The Merchant Square Footbridge (also known as The Fan Bridge) is a moveable pedestrian bridge spanning a canal in
Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
, London. It is architecturally and mechanically unique, being composed of five side-by side sections of varying lengths, with offset pivots to accommodate the varying lengths. When opened, the segments are brought to varying angles of elevation. The visual effect when opened has been likened to that of a
Japanese fan
The Japanese war fan, or ''tessen'' ( ja, 鉄扇,てっせん, tessen, translation="iron fan"), is a weaponized Japanese hand fan designed for use in warfare. Several types of war fans were used by the samurai class of feudal Japan and each had ...
.
Not to be confused with the Fan Bridge which crosses Holland Brook (formerly known as the Holland River) between Little Clacton and Great Holland in Essex (UK) (OS Grid Ref: TM 19710 18667 / Latitude 51°49'24"N Longitude 1°11'12"E). This was the lowest crossing-point until the Gunfleet estuary was reclaimed in the 1700s.
See also
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List of bridges in London
List of bridges in London lists the major bridges within Greater London or within the influence of London. Most of these are river crossings, and the best-known are those across the River Thames. Several bridges on other rivers have given thei ...
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Moveable bridges for a list of other moveable bridge types
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The Rolling Bridge
The Rolling Bridge is a type of curling moveable bridge completed in 2004 as part of the Grand Union Canal office and retail development project at Paddington Basin, London.
Design
The Rolling Bridge was conceived by Thomas Heatherwick. It ...
References
External links
Architecture Daily Website
Bascule bridges
Bridges completed in 2014
Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster
Paddington
Pedestrian bridges in London
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