Difference between revisions of "Vauxhall Bridge"
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[Image:Im1893EnV75-p314.jpg|thumb| 1893. The original Regent Bridge, later named Vauxhall Bridge, opened in 1816.]] | [[Image:Im1893EnV75-p314.jpg|thumb| 1893. The original Regent Bridge, later named Vauxhall Bridge, opened in 1816.]] | ||
[[image:Im1899TETv2-p026.jpg |thumb| 1899. Vauxhall Bridge Cableway. ]] | [[image:Im1899TETv2-p026.jpg |thumb| 1899. Vauxhall Bridge Cableway. ]] | ||
[[image:Im1899TET-v2-p022.jpg |thumb| 1899. Vauxhall Bridge Cableway. ]] | |||
[[Image:Im1904EnV98-p437.jpg|thumb| 1904. Engineered by [[Maurice Fitzmaurice]].]] | [[Image:Im1904EnV98-p437.jpg|thumb| 1904. Engineered by [[Maurice Fitzmaurice]].]] | ||
[[Image:Im1903EnV96-p230.jpg|thumb| 1903.]] | [[Image:Im1903EnV96-p230.jpg|thumb| 1903.]] | ||
Revision as of 15:49, 21 April 2015
Vauxhall Bridge is a steel and granite deck arch bridge in central London.
The bridge crosses the River Thames in a south–east north–west direction between Vauxhall on the south bank and Pimlico on the north bank.
Opened in 1906, it replaced an earlier bridge, originally known as Regent's Bridge but later renamed Vauxhall Bridge, built between 1809 and 1816 as part of a scheme for redeveloping the south bank of the Thames. The original bridge was itself built on the site of a former ferry.
The London County Council's resident engineer, Sir Alexander Binnie, submitted a design for a steel bridge, which proved unpopular. At the request of the LCC, Binnie submitted a new design for a bridge of five spans, to be built in concrete and faced with granite.
Work on Binnie's design began, but was beset by problems. Leading architects condemned the design.
Plans to build large stone abutments had to be suspended when it was found that the southern abutment would block the River Effra, which by this time had been diverted underground to serve as a storm relief sewer and which flowed into the Thames at this point. The Effra had to be rerouted to join the Thames to the north of the bridge.
After the construction of the foundations and piers it was then discovered that the clay of the riverbed at this point would not be able to support the weight of a concrete bridge. With the granite piers already in place, it was decided to build a steel superstructure onto the existing piers, and a superstructure 809 feet long and 80 feet wide was designed by Binnie and Maurice Fitzmaurice and built by LCC engineers at a cost of £437,000.
The new bridge was eventually opened on 26 May 1906, five years behind schedule, in a ceremony presided over by the Prince of Wales and Evan Spicer, Chairman of the LCC. Charles Wall, who had won the contract to build the superstructure of the new bridge, paid the LCC £50 for the temporary wooden bridge, comprising 40,000 cubic feet of timber and 580 tons of scrap metal.
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia