Wilford Suspension Bridge

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Wilford Suspension Bridge
Wilford Suspension Bridge from the Meadows side.jpg
Wilford Suspension Bridge
as viewed from the Meadows
Coordinates 52°56′00″N1°08′21″W / 52.9332°N 1.1393°W / 52.9332; -1.1393 Coordinates: 52°56′00″N1°08′21″W / 52.9332°N 1.1393°W / 52.9332; -1.1393
OS grid reference SK 57936 37665
Carries Pedestrians, water main and gas pipelines
Crosses River Trent [1] [2]
Locale City of Nottingham [1] [2]
Other name(s)Meadows Suspension Bridge [2]
Owneroriginally: Nottingham Corporation Water Department,
then: Severn Trent Water Authority,
now: Severn Trent Water [3]
Heritage status Grade II listed structure [1] [2]
Preceded by Wilford Toll Bridge
Followed by Trent Bridge
Characteristics
Design Suspension bridge [1]
MaterialStone-clad towers, twin dual steel suspension cables, ashlar and steel [1] [2]
Width12 feet (3.7 metres)
Traversable?Yes
Longest span225 feet (69 metres)
No. of spansOne
History
Architect Arthur Brown
Engineering design byElliott & Brown
Constructed by Nottingham Corporation Water Department
Construction cost£8,871 (equivalent to £940,000 in 2021), [4]
Opened 1906 [1] [2]
Rebuilt 20082010 [3]
Location
Wilford Suspension Bridge

Wilford Suspension Bridge, also known as Meadows Suspension Bridge, [2] was originally known as the Welbeck Suspension Bridge. It is a combined suspension footbridge [1] for pedestrians and cyclists, and aqueduct which crosses the River Trent, linking the town of West Bridgford to the Meadows, in the city of Nottingham, England. [1] It also carries a gas main.

Contents

The bridge is owned by Severn Trent Water. [3] It should not be confused with the separate Wilford Toll Bridge.

There is no public right of way along the bridge, and so it can be closed by Severn Trent Water whenever it is deemed expedient to do so.

It is a Grade II listed structure. [1] [2]

History

The bridge was designed by the engineer Arthur Brown, [5] of Elliott & Brown (Civil and Structural Engineering Consultancy). The plans were drawn up by Frank Beckett Lewis, the City Architect. It was constructed by the Nottingham Corporation Water Department at a cost of £8,871 (equivalent to £940,000 in 2021), [4] with the principal purpose of carrying water to Wilford Hill reservoir.

Responsibility for the bridge was transferred from the Nottingham Corporation Water Department to the Severn Trent Water Authority in April 1974, upon the reorganisation of the water industry in England and Wales, and subsequently to Severn Trent Water in 1989 prior to the privatisation of the water industry.

Following a restoration in 1983, [2] the bridge was closed to pedestrians in July 2008 for a major restoration, following reports of falling debris. [6] [3] It re-opened on 12 February 2010 after a £1.9m refurbishment. [3]

Technical details

Next footbridge crossing upstream River Trent Next footbridge crossing downstream
Wilford Toll Bridge
NET notext logo.svg
Wilford Suspension Bridge
Grid reference SK 57936 37665
Trent Bridge
A60

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic England. "Footbridge over River Trent (that part in Nottingham Civil Parish) (1270440)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Historic England. "Meadows Suspension Bridge (1237034)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Wilford suspension bridge set to reopen". ThisIsNottingham.co.uk. Northcliffe Media Limited. 11 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  5. Elain Harwood (2008). Nottingham: city guides. Pevsner architectural guides. London: Yale University Press. ISBN   978-0-300-12666-2.
  6. "More details emerge on future of Wilford Suspension Bridge". ThisIsNottingham.co.uk. Northcliffe Media Limited. 26 November 2008. Archived from the original on 17 September 2012.

Further reading