The Iron Bridge

The Iron Bridge

The Iron Bridge

The Iron Bridge crosses the River Severn at the Ironbridge Gorge, by the village of Ironbridge, in Shropshire, England. It was the first bridge of its size to be made out of cast iron. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 5106 KB) Summary Full frame image of The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, England Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Ironbridge The Iron Bridge Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 5106 KB) Summary Full frame image of The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, England Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Ironbridge The Iron Bridge Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Download high resolution version (1120x840, 432 KB)The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, UK (The Singing Badger) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (1120x840, 432 KB)The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, UK (The Singing Badger) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 4421 KB) Summary Detailed image of The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, England. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (3008x2000, 4421 KB) Summary Detailed image of The Iron Bridge, Ironbridge, England. ... Severn redirects here. ... The Ironbridge Gorge looking east towards the Iron Bridge that gave the gorge its name Map sources for Ironbridge Gorge at grid reference SJ672033 The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the river Severn in Shropshire, England. ... The village, seen from the bridge Ironbridge is a settlement beside the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England. ... Shropshire (alternatively Salop or abbreviated Shrops) is an English county in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... This article is about the edifice (including an index to articles on specific bridge types). ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ...

Construction

In the early eighteenth century the only way to cross the Severn Gorge was by ferry. However, the industries that were growing in the area of Coalbrookdale and Broseley needed a more reliable crossing. (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The Ironbridge Gorge looking east towards the Iron Bridge that gave the gorge its name Map sources for Ironbridge Gorge at grid reference SJ672033 The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the river Severn in Shropshire, England. ... The Pride of Rotterdam, One of the P&O Ferriess Flagships operating the Hull-Rotterdam Route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... Coalbrookdale is a settlement in a side valley of the Ironbridge Gorge in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. ... The All Saints Church, Broseley Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 (2001 census). ...

In 1773, Thomas Pritchard wrote to a local ironmaster, John Wilkinson of Broseley to suggest building a bridge out of cast iron. By 1775, Pritchard had finalised the plans, and Abraham Darby III, an ironmaster working at Coalbrookdale in the gorge, was commissioned to cast and build the bridge. 1773 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. ... John Iron-Mad Wilkinson (1728 – 1808) was a British industrialist who suggested the use of iron for many roles where other materials had previously been used. ... The All Saints Church, Broseley Broseley is a small town in Shropshire, England with a population of 4,912 (2001 census). ... Cast iron usually refers to grey cast iron, but can mean any of a group of iron-based alloys containing more than 2% carbon (alloys with less carbon are carbon steel by definition). ... ... Abraham Darby III (1750 – 1791) was an English ironmaster and Quaker. ... Coalbrookdale is a settlement in a side valley of the Ironbridge Gorge in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Shares were issued to raise the £3,200 required, and Darby agreed to fund any overspend. Although it had been predicted that 300 tons of iron would be needed (costing £7 a ton), in the end 379 tons were used, costing Darby and his company nearly £3,000. There would be many other costs to bear (masonry abutments, assembly etc), so that the project was far more expensive than first envisaged. Darby bore most of the cost over-run, and was in debt for the rest of his short life. In finance a share is a unit of account for various financial instruments including stocks, mutual funds, limited partnerships, and REITs. ... The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ...

Being the first of its kind, the construction had no precedent. Very large parts were needed to create a structure to span 100 feet rising to 60 feet above the river. The largest parts were the half-ribs, each about 70 ft long and weighing 5.25 tons. The bridge comprises more than 800 castings of 12 basic types. The method chosen to create the structure was therefore based on carpentry. Each member of the frame was cast separately, and fastenings followed those used in woodworking, such as the mortise and tenon and blind dovetail joints. Bolts were used to fasten the half-ribs together at the crown of the arch. tools of a medieval carpenter, c. ... Diagram of a Mortise and Tenon Joint Simple and strong, the mortise and tenon joint (also called the mortice and tenon) has been used for millennia by woodworkers around the world to join two pieces of wood, most often at an angle close to 90°. Although there are many variations... Blind dovetails are traditionally used in drawers and cabinet construction because of the strength and locking this design offers. ...

The bridge was raised in the summer of 1779, and it was opened on New Year's Day 1781. In 2001, the BBC screened a documentary in which a half-sized model of the bridge was built to test recent research over the construction. Instead of large timber towers, a pair of uprights with a crosspiece was used to erect each of the ribs in sequence. The abutments were built afterwards. 1779 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is an overview article about the Crown chartered British Broadcasting Corporation formed in 1927. ...

Repairs

Just a few years after the construction of the bridge, cracks were appearing in the masonry abutments, caused by ground movement. Some of the cracks in the cast iron may date from this time, although others are probably casting cracks. They were pinned with wrought iron straps. By 1802, the southern stone abutment had to be demolished, and replaced with temporary wooden arches, before eventually being replaced by iron arches. Many of the cracks visible today in the bridge have been left untouched, however. The bridge was over-designed, and subsequent bridges such as those built by Thomas Telford used much less cast iron. For example, his cast iron arch bridge at Buildwas upstream from Ironbridge, used less than half the weight for a greater span (130 ft span , 170 tons of cast iron). However, it suffered similar problems of abutment movement and was replaced in 1902. The cast iron bridge at Coalport downstream, built in 1818, is even more impressive because of its lean, streamlined design, and still carries vehicular traffic. It was renovated in 2004. --69. ... Thomas Telford (August 9, 1757 - September 2, 1834) was born in Westerkirk, Scotland. ... Buildwas is a village and a ward in Shropshire, England. ...

In 1972 a program of major repairs took place of the foundations of the bridge. It involved creating a ferro-concrete counter arch under the river. The bridge has been renovated again in 1999-2002, with replacement of the cast iron road plates with steel plates, and a lightweight top surface. Further information on the manufacture of the cast iron parts has emerged. While the smaller parts were cast using wooden patterns, the large ribs were cast freely into excavated moulds in the casting sand. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Reinforced concrete at Sainte Jeanne dArc Church (Nice, France): architect Jacques Dror, 1926–1933 Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete in some countries, is concrete in which reinforcement bars (rebars) or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the material that would otherwise be brittle. ...

Ironbridge settlement

The Iron Bridge became an 18th century tourist attraction, and the settlement of Ironbridge grew up beside it. Although described by many as a town, it falls within the parish of The Gorge. The village, seen from the bridge Ironbridge is a settlement beside the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire, England. ... The Ironbridge Gorge looking east towards the Iron Bridge that gave the gorge its name Map sources for Ironbridge Gorge at grid reference SJ672033 The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the river Severn in Shropshire, England. ...

The present day

Vehicular traffic was stopped from crossing the bridge in 1934, but tolls for pedestrians were still collected until 1950, when ownership of the bridge was transferred to Shropshire County Council. 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Paying toll on passing a bridge. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ...

The bridge is a popular tourist attraction, and part of the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. UNESCO logo UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

The Iron Bridge

• Ironbridge Gorge Museums

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The Ironbridge Gorge Museums are based in the Ironbridge Gorge at Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale on the River Severn in Shropshire, England, widely considered as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. ...

References

• Neil Cossons and Barrie Trinder, "The Iron Bridge: Symbol of the Industrial Revolution", Phillimore & Co Ltd (2nd Edition, 2002)

• Roger Cragg (Editor), "Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales and West England" Inst of Civil Engineers, 2nd ed (1997)

External links

• Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust
• How the bridge was built
• Virtual tour, from the BBC (VRML plugin required)
• River Severn Bridges

VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language, usually pronounced vermal) is a standard file format for representing 3-dimensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind. ... A plugin (or plug-in) is a computer program that interacts with a main (or host) application (a web browser or an email program, for example) to provide a certain, usually very specific, function on-demand. ...