Warrington Transporter Bridge

The Warrington Transporter Bridge (or Bank Quay Transporter Bridge) is a structural steel transporter bridge across the River Mersey in Warrington, Cheshire, England.

Warrington Transporter Bridge
Coordinates53.3838°N 2.6075°W / 53.3838; -2.6075
CarriesVehicles
Pedestrians
CrossesRiver Mersey
LocaleWarrington
Other name(s)Bank Quay Transporter Bridge
OwnerWarrington Borough Council
Heritage statusGrade II*
Characteristics
DesignTransporter Bridge
MaterialSteel
Total length103 m (339 ft)
Width9 m (30 ft)
Height27 m (89 ft)
Longest span61 m (200 ft)
Clearance below23 m (76 ft)
History
DesignerWilliam Henry Hunter
Constructed bySir William Arrol & Co.
Construction start1913
Opened1916
Closed1964

Design

It was designed by William Henry Hunter and built by Sir William Arrol & Co.[1] The bridge has a span of 200 ft (61 m),[1] is 30 ft (9.1 m) wide, 76 ft (23 m) feet above high water level, with an overall length of 339 ft (103 m) feet and a total height of 89 ft (27 m).[1]

History

It was constructed in 1915[1] and fell into disuse in approximately 1964. The Bridge was constructed to connect the two parts of the large chemical and soap works of Joseph Crosfield and Sons. It was originally designed to carry rail vehicles up to 18 long tons (18 tonnes) in weight, and was converted for road vehicles in 1940.[1] In 1953 it was further modified to carry loads of up to 30 long tons (30 tonnes).[1]

It was the second of two transporter bridges across the Mersey at Warrington. The first was erected in 1905 slightly to the north of the existing bridge, and was described in The Engineer in 1908.[2] A third transporter bridge over the Mersey was the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge, built in 1905[3] and dismantled in 1961.

Regeneration
The bridge with signs of disrepair

The bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[4] and because of its poor condition it is on the Heritage at Risk Register.[5] The bridge is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.[6]

A local group called 'Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge' (FoWTB) was formed in April 2015 to act as the independent voice of the bridge. The group is liaising with other interest groups to safeguard the future of the bridge and its industrial heritage status.[7] FoWTB have been featured on the local BBC News programme North West Tonight[8] and have set up a website for the bridge[9] along with Facebook and Twitter pages. In 2016, the bridge was nominated for the Institution of Civil Engineers North West Heritage Award.[10]

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See also

References
  1. Rennison, p. 267
  2. "A New Transporter Bridge at Warrington" (PDF), The Engineer, p. 341, 3 April 1908, retrieved 1 December 2012
  3. Thompson, p. 30
  4. Historic England, "Transporter Bridge to part of Joseph Crosfield and Sons Ltd's works, Warrington (1139433)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 28 August 2012
  5. Bank Quay Transporter Bridge, Warrington, English Heritage, retrieved 28 August 2012
  6. Historic England, "Bank Quay Transporter Bridge, Warrington (1006768)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 28 August 2012
  7. "Warrington Transporter Bridge", Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge, retrieved 14 June 2015
  8. "Warrington Transporter Bridge on North West Tonight", YouTube, retrieved 18 June 2015
  9. "Warrington Transporter Bridge official website", Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge, retrieved 18 June 2015
  10. North West - civil engineering awards, Institution of Civil Engineers, retrieved 15 February 2016
Bibliography
  • Rennison, R.W., "Civil Engineering Heritage : Northern England", Thomas Telford Publishing, 2nd edn., 1996, ISBN 0-7277-2518-1
  • Thompson, Dave, "Bridging the Years", MailBook Publishing, 2000
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