![Cross Keys Bridge and ship heading north - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Cross_Keys_Bridge_and_ship_heading_north_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1627735.jpg)
Cross Keys Bridge is a
swing bridge
A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then pi ...
that carries the busy single carriageway
A17 road which runs from
Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
in
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...
to
King’s Lynn in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
over the tidal
River Nene
The River Nene ( or : see below) is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire.OS Explorer Map sheet 223, Northampton & Market Harborough, Brixworth & Pitsford Water. The river is about long, about of w ...
in
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
in the extreme south east of
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...
close to the borders of both
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the ...
.
It is the only crossing point for both traffic and pedestrians over the river north of the Cambridgeshire town of
Wisbech
Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and only 5 miles ...
some nine miles to the south of the bridge.
When it was built in 1897, it was the third bridge to cross the Nene in Sutton Bridge. It was originally a dual-purpose bridge serving the
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway
The Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (M&GNJR) was a railway network in England, in the area connecting southern Lincolnshire, the Isle of Ely and north Norfolk. It developed from several local independent concerns and was incorporated ...
on what is now the westbound carriageway and the road was on the eastbound side. The railway line was closed in 1965 and the bridge took on its present-day use as a road bridge with one single lane for eastbound traffic and a single lane for westbound traffic. It is a
Grade II* listed structure.
History
The Borough of Wisbech was the port authority for this part of the River Nene. The emblem of Wisbech is the
cross keys of St Peter.
The first bridge, opened in 1831, was designed by
John Rennie the Younger
Sir John Rennie FRSA (30 August 1794 – 3 September 1874) was the second son of engineer John Rennie the Elder, and brother of George Rennie.
Early life
John Rennie was born at 27 Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, London, on 30 August 17 ...
and
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE, (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer. After establishing himself as an engineer of road and canal projects in Shropshire, he designed numerous infrastructure projects in his native Scot ...
as part of the Wash Embankment works. It was of timber and cast iron construction and opened up rather like London's famous
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames clos ...
. However it was found to be awkwardly sited and in 1850, its replacement designed by
Robert Stephenson
Robert Stephenson FRS HFRSE FRSA DCL (16 October 1803 – 12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives. The only son of George Stephenson, the "Father of Railways", he built on the achievements of his father ...
was opened.
Local shipowner
Richard Young Richard Young may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Richard Young (cinematographer) (1939–2010), American cinematographer
* Richard Young (photographer) (born 1947), English society and celebrity photographer
*Richard Young (actor) (born 1955), ...
, five times Mayor of Wisbech, was responsible for the Cross Keys Bridge Act. The position of the second bridge was approximately halfway between the original and the present day bridge. It was a swing bridge and was used only for road traffic until 1864 when the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
acquired powers to also use it for rail traffic. When the current bridge was constructed it was hoped that the 1850 bridge could be left in position for rail use however the river authorities decided that two bridges so close together constituted a hazard for shipping, and it was removed.
The present Cross Keys Bridge was built in 1897 at a cost of £80,000.
Andrew Handyside and Company
Andrew Handyside and Company was an iron founder in Derby, England, in the nineteenth century.
Biography
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1805, Handyside worked in his uncle Charles Baird's engineering business in St. Petersburg before taki ...
erected the bridge and
Armstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and ...
built the engines which supplied the power to swing the bridge and which were installed in the Hydraulic House, a separately listed Grade II* building.
The Hydraulic House is now undergoing conversion to a family home but will retain the hydraulics and
accumulators, which are housed in a high tower.
Operations
The bridge is a notorious bottleneck for traffic within the local area as significant traffic disruption to the surrounding areas can occur should the bridge be closed or have major maintenance undertaken for any reason. The only alternative route between
Sutton Bridge
Sutton Bridge is a village and civil parish in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A17 road, north from Wisbech and west from King's Lynn. The village includes a commercial dock on the west bank of th ...
and
King’s Lynn is via the
A1101
A11, A 11 or A-11 may refer to:
Military
* Aero A.11, a Czechoslovakian bomber produced before World War II
* Consolidated A-11, an attack version of the Consolidated P-30 fighter plane of the 1930s
* HMS A11, HMS ''A11'', an A-class submarine of ...
from
Long Sutton though Wisbech itself and the
A47.
Tolls were charged on the bridge until 1903. The bridge opens several times a week to allow ships and pleasure craft using the River Nene to pass through to the
Port of Wisbech
Port of Wisbech is an inland port on the River Nene in Wisbech, Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom. It is mainly used for cargo and industrial purposes, with the southern part of the port housing a number of berths for yachts. Fenland Di ...
.
Cultural references
The bridge was used during the filming of the
2007 adaptation of
Philip Pullman
Sir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman (born 19 October 1946) is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy '' His Dark Materials'' and '' The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ'', a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, ''T ...
's novel, ''
The Golden Compass
''Northern Lights'' (titled ''The Golden Compass'' in North America and some other countries) is a young-adult fantasy novel by Philip Pullman, published in 1995 by Scholastic UK. Set in a parallel universe, it follows the journey of Lyra Be ...
''.
References
Bridges in Lincolnshire
Bridges completed in 1897
Swing bridges in England
Former toll bridges in England
Grade II* listed railway bridges and viaducts
Bridges across the River Nene
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