The English Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct, crossing the

River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

in Shrewsbury,

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. The present bridge is a 1926 rebuilding and widening (re-using the original masonry) of John Gwynn's design, completed in 1774. A bridge is known to have stood at this spot since at least

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

times. Historically, it was known as the "Stone Bridge". It is a Grade II* listed building. The original Norman bridge consisted of five arches and a timber causeway. A large tower stood on the East bank, housing a gate and a drawbridge. The bridge also supported several shops and houses. Building work on Gwynn's replacement bridge started on 29 June 1769, and comprised seven

semicircular In mathematics (and more specifically geometry), a semicircle is a one-dimensional locus of points that forms half of a circle. The full arc of a semicircle always measures 180° (equivalently, radians, or a half-turn). It has only one line o ...

arches, long. This bridge cost £16,000. The

span Span may refer to: Science, technology and engineering * Span (unit), the width of a human hand * Span (engineering), a section between two intermediate supports * Wingspan, the distance between the wingtips of a bird or aircraft * Sorbitan ester ...

central arch was built high, to provide headroom to watercraft, but this resulted in steep approaches. As a result, a new design was put forward in 1921 by Arthur W. Ward, the Borough Surveyor. This lowered all the arches, converting the central one into a segmental arch, reducing the height of the roadway by . The new bridge was to be wide, more than twice as wide as Gwynn's structure (of 23 and a half feet width). It cost £86,000 and was formally opened on 26 October 1927 by Queen Mary, although it had been completed the previous year. Ward's bridge reused the old masonry, each stone carefully numbered, as well as a quantity of new stonework. Concrete was used to 'saddle' the arches and in the foundations. The bridge is one of two bridges carrying the main east-west route over the Severn as it loops around Shrewsbury; the

Welsh Bridge The Welsh Bridge is a masonry arch viaduct in the town of Shrewsbury, England, which crosses the River Severn. It connects Frankwell with the town centre. It is a Grade II* listed building. The bridge was designed and built from 1793 to ...

is its counterpart on the other side of the town. Despite the names, both bridges are in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, but the Welsh Bridge is on the side closer to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

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 ...

's Holyhead Road, dating from 1815 and connecting

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

to the main sea-crossing to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, used the English Bridge to cross the Severn here. The road's modern successor, the A5, now bypasses Shrewsbury and the bridge's main role today is to connect the centre of Shrewsbury with the Belle Vue and

Abbey Foregate The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Shrewsbury (commonly known as Shrewsbury Abbey) is an ancient foundation in Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. The Abbey was founded in 1083 as a Benedictine monastery by the Nor ...

areas of the town.

Gallery

File:English Bridge a.jpg, South side of the English Bridge from the east side of the river in July 2006 before the vegetation was cleared. File:SevernAtShrewsburyCB.jpg, A view from the bridge looking downstream. The Abbey Gardens are on the right. File:The English Bridge Shrewsbury (BM 1942,0214.5).jpg, The earlier John Gwynn bridge, with the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the background, in an 1838 lithograph by Henry Blunt. File:English Bridge, Shrewsbury eastern approach 15 June 2021.jpg, The approach to the bridge from the east at Abbey Foregate towards the Town Centre in June 2021.

References

*Blackwall, Anthony, ''Historic Bridges of Shropshire'', Shropshire Libraries, 1985, *Cragg, R., ''Civil Engineering Heritage - Wales & West Central England'', Thomas Telford Publishing, 2nd edn., 1997,
Listed status
{{coord, 52, 42, 23.6, N, 2, 44, 51.4, W, type:landmark, display=title Bridges in Shrewsbury Bridges completed in 1926 Bridges across the River Severn Grade II* listed buildings in Shropshire Bridges completed in 1774 1926 establishments in England Arch bridges in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed bridges in England

Gallery

See also

References