European Adventure 2019 - Transporter Bridges - Day 2

Warrington Transporter Bridge

After leaving Newport and enjoying a ride up through central Wales we eventually reached the town of Warrington.  That was the easy part, because finding the bridge was another matter. Gradually decaying, this bridge is on private land and seemingly unapproachable.   

                                                                                                                                                                  

Found it.  There it is

We finally discovered that the best view of the Transporter Bridge,  also known as the Bank Quay Transporter Bridge, was to be found at the Warrington Animal Shelter in Slutchers Road.

This structural steel bridge was built across the River Mersey in Warrington, Cheshire and was designed by William Henry Hunter who had previously spent almost ten years with the Weaver Navigation Company and was involved with the Manchester Ship Canal from its inception. Appointed Chief Engineer to the Ship Canal Company on the retirement of Sir Edward Williams in 1894, he was later involved in the construction of the Panama Canal.

The contract to build the bridge went to William Arrol & Co, a  leading Scottish civil engineering and construction business founded by William Arrol and based in Glasgow. the company built some of the most famous bridges in the United Kingdom including the Forth Bridge and Tower Bridge in London. The Warrington bridge has a span of 200 ft (61 m),[1] is 30 ft (9.1 m) wide, 76 ft (23 m) feet above high water level, with an overall length of 339 ft (103 m) feet and a total height of 89 ft (27 m).

It was constructed in 1915 and opened in 1916.  The Bridge was built to connect the two parts of the large chemical and soap works of Joseph Crossfield and Sons. It was originally designed to carry rail vehicles up to 18 tonnes in weight and was converted for road vehicles in 1940. In 1953 it was further modified to carry loads of up to 30 tonnes.  It fell into disuse in approximately 1964. 

It was the second of two transporter bridges across the Mersey at Warrington. The first was erected in 1905 slightly to the north of the existing bridge and was described in The 'Engineer' in 1908. A third transporter bridge over the Mersey was the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter Bridge, built in 1905 and which was dismantled in 1961.

Early photograph of the Widnes-Runcorn Transporter bridge

The Warrington bridge is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building and because of its poor condition it is on the Heritage at Risk Register. The bridge is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

A local group called 'Friends of Warrington Transporter Bridge' (FoWTB) was formed in April 2015 to act as the independent voice of the bridge. The group is liaising with other interest groups to safeguard the future of the bridge and its industrial heritage status.