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Hampden Bridge (Kangaroo Valley)
Encyclopedia
Hampden Bridge is a suspension bridge
across the Kangaroo River, located in the town of Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales
, Australia
. It is named after Lord Hampden, Governor
of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.
, the colony's Assistant Engineer for Bridges, to replace the decaying timber truss bridge which originally spanned the Kangaroo River. Construction began in 1895 and the bridge was opened on the 19 May 1898, just six days before floods washed the old bridge away.
A public holiday was declared in Kangaroo Valley for the bridge opening. The bridge was opened by the Minister for Public Works, J.H. Young.
The bridge's medieval tower style is an example of the Gothic Revival architecture popular in late nineteenth-century Australia. This elaborate form, and the relatively sophisticated structural design of the span, reflect the importance of this river crossing at the time of construction: the Cambewarra Road (now the Moss Vale Road) was then a major route from Sydney to the south coast of NSW.
Suspension bridge
A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...
across the Kangaroo River, located in the town of Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is named after Lord Hampden, Governor
Governors of New South Wales
The Governor of New South Wales is the state viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, who is equally shared with 15 other sovereign nations in a form of personal union, as well as with the eleven other jurisdictions of Australia, and resides predominantly in her...
of New South Wales from 1895 to 1899.
History
Hampden Bridge was designed by Ernest Macartney de BurghErnest Macartney de Burgh
Ernest Macartney de Burgh was an Irish-born Australian civil engineer, chief-engineer for water supply and sewerage in New South Wales.-Early life:...
, the colony's Assistant Engineer for Bridges, to replace the decaying timber truss bridge which originally spanned the Kangaroo River. Construction began in 1895 and the bridge was opened on the 19 May 1898, just six days before floods washed the old bridge away.
A public holiday was declared in Kangaroo Valley for the bridge opening. The bridge was opened by the Minister for Public Works, J.H. Young.
Description
A well-known local tourist attraction, Hampden Bridge features four large crenellated turrets made of locally quarried sandstone. It is 77 metres long (252 ft) and one lane wide. The bridge forms part of the Moss Vale Road. Hampden Bridge is the only surviving suspension bridge from the colonial period in New South Wales.The bridge's medieval tower style is an example of the Gothic Revival architecture popular in late nineteenth-century Australia. This elaborate form, and the relatively sophisticated structural design of the span, reflect the importance of this river crossing at the time of construction: the Cambewarra Road (now the Moss Vale Road) was then a major route from Sydney to the south coast of NSW.