Trustworthy, administrator
6,814
edits
Changes
m
Link added
==Events prior to the establishment of the Bridgnorth Footbridge Trust ==
Following the closure of the Severn Valley Branch in 1963, the condition of the footbridge deteriorated and by 1967 owners Bridgnorth Rural Borough Council had announced plans for its demolition.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Marshall (1989)]] p. 105.</ref> In January 1969 SVR News reported that a public “Save the Footbridge” appeal had been launched and that Sir Alfred Owen, Managing Director of the [[David Owen#Rubery_Owen|Rubery Owen ]] organisation who built the original footbridge, had visited Bridgnorth. The ‘Footbridge Appeal Fund’ was organised by Bridgnorth member Roger Sellick and was independent of the SVR Company.<ref>SVR News 11, “The Station Footbridge”</ref> £1,500 had been raised by early 1971.<ref>SVR News 19, “Matters of Moment”, [[Richard Dunn|R.H Dunn]]</ref>
The footbridge was closed to the public in 1970, the same year in which the SVR opened in preservation. As part of an agreement in December 1973 between the SVR Company and Rubery Owen (under which they become [[Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC#Notable shareholdings|shareholders in the SVR]]), the SVR acquired the Hollybush Road Footbridge from Bridgnorth Council for a nominal sum of £1, and the 1984 budget included a capital project for the reconstruction of the bridge.<ref>SVR News 31, ‘Boardroom Notes’</ref>
