North Bridge, Halifax
Encyclopedia
North Bridge, Halifax is a Victorian
iron and stone bridge at Halifax, West Yorkshire
in northern England
. It crosses the valley of the River Hebble
, connecting the town to roads to Bradford
and Leeds
. Replacing an earlier six arch stone bridge it was raised to allow the subsequent construction of the Halifax High Level Railway under it with an adjoining station. Opened in 1871 amid chaotic crowd scenes it carried increasingly heavy traffic until it was by-passed by the Burdock Way in 1973. It remains in use for local traffic.
is in 1277. A stone bridge recorded in 1719 collapsed on Rogation Day in 1770 during a beating the bounds
ceremony causing many injuries. Matthew Oates of Northowram
began work on a new bridge in 1772, using stone from quarries in Crib Lane. This 400 feet (121.9 m) long six arch bridge, 28.5 feet (8.7 m) wide and 56 feet (17.1 m) above the river, which carried the turnpike road was opened in 1774. There was a toll-booth at the north end. Iron pallisades were fitted after a Mr. Asquith of Hipperholme
was pushed from the bridge and killed by an unknown attacker in 1819. Part of this bridge collapsed because of flash flooding on 23 July 1855. It was demolished in 1870 to make way for the new bridge.
es and tri-foil pattern railings above with a crenellated top rail. The mainly cast iron
parapet ribs have a wrought iron
central section of 56 feet (17.1 m). The central pier stands 75 feet (22.9 m) high and the bridge was built 11 feet (3.4 m) higher than its predecessor so that the Halifax & Ovenden Joint Railway could pass underneath the northern end. North Bridge Station
was just east of the bridge, extending under it. A drinking fountain, named for James Oates who worked on the bridge, is set into the south west turret of the bridge. The cost of the bridge was £21,000 or 17 shillings and six pence per square foot of roadway, claimed to be the cheapest bridge in England at the time.
s were drawn up across the southern entrance of the bridge to hold the crowds back. A ceremony was then held which included the town's MP Sir James Stansfeld, Lord Frederick Cavendish
, Colonel Akroyd, the mayors of Bradford, Leeds
and Wakefield
, the Master Cutler of Sheffield
, the Town Clerk of Leeds and the bridge engineers. This concluded with an artillery salute.
and A629 traffic over the River Hebble North Bridge remains in use for local traffic.
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...
iron and stone bridge at Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
in northern 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...
. It crosses the valley of the River Hebble
River Hebble
Hebble Brook is the body of water passing from Ogden Reservoir south, at Ogden, Halifax. The reservoir itself is sourced from water draining off Skirden Edge, through Skirden Clough, to the west and from the north the reservoir takes in water from Deep Gulf and Spa Flat, above the now disused Fly...
, connecting the town to roads to Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
and Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
. Replacing an earlier six arch stone bridge it was raised to allow the subsequent construction of the Halifax High Level Railway under it with an adjoining station. Opened in 1871 amid chaotic crowd scenes it carried increasingly heavy traffic until it was by-passed by the Burdock Way in 1973. It remains in use for local traffic.
Earlier bridges
The earliest record of a wooden bridge over the River HebbleRiver Hebble
Hebble Brook is the body of water passing from Ogden Reservoir south, at Ogden, Halifax. The reservoir itself is sourced from water draining off Skirden Edge, through Skirden Clough, to the west and from the north the reservoir takes in water from Deep Gulf and Spa Flat, above the now disused Fly...
is in 1277. A stone bridge recorded in 1719 collapsed on Rogation Day in 1770 during a beating the bounds
Beating the bounds
Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for...
ceremony causing many injuries. Matthew Oates of Northowram
Northowram
Northowram is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England that stands to the east of Halifax on the north side of Shibden valley. Southowram stands on the southern side of the valley....
began work on a new bridge in 1772, using stone from quarries in Crib Lane. This 400 feet (121.9 m) long six arch bridge, 28.5 feet (8.7 m) wide and 56 feet (17.1 m) above the river, which carried the turnpike road was opened in 1774. There was a toll-booth at the north end. Iron pallisades were fitted after a Mr. Asquith of Hipperholme
Hipperholme
Hipperholme is a village in the Calderdale area of West Yorkshire, England, located between the towns of Halifax and Brighouse. It is located on the busy A58 road and includes Hipperholme Grammar School, a local private school....
was pushed from the bridge and killed by an unknown attacker in 1819. Part of this bridge collapsed because of flash flooding on 23 July 1855. It was demolished in 1870 to make way for the new bridge.
Design and construction
North Bridge was designed in Victorian Gothic style by brothers John and James Fraser of Leeds. John had considerable experience of railway bridge design. Two 160 feet (48.8 m) spans of semi-elliptical arch ribs are supported by stone piers with ecclesiastical style buttresses, carrying a 60 feet (18.3 m) wide roadway. There are lancets in the spandrels. The parapets are richly decorated with quatre-foil piercings with central Maltese crossMaltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
es and tri-foil pattern railings above with a crenellated top rail. The mainly cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
parapet ribs have a 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...
central section of 56 feet (17.1 m). The central pier stands 75 feet (22.9 m) high and the bridge was built 11 feet (3.4 m) higher than its predecessor so that the Halifax & Ovenden Joint Railway could pass underneath the northern end. North Bridge Station
North Bridge railway station
North Bridge railway station served on the Halifax and Ovenden Junction Railway in West Yorkshire, England. The North bridge itself had to be rebuilt higher by the L&YR and the GNR to clear the tracks...
was just east of the bridge, extending under it. A drinking fountain, named for James Oates who worked on the bridge, is set into the south west turret of the bridge. The cost of the bridge was £21,000 or 17 shillings and six pence per square foot of roadway, claimed to be the cheapest bridge in England at the time.
Opening ceremony
The bridge was opened on 25 October 1871 amid scenes of confusion as local people, given a half-day holiday, swarmed over the bridge well in advance of the official opening by the mayor. The mayor and corporation and the borough's MP, together with the Halifax Artillery and Rifle Volunteers and a detachment of the 2nd West Yorkshire Yeomanry, formed a procession at the town hall at about 3 pm. The police had cleared some space at the southern end of the bridge, but by the time an advance party of yeomanry reached the bridge the crowds had reoccupied it. Twenty dragoonDragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s were drawn up across the southern entrance of the bridge to hold the crowds back. A ceremony was then held which included the town's MP Sir James Stansfeld, Lord Frederick Cavendish
Lord Frederick Cavendish
Lord Frederick Charles Cavendish was an English Liberal politician and protégé of the Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone...
, Colonel Akroyd, the mayors of Bradford, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and Wakefield
Wakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
, the Master Cutler of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, the Town Clerk of Leeds and the bridge engineers. This concluded with an artillery salute.
Trams
Starting in 1898 tram lines began to be extended from Halifax along the Calder Valley including lines running over the bridge. The steep terrain of the area was not ideal for trams and there were several fatal accidents. In 1906, an eight ton double decker tram ran out of control down New Bank, Halifax, and overturned on North Bridge, killing two people and injuring 11 others.Modern times
A weight restriction of seven tons was applied to the bridge in 1968, until strengthening work had been completed. Since Burdock Way, the modern flyover system, was opened in 1973 to take the A58A58 road
The A58 is a major road in northern England that runs between Prescot, Merseyside and Wetherby, West Yorkshire.It runs north east from Prescot on the outskirts of Liverpool via St Helens, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Westhoughton, Bolton, Bury, Heywood, Rochdale and Littleborough then over the...
and A629 traffic over the River Hebble North Bridge remains in use for local traffic.