Roger Henry sent along this information on the most recent restoration of the world’s oldest iron bridge near Coalbrookdale:
The Iron Bridge across the River Severn, completed in 1779. The first major bridge to be made of iron.
Photo by shirokazan via Wikimedia Commons.
Wikipedia says:
The Iron Bridge is a 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, and was greatly celebrated after construction owing to its use of the new material.
In 1934 it was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument and closed to vehicular traffic. Tolls for pedestrians were collected until 1950, when ownership of the bridge was transferred to Shropshire County Council. It now belongs to Telford and Wrekin Borough Council. The bridge, the adjacent settlement of Ironbridge and the Ironbridge Gorge form the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. The bridge is a Grade I listed building, and a waypoint on the South Telford Heritage Trail.
Anthony Blackwall, who was the Shropshire County Bridgemaster, recounts the 1979 celebrations in “Historic Bridges of Shropshire”, Shropshire Libraries, 1985:
The most recent restoration was completed late in 2018:
The bridge, the first of its kind, was closed for a year after surveyors found cracks and stresses in its historic cast ironwork.
English Heritage launched a £3.6 million programme of repairs in autumn of 2017.
Kate Mavor, the charity’s CEO, came to the gorge to get a first-hand look at the historic bridge restored, and spoke of her pride.
“This is the first English Heritage site I remember coming to when I was about 11, and now it looks much the same as it did then.
“This is the first time I’ve seen it refurbished and I think it sits very nicely in the gorge, and with the red paint it will especially look good in autumn colours.
“I’ve been following the repairs closely since they began, it is an extraordinary project.
“The gorge is a world heritage site, the bridge was the first of its kind and it’s been there since 1779.
“It has survived a number of pernicious influences including an earthquake.
“We’re very proud of what we’ve been able to do here because it’s been unlike any other project of ours.
“We’re very grateful to everyone that has supported the project.
“The amazing response we had to English Heritage’s first ever crowdfunding campaign was fantastic too.”
Kate said that the surveys carried out before the project started revealed that the bridge had originally been painted a deep red, unlike the recognisable black or grey layer of recent years.
