Gunthorpe Bridge
Gunthorpe Bridge is a bridge over the River Trent at Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire.
Gunthorpe Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Photo of New Gunthorpe Bridge | |
| Coordinates | 52.9862°N 0.9874°W |
| Carries | A6097 |
| Crosses | River Trent |
| Characteristics | |
| Longest span | 38.1 metres (125 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | Old Bridge c1925. New Bridge c1927. |
| |
History
Until 1875, the only way to cross the river was by ferry, or ford.
The Gunthorpe Bridge Company was formed in the 1870s to build the bridge. A capital of £7,500 (equivalent to $720,000 in 2019),[1] was raised in £10 shares. The foundation stone was laid in 1873 and the bridge opened in 1875. It was built largely in iron.
The tolls were:
- horse and carriage 1/-,
- horse and wagon 6d,
- horse alone 3d,
- people and passengers 1d,
- motorcycles 3d,
- cars 1/-
- lorries 2/6,
It was only able to handle 6 tons of weight and with the advent of commercial vehicular traffic it was determined a modern structure was needed.[2] The Nottinghamshire County Council (Gunthorpe Bridge) Act 1925 empowered Nottinghamshire County Council to buy out the owners, demolish the bridge and replace it with the present one.
The current bridge is a three span, reinforced concrete arch bridge. It was built in 1927, 400 metres upstream from the old one, with new bypass roads for the Gunthorpe and East Bridgford villages.[3][4] The central arch spans 38.1 metres. The two side arches span 30.9 metres. Each of the three arches contains four ribs.[5]
See also
| Next road crossing upstream | River Trent | Next road crossing downstream |
| Lady Bay Bridge A6011 |
Gunthorpe Bridge A6097 Grid reference: SK680436 |
A617 Kelham Bridge |
| Next crossing upstream | River Trent | Next crossing downstream |
Rectory Junction Viaduct |
Gunthorpe Bridge A6097 Grid reference: SK680436 |
Averham Viaduct |
References
- UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- "Trent Valley Way: Nottingham to Gunthorpe - Midlands Walk". Hill Explorer.
Gunthorpe Toll Bridge information board
- "Towns and Villages Around Nottingham | Gunthorpe". www.visitoruk.com.
- "Geograph:: The old Gunthorpe Toll bridge (C) Alan Murray-Rust". www.geograph.org.uk.
- Sprayed concrete technology: Simon A. Austin, American Concrete Institute, Sprayed Concrete Association. 1996