Shoreham Tollbridge | |
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Coordinates | 50°50′26.2″N0°17′18.2″W / 50.840611°N 0.288389°W Coordinates: 50°50′26.2″N0°17′18.2″W / 50.840611°N 0.288389°W |
Crosses | River Adur |
Locale | Shoreham and Lancing, West Sussex |
History | |
Opened | 1782 |
Closed | 1970 |
Location | |
Shoreham Tollbridge is a bridge crossing the River Adur in West Sussex, England. It is the last of its kind in Sussex and one of the last of its kind anywhere in the world.[ clarification needed ]
The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw the construction of a great many structures in England. Canals, harbour schemes, railways, roads and bridges were all built. What is now known as the Old Shoreham Tollbridge was built during this period over the River Adur between Shoreham and Lancing. Before the building of the bridge in 1781–2, the Adur presented the one major obstacle to east-west communication along the coastal plain of Southern England. The choices open to the traveller wishing to cross the Adur were to travel miles out of the way and use the bridge at Bramber, to ford the river on horseback or to use the ferry that was operating at that time on the site of what is now the bridge. Whilst little is known about the operation of the ferry it must have been a daunting prospect as it was later described as 'dangerous and frequently impassable' in the Act of Parliament authorising the construction of the bridge.
The construction of Old Shoreham Tollbridge was authorised by Act of Parliament; 21 Geo. 3. c. 35, in 1781. The act established a body of trustees to construct 'a proper and substantial Bridge, for the Passage of Carriages... over the said River, at or near the said Ferry'. The new wooden bridge was ten months in the making and first opened to public traffic in March 1782.
From the beginning, the bridge was to be financially self-supporting. Money was to be raised in two ways. Firstly by the issue of fifty share units held on a life annuity basis, by which £5,000 was raised by thirty-six subscribers. Secondly by the imposition of a toll on all foot passengers and animal and vehicular traffic using the bridge. The early tolls were:
For every Coach, Chariot, Chaise, Hearse, or other such like Carriage, with four Wheels, One Shilling; and for every Horse or other Beast drawing the same, Sixpence:
For every Chaise, Chair, or other such like Carriage, with Two Wheels, Sixpence; and for every Horse or other Beast drawing the same, Sixpence:
For every Wagon or Wain, One Shilling; and for every Horse or other Beast drawing the same, Threepence:
For every Cart, Ninepence; and for every Horse or other Beast drawing the same Threepence:
For every Horse, Mare, Gelding, Mule or Ass, laden or unladen, and not drawing, Threepence:
For every score of Oxen, Cows, or Neat Cattle, One Shilling and Eightpence:and so in Proportion for any less Number:
For every Score of Calves, Hogs, Sheep or Lambs, Tenpence; and so in Proportion for any less Number:
And for every Foot Passenger, One Halfpenny
The bridge remained in private trusteeship for the first eighty years. The bridge was then taken over by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company on the opening of the Steyning Line from Shoreham to Horsham in 1861. The bridge was completely rebuilt by the company during the First World War retaining the original eighteenth century design. The bridge carried the coastal trunk road - the A27 road - until 1970 when its successor was built a quarter mile to the north. The Railway Magazine in the January-February 1946 issue said "It may be remarked here that the Shoreham-Horsham branch crosses the highway on the level at the Old Shoreham end of the wooden bridge, where a block signal box is provided. The signalmen, in addition to attending to the level-crossing gates, collect the tolls from vehicles crossing this old wooden bridge." The British Railways Board finally closed the bridge to road traffic on 7 December 1970. At the time the bridge closed it was the last public road bridge in Sussex to be controlled by a toll. The bridge transferred to the ownership of West Sussex County Council where it remains. The bridge has since been classified as a Grade II* listed building and is preserved as a building of historic interest.
During 2008 the bridge underwent a major refurbishment with the aim of extending its life for a further 30 years. The bridge has now been designated a bridleway [ citation needed ] and is a popular local landmark used by both leisure and commuter traffic on foot, bicycle and horseback. It is also a popular spot for local fisherman. The refurbishment completely replaced the pilehead crossbeams, deck support longitudinal beams and handrails with selective replacement and reinforcement of components of each of the 27 pile bents. The project was managed and partly funded by West Sussex County Council. The rest of the funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund, landfill tax credits and the Old Shoreham Tollbridge Community Trust.
The bridge was listed at Grade II* by English Heritage on 12 October 1954. [1] Such buildings are defined as being "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". [2] As of February 2001, it was one of six Grade II* listed buildings, and 119 listed buildings of all grades, in Adur district. [3]
Shoreham-by-Sea is a coastal town and port in West Sussex, England.
Lancing is a large coastal village and civil parish in the Adur district of West Sussex, England, on the western edge of the Adur Valley. It occupies part of the narrow central section of the Sussex coastal plain between smaller Sompting to the west, larger Shoreham-by-Sea to the east, and the parish of Coombes to the north. Excluding definitive suburbs it may have the largest undivided village cluster in Britain. However, its economy is commonly analysed as integral to the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. Its settled area beneath the South Downs National Park covers 3.65 square miles, the majority of its land.
The Adur is a river in Sussex, England; it gives its name to the Adur district of West Sussex. The river, which is 20 miles (32 km) long, was once navigable for large vessels up as far as Steyning, where there was a large Saxon port, but by the 11th century the lower river became silted up and the port moved down to the deeper waters at the mouth of the river in Shoreham-by-Sea.
Adur is a local government district of West Sussex, England. It is named after its main river and is historically part of the English county of Sussex. The council is based in Shoreham-by-Sea and the district has a population of 59,627 according to the 2001 census.
Kingston by Sea, also known as Kingston Buci, Kingston Bucii or simply Kingston, is a small area in the Adur district of West Sussex, England. Although it is now part of a continuous urban area, its origins lay in an ancient village and parish church between Southwick to the east, Shoreham-by-Sea to the west and the mouth of the River Adur to the south. St Julian's Church survives, and its parish perpetuates the ancient "Kingston Buci" name.
Twineham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It is located eight kilometres to the west of Burgess Hill. The civil parish covers an area of 784 hectares In the 2001 census 271 people lived in 100 households, of whom 139 were economically active. The 2011 Census population was 306.
Maidenhead Bridge is a Grade I listed bridge carrying the A4 road over the River Thames between Maidenhead, Berkshire and Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England. It crosses the Thames on the reach above Bray Lock, about half a mile below Boulter's Lock. The Thames Path crosses the river here.
The Steyning Line was a railway branch line that connected the West Sussex market town of Horsham with the port of Shoreham-by-Sea, with connections to Brighton. It was built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, and opened in 1861. It was 20 miles in length. It followed the course of the River Adur for much of its extent and was alternatively known as the Adur Valley Line.
St Mary de Haura Church is an Anglican church in the ancient "New Shoreham" area of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It was founded at the end of the 11th century as a large cruciform church which, due to its original scale, has been described as a collegiate church—a reflection of the port of Shoreham's importance at the time. The former east end of that building survives to form the present church, and much 12th-century work remains. It functions as Shoreham-by-Sea's "town church" for major religious and social events, as well as serving as the town-centre parish. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
St Nicolas Church is an Anglican church in Old Shoreham, an ancient inland settlement that is now part of the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It was founded on a riverside site by Anglo-Saxons at the start of the 10th century, possibly on the site of a 5th-century predecessor. Some Saxon-era structural elements remain despite 12th-century additions made when Shoreham became prosperous, further extension in the 14th century and a Victorian restoration. The cruciform structure, with its solid central tower, features some unusual Norman-era carving. English Heritage has listed it at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
Erringham chapel is a former place of worship in the deserted medieval village of Old Erringham, north of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Founded in the 11th century as a chapel of ease to St Nicolas' Church in the Saxon riverside village of Old Shoreham, it was in use for several centuries until depopulation caused Old Erringham to become unviable as a settlement. The chapel fell into ruin, and its remains have been incorporated into a barn on the farm which now occupies the site of the village. English Heritage has listed the remaining structure at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
The name St Peter's Church has been borne by two Roman Catholic churches in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, in the English county of West Sussex. The original church with that dedication was the town's first permanent Roman Catholic place of worship; founded in 1875, it was paid for by Augusta, Duchess of Norfolk, a member of the most important Dukedom in England. After its closure, a new St Peter's Church was built nearby. The old building, which still stands and is in residential use, has been listed by English Heritage at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
The district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex, has 119 buildings with listed status. The urbanised southern part of the district forms part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation, and most listed structures are in the three main centres of population: Southwick, Shoreham-by-Sea and Lancing. The towns have grown residentially and industrially in the 20th century, but all three have ancient origins as villages and manors on the banks of the River Adur and the English Channel coast. The rest of Adur district's territory is remote downland countryside with scattered farms and hamlets; some of their buildings also have listed status.
Wilford Toll Bridge, locally referred to as the 'Halfpenny Bridge', is a tram, pedestrian and cycle bridge in Nottingham, England. It crosses the River Trent between the Meadows and Wilford. It originally opened as a toll bridge for general traffic in 1870, but was closed when declared unsafe in 1974. Following demolition of the central span, a narrower footbridge and cycleway was opened in 1980. The bridge was once again widened to accommodate an extension of the Nottingham Express Transit network in 2015.
The Red Lion Inn is a 16th-century public house in the ancient Old Shoreham part of the town of Shoreham-by-Sea, in the Adur district of West Sussex, England. Established in the 16th century in part of a former monastery and cottage in the centre of Old Shoreham, opposite the village's former tollbridge, it was extended in the 19th century and became central to life in the old village. Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Rizpah is based on events at the inn in the 19th century which resulted in the capture and execution of some robbers. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
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