The repair of the world’s first iron bridge (Iron Bridge, Shropshire) is to be the largest conservation project to date for the newly constituted property owning charity English Heritage.
English Heritage writes:
The world’s first iron bridge will be repaired as part of a major £1.25m conservation project, English Heritage have announced, in what will be the new charity’s single largest conservation project to date.
Erected in 1779 over the River Severn in Shropshire, the cradle of the Industrial Revolution, the Iron Bridge was the first single span arch bridge in the world to be made of cast iron and was a turning point in British engineering as cast iron became widely used in the construction of bridges and buildings.
However Britain’s best-known industrial monument is suffering from cracking due to stresses in the ironwork dating from the original construction, ground movement over the centuries, and an earthquake at the end of the 19th century.
English Heritage’s major conservation programme will see the different elements of the bridge – the iron radials and braces holding the bridge together, the deck plates and wedges, the main iron arch, and the stone abutments on either side of the Severn – examined and repaired. The cast iron pieces will be carefully cleaned and conserved, re-installed or replaced where absolutely necessary. As part of the project, the bridge will be re-painted.
English Heritage’s Chief Executive, Kate Mavor, said: ‘Iron Bridge is one of the wonders of the modern world. An iconic symbol of the Industrial Revolution, it is arguably the most important bridge ever built and without doubt, one of the most important sites in our care. This conservation project will ensure that both its revolutionary structure and the story those cast iron arches and beams tell, will continue to inspire us for generations to come.’
English Heritage became an independent charity in April 2015 and is embarking on the largest conservation programme in the history of the collection of sites and monuments in its care. The conservation programme will promote traditional heritage and conservation skills and English Heritage aims to establish a new in-house team of expert craftspeople.
The conservation of Iron Bridge follows three years of surveys and investigations that conclude this week with engineering experts surveying the bridge, sometimes abseiling from the bridge. Work on Iron Bridge is expected to start in January 2017.
The bridge gave its name to the spectacular wooded gorge that was once an industrial powerhouse. Ironbridge Gorge is now a World Heritage Site and the bridge is free to visit.
View the press release
