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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 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>Nabarro, G (1971), ''Severn Valley Steam''</ref>.
There is a near-identical double track railway bridge spanning the river Severn upstream at [[Buildwas]]. This bridge is known as [[Albert Edward Bridge]], named after the eldest son of Queen Victoria, who was later crowned as Edward VII.<br>Although the deck of Victoria Bridge was built to single track width, the abutments were built wide enough for [[double track]], meaning the bridge could have relatively easily been converted to double track.
==Victoria Bridge in preservation==
