Black Potts Railway Bridge
Encyclopedia
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
across the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The Staines to Windsor & Eton Line
Staines to Windsor & Eton Line
The Staines to Windsor Line is a National Rail suburban railway line in England operated by South West Trains. It branches from the Waterloo to Reading Line at Staines in Surrey and runs to Windsor in Berkshire.- History :...
terminates immediately after the bridge at Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station
Windsor and Eton Riverside railway station
Windsor & Eton Riverside station is a station in Windsor in Berkshire, England. The station, close to the River Thames and Windsor Castle, is a grade II listed building....
. The bridge crosses the Thames on the reach above Old Windsor Lock
Old Windsor Lock
Old Windsor Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England close to Old Windsor on the side of the river towards the town. The lock marks the start of the New Cut, built in 1822 by the Thames Navigation Commissioners, which created Ham Island in the hook of the old river...
, shortly before Romney Lock
Romney Lock
Romney Lock is a lock on the River Thames in England near Windsor and Eton. It is on the Windsor side of the river next to a boatyard and adjoins Romney Island, a long strip of land in the middle of the river. The first lock was built by the Thames Navigation Commission in 1798.The weir is some...
.
In 1849 the Windsor Staines and Richmond Railway sought leave to erect a temporary crossing here and the bridge was opened in 1850. The opening delay was caused by the collapse of one of the piers on the day before inspection. The bridge is supported in the middle by Black Potts Ait
Black Potts Ait
Black Potts Ait is an island in the River Thames in England near Windsor, Berkshire. It is on the reach between Old Windsor Lock and Romney Lock and carries Black Potts Railway Bridge...
. Originally the bridge had ornate cast-iron ribs, but these corroded and were replaced with more utilitarian wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
girders, which radically altered the bridge's appearance.
Immediately to the east of the bridge is the Black Potts Railway Viaduct. This had to be provided with substantial protection when the Jubilee River
Jubilee River
The Jubilee River is a hydraulic channel in southern England. It is 11.6 km in length and is on average 45 metres wide. It was constructed in the late 1990s and early 2000s to take overflow from the River Thames and so alleviate flooding to areas in and around the towns of Maidenhead,...
was constructed, as the outfall of this channel passes through the brick arches of the existing Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
viaduct, just downstream of the Black Potts Railway Bridge.