other side is Jackfield. It forms part of the civil parish of the Gorge and is the south-eastern corner of the borough of Telford and Wrekin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Iron Bridge</span> Bridge across the River Severn in Shropshire, England

The Iron Bridge is a cast iron arch bridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire, England. Opened in 1781, it was the first major bridge in the world to be made of cast iron. Its success inspired the widespread use of cast iron as a structural material, and today the bridge is celebrated as a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coalbrookdale railway station</span> Disused railway station in Shropshire, England

Coalbrookdale railway station is a disused station that served the town of Coalbrookdale in Shropshire, England. The station was situated on the now mothballed freight-only line between Buildwas Junction and Lightmoor Junction. The station buildings are now used by the Green Wood Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildwas railway station</span> Former railway station in Shropshire, England

Buildwas railway station was an isolated junction railway station on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway and Severn Valley Railway. Opened on 1 February 1862. Although the station served both the Severn Valley Railway and Wellington to Craven Arms Railway, it was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access except by rail.

The Wellington to Craven Arms Railway was formed by a group of railway companies that eventually joined the Great Western Railway family, and connected Wellington, Shropshire and Shifnal, with Coalbrookdale, Buildwas, Much Wenlock and a junction near Craven Arms. Its objectives were dominated by the iron, colliery and limestone industries around Coalbrookdale.

The Wenlock, Craven Arms and Lightmoor Extension Railway was a railway in Shropshire, England. It was built as two portions either end of the Much Wenlock and Severn Junction Railway between 1864 and 1867 and formed part of the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway. For much of its working life it was worked by the Great Western Railway and subsequently the Western Region of British Railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Bridge, Worcestershire</span> Bridge crossing the River Severn in Worcestershire, England

The Victoria Bridge crosses the River Severn between Arley and Bewdley in Worcestershire, England. At the time of its construction, the 200-foot railway bridge was the longest single span cast iron bridge in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythe Bridge</span> Bridge in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire

Mythe Bridge carries the A438 road across the River Severn at Tewkesbury. It is a cast-iron arch bridge spanning 170 feet (52 m) and 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, designed by Thomas Telford and completed in April 1826. It is a Grade II* listed structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shropshire Canal</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Shropshire Canal was a tub boat canal built to supply coal, ore and limestone to the industrial region of east Shropshire, England, that adjoined the River Severn at Coalbrookdale. It ran from a junction with the Donnington Wood Canal ascending the 316 yard long Wrockwardine Wood inclined plane to its summit level, it made a junction with the older Ketley Canal and at Southall Bank the Coalbrookdale (Horsehay) branch went to Brierly Hill above Coalbrookdale; the main line descended via the 600 yard long Windmill Incline and the 350 yard long Hay Inclined Plane to Coalport on the River Severn. The short section of the Shropshire Canal from the base of the Hay Inclined Plane to its junction with the River Severn is sometimes referred to as the Coalport Canal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the Gorge, Ironbridge</span>

The Museum of the Gorge, originally the Severn Warehouse, is one of the ten museums of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. It portrays the history of the Ironbridge Gorge and the surrounding area of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsehay and Dawley railway station</span> Heritage railway station on the Telford Steam Railway in Shropshire, England

Horsehay and Dawley railway station is a heritage railway station in the town of Dawley and village of Horsehay in the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England. The station was opened in 1859, closed in 1962, then reopened in 1976 as part of the Telford Steam Railway. Originally, the station was on the former Wellington and Severn Junction railway. It consisted of one platform with a signal box at the end of the platform controlling access to the goods yard. It is now the working base of the Telford Steam Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lightmoor Platform railway station</span> Disused railway station in Shropshire, England

Lightmoor Platform railway station was a station to the east of Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, England. The station was opened in 1907 and closed in 1962. The station was situated on the Madeley Junction to Buildwas Line to the west of Lightmoor Junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belvidere Bridge</span> Historic bridge in Shrewsbury

Belvidere Bridge is a cast iron arch railway bridge in Shrewsbury, western England, built for the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway in 1849. It carries the modern Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury railway line over the River Severn and is a grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawley Village railway station</span> Heritage railway station on the Telford Steam Railway in Shropshire, England

Lawley Village is a heritage railway station on the Telford Steam Railway in the village of Lawley and near the town of Telford in the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England. It has no station buildings and is a single platform with a passenger shelter. Work began on the station in 2005 and it was officially opened a decade later in 2015. The station is not far from the site of the former Lawley Bank station, which was only a short distance due north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Village railway station</span> Heritage railway station on the Telford Steam Railway in Shropshire, England

Spring Village is a heritage railway station on the Telford Steam Railway in the village of Horsehay and the town of Dawley in the Telford and Wrekin borough of Shropshire, England. It has multiple rolling stock sidings for the Telford Steam Railway, station buildings with a single platform with a passenger shelter and a crossing into an Engine shed on Pool Side. Work began on the station in 1976 and it was officially opened a decade later in 1984 when it was open to the public. The station is adjacent to Horsehay and Dawley station

References

  1. 1 2 3 Historic England. "Albert Edward Bridge (1055277)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. Cragg, p.240
  3. Historic England. "Albert Edward Bridge (1055277)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 10 May 2019.

Bibliography