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Grosvenor Bridge (Chester)
Encyclopedia
The Grosvenor Bridge is a single-span arch
road bridge constructed from stone. It crosses the River Dee at Chester
in England. The bridge is located on the A483
Grosvenor Road . Views upriver from the bridge include Chester Castle
and Handbridge
. The view downstream from the bridge encompasses the impressive mansions of Curzon Park
and the adjacent Roodee. The Dee is a tidal
river, with the result that the water level beneath the bridge can vary significantly during the day.
The bridge was designed by Thomas Harrison
, and was opened by Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
on 17 October 1832, although it was not open to traffic until November 1833. At the time of its construction, the bridge was the longest single-span arch bridge in the world, a title that it retained for 30 years. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building.
bridge at Handbridge, the Old Dee Bridge. The bridge was heavily congested, delaying movement through the town. However, building a new bridge was prohibitively expensive until Thomas Telford
proposed building a new road between Shrewsbury
and the Irish
ferries
at Holyhead
, to facilitate trade between the two islands. As the route would have bypassed Chester, greatly reducing the potential income from the lucrative Irish trade routes, a committee was appointed to consider plans for a new bridge to quicken movement across the city and encourage traders to continue to stop at Chester.
A design by the architect Thomas Harrison
was chosen. Chester was at the time a major shipbuilding city, and a very tall arch, 60 feet (18.3 m) high and 200 feet (61 m) wide, was required to allow ships to pass underneath. This was the largest arch in the world, and the chief builder, James Trubshaw
, described this as "a lasting monument to the glory and superiority of Great Britain". The arch is constructed in limestone
from Anglesey
, and the rest of the bridge is in gritstone
. Its span is still the longest masonry arch in Britain.
Road. However, the ground here was soft, and Harrison was concerned that the mud would not be able to support the weight of the piers. Eventually, Thomas Telford found a drier area of land downstream, and the construction was moved to this site. In order to accommodate the move of the bridge, Wrexham Road was split into two, with one lane becoming a dead end, and the other turning to meet the bridge. The first stone of the bridge was laid by the Marquess of Westminster
on 1 October 1827, and construction work took six years.
The bridge was formally opened by Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
and her daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (later to be Queen Victoria), who were driven through a triumphal arch
in the middle of the unfinished bridge to a 21-gun salute
on 17 October 1832. The bridge was not completed however until November 1833, and a toll was imposed on the bridge to pay the £50,000 (£ as of ) construction costs, a large sum at the time. The toll was however harmful to trade in the city, and toll-fees were abolished in 1885, when maintenance was transferred to the Chester Corporation. However, Thomas Harrison never lived to see his bridge being completed, nor being opened by the Princess. He died in 1829, and the completion of the work was supervised by his pupil, William Cole.
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
road bridge constructed from stone. It crosses the River Dee at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
in England. The bridge is located on the A483
A483 road
The A483 is a major road in the United Kingdom, running from Swansea in Wales to Chester in England, although the official title is the Swansea to Manchester Trunk Road.-Swansea:...
Grosvenor Road . Views upriver from the bridge include Chester Castle
Chester Castle
Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls . The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining parts of the medieval castle together with the...
and Handbridge
Handbridge
Handbridge is a district of Chester, England on the south bank of the River Dee. A settlement has existed on the site since the Iron age , but the site saw major expansion during the collapse of the Roman occupation of Britain, as the city grew too large for its walls...
. The view downstream from the bridge encompasses the impressive mansions of Curzon Park
Curzon Park
The Chester suburb of Curzon Park is a highly attractive residential area South of the River Dee situated within easy walking distance of the ancient Roman and medieval city walls, just across the famous Grosvenor Bridge. Part of the Curzon & Westminster Ward, the Curzon Park area is well known for...
and the adjacent Roodee. The Dee is a tidal
Tide
Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the moon and the sun and the rotation of the Earth....
river, with the result that the water level beneath the bridge can vary significantly during the day.
The bridge was designed by Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles...
, and was opened by Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
on 17 October 1832, although it was not open to traffic until November 1833. At the time of its construction, the bridge was the longest single-span arch bridge in the world, a title that it retained for 30 years. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building.
Design
At the beginning of the 19th century, Chester only had one river crossing, a narrow medievalMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
bridge at Handbridge, the Old Dee Bridge. The bridge was heavily congested, delaying movement through the town. However, building a new bridge was prohibitively expensive until Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
proposed building a new road between Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
and the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
ferries
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
at Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
, to facilitate trade between the two islands. As the route would have bypassed Chester, greatly reducing the potential income from the lucrative Irish trade routes, a committee was appointed to consider plans for a new bridge to quicken movement across the city and encourage traders to continue to stop at Chester.
A design by the architect Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison (architect)
Thomas Harrison was an English architect and engineer. He built a number of bridges, including Grosvenor Bridge in Chester. He also rebuilt parts of Chester and Lancaster castles...
was chosen. Chester was at the time a major shipbuilding city, and a very tall arch, 60 feet (18.3 m) high and 200 feet (61 m) wide, was required to allow ships to pass underneath. This was the largest arch in the world, and the chief builder, James Trubshaw
James Trubshaw
James Trubshaw was an English builder, architect and civil engineer. His civil engineering works include the construction of the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester, Cheshire, then the longest stone span...
, described this as "a lasting monument to the glory and superiority of Great Britain". The arch is constructed in limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, and the rest of the bridge is in gritstone
Gritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
. Its span is still the longest masonry arch in Britain.
Construction
The bridge was originally to be built between Chester Castle and WrexhamWrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
Road. However, the ground here was soft, and Harrison was concerned that the mud would not be able to support the weight of the piers. Eventually, Thomas Telford found a drier area of land downstream, and the construction was moved to this site. In order to accommodate the move of the bridge, Wrexham Road was split into two, with one lane becoming a dead end, and the other turning to meet the bridge. The first stone of the bridge was laid by the Marquess of Westminster
Duke of Westminster
The title Duke of Westminster was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. The current holder of the title is Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster....
on 1 October 1827, and construction work took six years.
The bridge was formally opened by Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
and her daughter, Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent (later to be Queen Victoria), who were driven through a triumphal arch
Triumphal arch
A triumphal arch is a monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crowned with a flat entablature or attic on which a statue might be...
in the middle of the unfinished bridge to a 21-gun salute
21-gun salute
Gun salutes are the firing of cannons or firearms as a military or naval honor.The custom stems from naval tradition, where a warship would fire its cannons harmlessly out to sea, until all ammunition was spent, to show that it was disarmed, signifying the lack of hostile intent...
on 17 October 1832. The bridge was not completed however until November 1833, and a toll was imposed on the bridge to pay the £50,000 (£ as of ) construction costs, a large sum at the time. The toll was however harmful to trade in the city, and toll-fees were abolished in 1885, when maintenance was transferred to the Chester Corporation. However, Thomas Harrison never lived to see his bridge being completed, nor being opened by the Princess. He died in 1829, and the completion of the work was supervised by his pupil, William Cole.