The original box section Britannia Bridge, in a circa 1852 illustration

Postcard picture of the bridge from circa 1886 [1]

The post 1970 Britannia Bridge from the east along the Menai Strait, retains Stephenson's original piers

Section of the original wrought-iron tubular bridge standing in front of the modern bridge

Monumental lion, one of four guarding each corner of Britannia Bridge

Britannia Bridge (Pont Britannia) is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales, originally a tubular bridge of wrought iron rectangular box-section spans, and now a two-tier steel truss arch bridge. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2938 KB) Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait with train crossing Author: Andrew Dixon. ... Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 2938 KB) Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait with train crossing Author: Andrew Dixon. ... The Menai Strait (in Welsh Afon Menai, the River Menai) is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 14 miles (23 km) long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales. ... Download high resolution version (962x1114, 399 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (962x1114, 399 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (921x895, 290 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (921x895, 290 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) Distribution of Lions in Africa Synonyms Felis leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of four big cats in the genus Panthera. ... The Menai Strait (in Welsh Afon Menai, the River Menai) is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 14 miles (23 km) long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales. ... Anglesey (Welsh: , pronounced (IPA)), is a predominantly Welsh-speaking island and county at the northwestern extremity of Wales. ... This article is about the country. ... Section of the original wrought-iron tubular Britannia Bridge standing in front of the modern bridge A tubular bridge is a bridge built as a rigid box section within which the traffic is carried. ... A wrought iron railing in Troy, New York. ... A truss arch bridge combines elements of a truss and an arch. ...

The bridge design

The opening of the Menai Bridge in 1826, a mile (1.6 km) to the east of where Britannia Bridge was later built, provided the first fixed road link between Anglesey and the mainland. However, the increasing popularity of rail travel necessitated a second bridge to provide a direct rail link between London and the port of Holyhead, the Chester and Holyhead Railway. The Menai Suspension Bridge from a viewpoint on the A4080 near the Britannia Bridge. ... The oldest surviving photograph, Nicéphore Niépce, circa 1826 1826 (MDCCCXXVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Holyhead (Welsh: Caergybi, the fort of St. ... The Chester and Holyhead Railway was incorporated out of a proposal to link Holyhead, the traditional port for the Irish Mail with London by way of the existing Chester and Crewe Railway, and what is now the West Coast Main Line. ...

Other railway schemes had previously been proposed, including one in 1838 that would have crossed Telford's existing Menai Bridge. Railway pioneer George Stephenson was invited to comment on this proposal but stated his concern about re-using the suspension bridge. By 1840, a Treasury committee decided broadly in favour of Stephenson's own proposals, with final consent to the route including Britannia Bridge given in 1845, by which time Stephenson's son Robert was appointed as chief engineer. | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Thomas Telford (August 9, 1757 - September 2, 1834) was born in Westerkirk, Scotland. ... George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803–October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ...

Constrained by the fact that the strait must remain accessible to shipping, and that the bridge must be sufficiently stiff to support the heavy loading associated with trains, he constructed a bridge with two main spans of 460-ft (140-m) long rectangular iron tubes, each weighing 1,500 tons [2], supported by masonry piers, the centre one of which was built on the Britannia Rock. Two additional spans of 230-ft (70-m) length completed the bridge making a 1511-ft (461-m) long continuous girder. Up until then the longest wrought iron span had been 31 ft 6 in (9.6 m). The bridge was decorated by four large lions sculpted by John Thomas, two at either end.

Stephenson retained the services of two distinguished engineers as consultants. William Fairbairn was an old friend of his father. Eaton Hodgkinson was a leading theorist on strength of materials. Hodgkinson believed that it would be impractical to make the tubes stiff enough, and advised auxiliary suspension from chains. However, Fairbairn believed chains unnecessary declaring: Sir William Fairbairn Sir William Fairbairn (February 19, 1789 - August 18, 1874) was a Scottish engineer. ... Eaton A. Hodgkinson (February 26, 1789 - June 18, 1861) was an English engineer, a pioneer of the application of mathematics to problems of structural design. ... Strength of materials is materials science applied to the study of engineering materials and their mechanical behavior in general (such as stress, deformation, strain and stress-strain relations). ... Stiffness is the resistance of an elastic body to deflection or deformation by an applied force. ... Look up chain in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Provided that the parts are well-proportioned and the plates properly rivetted, you may strip off the chains and have it as a useful Monument of the enterprise and energy of the age in which it was constructed.

The consensus of received engineering opinion was with Hodgkinson, but Stephenson, rather nervously, backed Fairbairn's analysis. A 75-ft (25-m) span model was constructed and tested at Fairbairn's Millwall shipyard, and used as a basis for the final design. Although Stephenson had pressed for the tubes to be elliptical in section, Fairbairn's preferred rectangular section was adopted. Fairbairn was responsible both for the cellular construction of the top part of the tubes, and for developing the stiffening of the side panels. Millwall Docks Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ... For other uses, see Ellipse (disambiguation). ... In geometry, a rectangle is defined as a quadrilateral where all four of its angles are right angles. ...

Construction and use

Begun in 1846, the bridge was opened on 5 March 1850. For its time, it was a bridge of "magnitude and singular novelty", far surpassing in length contemporary cast beam or plate girder iron bridges. One aspect of its method of construction was also novel; the box sections were assembled on-shore, then floated out into position before being lifted into place. In spite of the heavier loadings placed on it in its later life, the bridge was "one of the most easily maintained and successful railway bridges" in the UK, and "as the first really large wrought iron bridge of the girder type it has unique significance in civil engineering history". Stephenson went on, in short order, to design the High Level Bridge in Newcastle Upon Tyne, which can be seen as a second and more elegant version of the Britannia Bridge; and the design of the bridge and the construction techniques employed also influenced Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the design and construction of the Royal Albert Bridge across the River Tamar at Saltash. 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (65th in leap years). ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) Year 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. ... The High Level Bridge, towering above the Swing Bridge across the River Tyne; photograph facing Newcastle The High Level Bridge is a notable road and railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... Brunel before the launching of the Great Eastern. ... {{, Brunel truss bridge, and lenticular truss The Royal Albert bridge in 1859 The Royal Albert bridge seen from Saltash railway station Royal Albert Bridge seen from the Tamar Bridge. ... The Tamar is a river in south western England, that forms most of the border between Devon (to the east) and Cornwall (to the west). ... Location within the British Isles Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town in Cornwall, UK. It has a population of about 16,000. ...

Fire and reconstruction

During the evening of 23 May 1970 the bridge was greatly damaged when boys playing in the bridge dropped a burning torch, starting a fire (see Britannia Bridge Official Fire Report, BBC News video). As a consequence the bridge was completely rebuilt, with the spans supported by archways. The deck has two levels: the lower still carries the rail line, and the upper supports a single-carriageway section of the A55 road. The new bridge was designed by Husband & Co., now part of Mott MacDonald. The Anglesey Coastal Path passes below the bridge. May 23 is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... The A55 at Warren Mountain The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway, is a major road in Britain. ... Mott MacDonald is a UK based multi-disciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy. ... Anglesey Coastal Path runs along the 125-mile (200 km) coastline of this North West Wales island, including Holy Island in the West. ...

The Bridge was also used as a sex spot by Piers and anella

See also

Stephenson's only other tubular iron bridge, the Conwy railway bridge between Llandudno Junction and Conwy, remains in use, and can be seen at close quarters from another of Telford's elegant suspension bridges crossing the River Conwy. The western end of Stephenson‘s bridge across the Conwy right next to the castle. ... Llandudno South Parade (on the north shore) viewed from the Great Orme, with the twin mounds of Deganwy Castle in the distance Llandudno Bay and the Little Orme viewed from the Great Orme Llandudno Pier viewed from the Happy Valley gardens A sunny corner in the Happy Valley gardens Llandudno... Conwy (formerly anglicised as Conway) is a town in Conwy county borough in North Wales, which faces Deganwy across the river Conwy. ... The River Conwy, or, in Welsh Afon Conwy , is a river in North Wales. ...

Bibliography

• Norrie, Charles Matthew (1956) Bridging the Years - a short history of British Civil Engineering, Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd
• Rolt, L.T.C. (1960) George and Robert Stephenson: The Railway Revolution, Penguin, Ch. 15, ISBN 0-14-007646-8
• Rapley, John (2003) The Britanna and other Tubular Bridges, Tempus, ISBN 0-7524-2753-9

External links

• Prosiect Menai The new site of Prosiect Menai, who aim to create a museum and education centre based on the story of the bridges over the Menai Strait.
• Anglesey History History of the bridges over the Menai Strait.

Coordinates: 53°12′58.5″N, 4°11′9″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...