The Midland Bridge is a road bridge over the River Avon in Bath, Somerset, England, now carrying the B3118 road. It was originally built in 1870 by the Midland Railway Company to allow access to and from their goods station at Sydenham Field on the south bank of the river Avon, the opposite bank to the passenger Green Park terminus station and the city centre. [1]
The Midland Railway's Mangotsfield and Bath branch line opened to a temporary passenger terminus on the south side of the Avon on 4 July 1869; the railway bridge and the new permanent passenger station were built in the early months of 1870, and the road bridge followed by the middle of the year. [1] The two bridges and the station were designed by John Holloway Sanders and engineered by Messrs Allport Jnr and Wilson, and the original road bridge resembled the railway bridge – which still exists – but without a central pier in the middle of the river. [1] [2] The railway complex on the south side of the river became more important in 1874 with the opening of the Bath extension of the Somerset and Dorset Railway. [3] But the new bridge also provided an important road link between the centre of Bath and the late Victorian suburbs to the south and west such as Oldfield Park and Twerton.
The current Midland Bridge dates from 1905. [4] The original bridge was replaced under a deal done between the city corporation and the Bath Electric Tramways Company, in which the tramways company paid a total of £16,400 for various road improvements around Bath that would assist the expansion and electrification of its tram system. [5] [6] The new bridge was built by the Derby foundry company Handyside and Co., and was 36 feet wide, against the 20 feet of the original, which also allowed two pavements to be provided where there had been only one before. [7] The tram company's interest was in providing a new access route from Twerton and Oldfield Park to the city centre via the bridge, Kingsmead Square and Westgate Street; the bridge was built with a single line of tram tracks in place. [8] But although the city council gave permission and the mayor was very encouraging at the bridge's opening, the tram scheme did not materialise and the single track was eventually removed. [7]
The original bridge was re-used to provide a link between the old 'scavenger's yard' and the new 'Destructor' incinerator across the Avon further to the west of the city. This relocation and reconstruction was undertaken by the engineer John Cambridge. [5] [9] It was replaced by a new bridge in 2016, though not opened to vehicles until 2020. [10] [11]
The Midland Bridge now carries the B3118 road, which is one of the main inner city road crossings over the River Avon. [12] [13] A major refurbishment of the bridge was carried out in 2015. [14]
Bath is the largest city in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. In 2019, the population was 101,106. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, and was later added to the transnational World Heritage Site known as the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" in 2021.
The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. To distinguish it from a number of other rivers of the same name, it is often called the Bristol Avon. The name 'Avon' is a cognate of the Welsh word afon, meaning 'river'.
Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset.
The Avon Valley Railway (AVR) is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, not far from Bristol and is run by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows the Avon Valley south-east from Oldland Common, through Bitton and alongside the River Avon towards Kelston and Bath. The railway shares its route with the Sustrans cycleway and footpath, the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
The Somerset Coal Canal was a narrow canal in England, built around 1800. Its route began in basins at Paulton and Timsbury, ran to nearby Camerton, over two aqueducts at Dunkerton, through a tunnel at Combe Hay, then via Midford and Monkton Combe to Limpley Stoke where it joined the Kennet and Avon Canal. This link gave the Somerset coalfield access east toward London. The longest arm was 10.6 miles (17.1 km) long with 23 locks. From Midford an arm also ran via Writhlington to Radstock, with a tunnel at Wellow.
Bath Spa railway station is the principal station serving the city of Bath in South West England. It is on the Great Western Main Line, 106 miles 71 chains down the line from the zero point at London Paddington between Chippenham to the east and Oldfield Park to the west. Its three-letter station code is BTH.
Green Park railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England. For most of its life, it was known as Bath Queen Square.
Oldfield Park railway station is on the Great Western Main Line in South West England, serving the mainly residential areas of southern Bath, Somerset. It is 107 miles 72 chains (173.6 km) down the line from London Paddington and is situated between Bath Spa and Keynsham.
Twerton is a suburb of the city of Bath, Somerset, England, situated to the west of the city, and home to the city's football club, Bath City.
Twerton on Avon railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset.
Newbridge is a largely residential electoral ward on the western edge of Bath, England.
Hampton Row Halt railway station is a former railway station in Bath, Somerset, England.
The Mangotsfield and Bath branch line was a railway line opened by the Midland Railway Company in 1869 to connect Bath to its network at Mangotsfield, on its line between Bristol and Birmingham. It was usually referred to as "the Bath branch" of the Midland Railway.
The Bristol Omnibus Company was a dominant bus operator in Bristol, and was one of the oldest bus companies in the United Kingdom. It ran buses over a wide area of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and neighbouring counties.
First West of England is a bus operator providing services in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup.
The City of Bath Technical School in Bath, Somerset, England had various roles from the late 19th century until 1970. It obtained its official name when technical schools were formally introduced in Bath between the years 1892 and 1896, and at first was housed in a new extension of the Guildhall. The school was transformed in the early 20th century, when it was combined with several other institutions, and then evolved through various sites and roles until its closure at Brougham Hayes, Lower Oldfield Park in 1973 after being renamed in 1971 as Culverhay School.
The earliest known infrastructure for transport in Somerset is a series of wooden trackways laid across the Somerset Levels, an area of low-lying marshy ground. To the west of this district lies the Bristol Channel, while the other boundaries of the county of Somerset are along chains of hills that were once exploited for their mineral deposits. These natural features have all influenced the evolution of the transport network. Roads and railways either followed the hills, or needed causeways to cross the Levels. Harbours were developed, rivers improved, and linked to sources of traffic by canals. Railways were constructed throughout the area, influenced by the needs of the city of Bristol, which lies just to the north of Somerset, and to link the ports of the far south-west with the rest of England.
Westmoreland is an area and electoral ward in the south-west of Bath, England. Although still shown on some Ordnance Survey mapping, Westmoreland is rarely used by residents as the name of an area of Bath, and is primarily used for electoral purposes within the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, electing two councillors.
Lyncombe is a district and electoral ward in Bath, Somerset, and a former parish in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. In the mid-19th century the parish was formed when the parish of Widcombe and Lyncombe was split in two, but it was abolished in the late 1960s. The village of Lyncombe existed since at least the Saxon period prior to becoming part of the City of Bath.
Bath Tramways Company and its successors operated a 4 ft horse drawn tramway service in Bath between 1880 and 1902. From 1903 until its closure in 1939 an expanded route carried electric trams operated by Bath Electric Tramways Company.
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