Barker Crossing
Encyclopedia
Barker Crossing was a pedestrian footbridge in Workington
, England
which was named after police officer Bill Barker, who died when the Northside Bridge in Workington collapsed below him. It crossed the River Derwent
, and linked the north and south sides of the town.
were either swept away, or severely damaged, leaving one sound railway bridge crossing the River Derwent
in the town. This left the residents with a 14-mile trip to get from one side of the Derwent to the other. On 30 November Workington North railway station
was opened allowing people to travel by train between the north and south sides.
on the banks of the Derwent. The 110 tonne bridge is a single span 52 metre Mabey Logistic Support Bridge
which was constructed in Mill Field, on the south bank of the Derwent, and launched across the river, with its "nose" landing on the north bank on 4 December. The bridge was then pushed onto the north bank, and a steel deck laid. Street furniture
including lighting was added, and the bridge opened to the public just after 08:00 (GMT) on 7 December 2009.
The bridge was constructed by Royal Engineers
of 3 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 22 Engineer regiment based at Tidworth
, Wiltshire
. They worked 24 hours a day in adverse weather conditions including driving rain much of the week and temperatures as low as -8C.
in Workington
in the early morning of 20 November 2009. Barker was on the damaged Northside Bridge, stopping traffic from using it. The bridge was swept away beneath him.
The bridge was named after Barker following a campaign by teenagers from Workington launched on YouTube
.
His body was washed up on a beach at Allonby
. He left a widow, Hazel, and four children.
He joined the police on 3 January 1984, at age 19. He worked on Brigham
Traffic Control, then the Western Mobile Support Group which then became the Western Roads Policing Unit
. He was a family liaison officer. In August 1997, he received a chief constable
’s commendation for his courage and tenacity during a pursuit with a Land Rover Discovery
in the Keswick
area; it rammed his car twice.
The then Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
described him as a "very heroic, very brave man".
On 27 November 2009, he was buried at Egremont, Cumbria
. His funeral was the lead item on the BBC TV 6 o'clock news.
The next day, Prince Charles met his family in private. The inquest
into Barker's death opened on 13 October 2010 at Cleator Moor
civic hall. On 15 October 2010 the inquest ruled that Barker's death was an accident.
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which was named after police officer Bill Barker, who died when the Northside Bridge in Workington collapsed below him. It crossed the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
, and linked the north and south sides of the town.
History
During the November 2009 Great Britain and Ireland floods, all four road and pedestrian bridges in WorkingtonWorkington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
were either swept away, or severely damaged, leaving one sound railway bridge crossing the River Derwent
River Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
in the town. This left the residents with a 14-mile trip to get from one side of the Derwent to the other. On 30 November Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station
Workington North railway station was a temporary railway station in Cumbria, United Kingdom, constructed following floods which cut all road access to Workington town centre from north of the River Derwent...
was opened allowing people to travel by train between the north and south sides.
Construction
Foundations for the bridge were started on 27 November 2009, and used 4000 tonnes of aggregateConstruction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
on the banks of the Derwent. The 110 tonne bridge is a single span 52 metre Mabey Logistic Support Bridge
Mabey Logistic Support Bridge
The Mabey Logistic Support Bridge is a portable pre-fabricated truss bridge, designed for use by military engineering units to upgrade routes for heavier traffic, replace civilian bridges damaged by enemy action or floods etc, replace assault and general support bridges and to provide a long span...
which was constructed in Mill Field, on the south bank of the Derwent, and launched across the river, with its "nose" landing on the north bank on 4 December. The bridge was then pushed onto the north bank, and a steel deck laid. Street furniture
Street furniture
Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed on streets and roads for various purposes, including traffic barriers,...
including lighting was added, and the bridge opened to the public just after 08:00 (GMT) on 7 December 2009.
The bridge was constructed by Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
of 3 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 22 Engineer regiment based at Tidworth
Tidworth
Tidworth is a town in south-east Wiltshire, England with a growing civilian population. Situated at the eastern edge of Salisbury Plain, it is approximately 10 miles west of Andover, 12 miles south of Marlborough, 24 miles south of Swindon, 15 miles north by north-east of Salisbury and 6 miles east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. They worked 24 hours a day in adverse weather conditions including driving rain much of the week and temperatures as low as -8C.
Naming
The bridge was named in honour of PC Bill Barker who drowned in the River DerwentRiver Derwent, Cumbria
The Derwent is a river in the Lake District of the county of Cumbria in the north of England. The name Derwent is derived from a Celtic word for "oak trees"....
in Workington
Workington
Workington is a town, civil parish and port on the west coast of Cumbria, England, at the mouth of the River Derwent. Lying within the Borough of Allerdale, Workington is southwest of Carlisle, west of Cockermouth, and southwest of Maryport...
in the early morning of 20 November 2009. Barker was on the damaged Northside Bridge, stopping traffic from using it. The bridge was swept away beneath him.
The bridge was named after Barker following a campaign by teenagers from Workington launched on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
His body was washed up on a beach at Allonby
Allonby
Allonby is a village on the coast of the Allerdale district in Cumbria, England. The village is on the B5300 road five miles north of Maryport and eight miles south of Silloth....
. He left a widow, Hazel, and four children.
He joined the police on 3 January 1984, at age 19. He worked on Brigham
Brigham
The village of Brigham, near the town of Cockermouth, Cumbria, England, has existed as a settlement since neolithic times.Brigham was an early centre of Christianity in Cumbria...
Traffic Control, then the Western Mobile Support Group which then became the Western Roads Policing Unit
Western Roads Policing Unit
The Western Roads Policing Unit, formerly the Western Mobile Support Group, is a British traffic police unit. It is active in Wales....
. He was a family liaison officer. In August 1997, he received a chief constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
’s commendation for his courage and tenacity during a pursuit with a Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
in the Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
area; it rammed his car twice.
The then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
described him as a "very heroic, very brave man".
On 27 November 2009, he was buried at Egremont, Cumbria
Egremont, Cumbria
Egremont is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Copeland in Cumbria, England, south of Whitehaven and on the River Ehen. The town, which lies at the foot of Uldale Valley and Dent Fell, was historically within Cumberland and has a long industrial heritage including dyeing, weaving and...
. His funeral was the lead item on the BBC TV 6 o'clock news.
The next day, Prince Charles met his family in private. The inquest
Inquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into Barker's death opened on 13 October 2010 at Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor
Cleator Moor is a small town and civil parish in the English county of Cumbria and within the boundaries of the traditional county of Cumberland....
civic hall. On 15 October 2010 the inquest ruled that Barker's death was an accident.
Closure
On 14 February 2011 work began to remove the bridge, which is no longer needed as the repaired Calva Bridge was due to reopen to pedestrians that day.External links
- ITN news report on the bridge opening.
- Animated build of a Mabey Bridge
- http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/news/sad_farewell_for_flood_hero_pc_bill_barker_1_643727?referrerPath=home/1.283017
- http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/mourners_applaud_brave_workington_pc_bill_barker_at_egremont_funeral_1_643735?referrerPath=home
- http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/cumbria_floods/pc_bill_barker_s_family_meet_prince_charles_1_644009?referrerPath=/news_round-up_1_50001