There has been a bridge over the river Severn at the eastern end of Coalport for many, many years. The original bridge was made of wood and was erected in 1780 and hence explains the name of the Woodbridge Inn adjacent to it (although it was originally called the “Bridge Inn’ until the late 1920’s).
At that time the bridge was more commonly known as Preens Eddy bridge (Preens Eddy being the name of this hamlet of Coalport) and was erected by Robert Palmer, a Madeley timber merchant. This original bridge had two spans with a central stone pillar.
In 1795 the bridge was severely damaged by floods (which were so high that the river washed over into the canal at the transhipment interchange) and, during its restoration, the central stone pillar was removed and the existing wooden superstructure was then supported by three arches of cast iron which spanned the full width of the river. There is no record of where these arches were cast.
In 1817, one of the arches of the bridge cracked in two places and the following year it was replaced, two more arches were added, and the wooden deck was replaced by iron plates. This was done by the firm of John Onions, whose initials, together with the date 1818, are recorded on the parapet – which belies the fact that the bridge existed some 38 years earlier.
The showpiece bridge at Ironbridge has meant that this cast iron bridge at Coalport is often overlooked. But it shouldn’t; unlike its nemesis, Coalport Bridge still carries vehicular traffic and acts as an important functional river crossing to this day. It is much more conservative with its use of metal, with every piece designed for a function, and so is actually more of a technological marvel than its upstream cousin.
Like many river crossings of time, there was a toll charged to use the bridge. The payment window of the toll house is still clearly visible today.
To try and preserve the bridge, it is single-file traffic only, with height restrictors to prevent vans and lorries from overloading it. This often causes some congestion, especially at peak times in the morning and evening.
In the background you can see railway carriages at Coalport (West) station, the subject of the next Secret Ironbridge blog post.
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