It is the last survivor of its kind!
It works as a pair of cantilevers when swung ‘open’ or when virtually unladen, but as a three-pin arch when laden.
The Hartley Swing Bridge at the fabulously restored Albert Docks in Liverpool lies between Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
It is a double leaf swing bridge and was used on other dock systems, such as Hull and London. It was thought to have been introduced in London by Ralph Chapman. The design was initially brought to Liverpool by John Rennie, for use at Princes Dock which opened in 1821.
Hartley’s Swing Bridge was built in 1843 of cast iron forged at the Haigh Foundry Co of Wigan. The deck was said to be made of pitch pine (perhaps the only structural wood at the docks) and the two spans open over sandstone masonry.
Jesse Hartley designed and constructed the Albert Docks, at Liverpool with Philip Hardwick from 1841 to 1846.
The Albert Dock, Liverpool, which was opened in 1846, took 5 years to build. It is a large complex of warehouse buildings, closely linked to the Lancashire Cotton industry. It was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world and the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. Only 2 years after it opened it was modified to feature the world’s first hydraulic cranes as well!
Hartley’s Swing Bridge is only Grade II Listed?!
The Albert Docks in Liverpool is a vital component of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site designation and the docking complex and warehouses comprise the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK – what a legacy!
These days the bridge (having been rebuilt) is fused together, although the marks on the masonry from use can still been seen.
There are hundreds of reasons why the docks receive 4 million visitors a year – it really is an engineering marvel, an industrial feat and a heritage treat!
Albert Docks, Merseyside, Liverpool.
It is the last survivor of its kind!
It works as a pair of cantilevers when swung ‘open’ or when virtually unladen, but as a three-pin arch when laden.
The Hartley Swing Bridge at the fabulously restored Albert Docks in Liverpool lies between Tate Liverpool and the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
It is a double leaf swing bridge and was used on other dock systems, such as Hull and London. It was thought to have been introduced in London by Ralph Chapman. The design was initially brought to Liverpool by John Rennie, for use at Princes Dock which opened in 1821.
Hartley’s Swing Bridge was built in 1843 of cast iron forged at the Haigh Foundry Co of Wigan. The deck was said to be made of pitch pine (perhaps the only structural wood at the docks) and the two spans open over sandstone masonry.
Jesse Hartley designed and constructed the Albert Docks, at Liverpool with Philip Hardwick from 1841 to 1846.
The Albert Dock, Liverpool, which was opened in 1846, took 5 years to build. It is a large complex of warehouse buildings, closely linked to the Lancashire Cotton industry. It was the first non-combustible warehouse system in the world and the first structure in Britain to be built from cast iron, brick and stone, with no structural wood. Only 2 years after it opened it was modified to feature the world’s first hydraulic cranes as well!
Hartley’s Swing Bridge is only Grade II Listed?!
The Albert Docks in Liverpool is a vital component of Liverpool’s World Heritage Site designation and the docking complex and warehouses comprise the largest single collection of Grade I listed buildings anywhere in the UK – what a legacy!
These days the bridge (having been rebuilt) is fused together, although the marks on the masonry from use can still been seen.
There are hundreds of reasons why the docks receive 4 million visitors a year – it really is an engineering marvel, an industrial feat and a heritage treat!
Albert Docks, Merseyside, Liverpool.
