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Victoria Bridge

1,423 bytes added, 14:40, 13 March 2023
additional info and history
[[File:VictoriaBridge5643_20090926.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Victoria Bridge seen from the bank of the River Severn.]]
'''Victoria Bridge ''' (Bridge 15) carries the Severn Valley Railway across the [[River Severn]] ½ mile south of [[Arley]]. It is the only place between [[Shrewsbury]] and [[Hartlebury]] where the railway crossed the river.
==Construction and history==
[[File:Victoria Bridge Illustrated London News 1859.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Laying the foundation stone of Victoria Bridge, from the Illustrated London News, 17 December 1859]]
The bridge was designed by the Severn Valley Railway's chief engineer, [[John Fowler]]. It is largely constructed from cast iron; manufacture of the ironwork was subcontracted to [[Coalbrookdale|the Coalbrookdale Company]]. The foundation stone was laid on [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Construction: 1858-1861 | November 24th 1859]] by the SVR's resident engineer, [[Henry Orlando Bridgeman]], and the bridge was completed in May 1861. Its span, of 200ft, was at the time the largest iron arch span in the country.<ref Name = "Nabarro">Nabarro, G (1971), ''Severn Valley Steam''</ref>
It The foundation stone was reported at laid on [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Construction: 1858-1861 | November 24th 1859]] by the time of construction that SVR's resident engineer, [[Henry Orlando Bridgeman]]. The ceremony was attended by a defective rib casting large crowd and accompanied by cheering and firing cannon. A paper was tested to destruction placed under a load of 430 tons.the foundation stone which read:<ref name Name = "SVRNews58"Nabarro>SVR News 58Nabarro, G (1971), article ''Severn Valley Steam''</ref>:''The foundation stone of this bridge was laid by Henry Orlando Bridgman, Esq., C.E., Resident Engineer, on the 24th day of November, in the year of Our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and fifty-nine, and in the twenty-third year of the reign of Her Majesty, Queen Victoria. The arch of the consulting engineer bridge is to be constructed principally of cast iron – 200 feet span – and, up to the 1979present time, will be the largest cast-iron arch constructed in these Kingdoms. John Fowler, Esq., Engineer-in-80 refurbishment</ref>Chief, London; Messrs. Brassey, Peto and Betts, contractors, also of London. The railway works were commenced in the autumn of 1858, and are expected to be completed and the line opened to the public in the spring of 1861. This railway commences at Shrewsbury, and terminates at the Hartlebury station of the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway, a distance of 40 miles''.
There is a near-identical double track railway bridge spanning In February 1860 Fowler reported that "''the river Severn upstream at foundations are well advanced and [[BuildwasCoalbrookdale#The_Coalbrookdale_Company|the Coalbrookdale Company]]have been entrusted by Messrs. Brassey, Peto and Betts with the execution of the castings and wrought ironwork for the superstructure. This ''"<ref Name = Nabarro/> The bridge is known as [[Albert Edward Bridge]], named after was completed in May 1861. It was reported at the eldest son time of Queen Victoria, who construction that a defective rib casting was later crowned as Edward VIItested to destruction under a load of 430 tons.<ref name = "SVRNews58">SVR News 58, article by the consulting engineer to the 1979-80 refurbishment</ref>
The bridge is listed Grade II* by Historic England for its special architectural or historic interest.<ref> [https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1100657 Victoria Bridge on the Historic England list]</ref>
During the Second World War the bridge formed part of Western Command Stop Line No 1, which followed the River Severn from Tewkesbury to Llandrinio, and was protected by infantry trenches and a movable steel and concrete railblock, <ref>[https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/dob/ai_full_r.cfm?refno=11063&CFID=036777f5-1e72-4b37-bd8c-19c140bb71fd&CFTOKEN=0 Council for British Archaeology web site]</ref>
<gallerymode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
File:Victoria Bridge Figs 1 to 9.jpg | Details showing the position of the ribs under the rails.
File:Victoria Bridge Figs 10 to 16.jpg | Details showing the abutments and plan of the deck construction.
</gallery>
 
There is a near-identical double track railway bridge spanning the river Severn upstream at [[Buildwas]]. This bridge, which was also designed by Sir John Fowler and opened in 1864, is known as [[Albert Edward Bridge]], named after the eldest son of Queen Victoria, who was later crowned as Edward VII.
==Operating restrictions==
Other film appearances include the 1977 Walt Disney Productions live action film [[Candleshoe]] and the 1992 Merchant Ivory production [[Howards End]]. Television appearances include [[God's Wonderful Railway]] in 1979, the 1987 TV series [[Knights of God]], [[L For Lester]] (1982), [[Lost Empires]] (1986), an episode of [[Rosie and Jim]] (1991) and [[Dalziel and Pascoe]] (2002).
<gallerymode=packed heights=200px style="text-align:left">
File:39steps4.jpg|The Thirty Nine Steps: SVR volunteer Barrie Geens as a policeman during filming
Howards End screenshot 3.jpg | Howards End: City of Truro crossing Victoria Bridge
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