Warrington Bridge is the name given to several historical bridges crossing the
River Mersey
The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...
in the town of
Warrington
Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...
, England. The current structure is the sixth to stand in this location and was constructed 1909–15 by Alfred Thorne & Sons. For centuries Warrington Bridge provided the lowest crossing of the Mersey and thus was of strategic and commercial importance. It is located to the south of the present town centre and linked to it via
Bridge Street.
History
The first recorded reference to Warrington Bridge is in 1285. It was the site of two battles during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
in
1648
1648 has been suggested as possibly the last year in which the overall human population declined, coming towards the end of a broader period of global instability which included the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the Thirty Years' War, t ...
and
1651. The bridge features in Walter Scott's novel Peveril of the Peak (ch 20) set in 1670s where it is described as having been built by Lord Derby.
Warrington New Bridge
A second road bridge was opened to the east in the 1986, in an attempt to alleviate traffic congestion.
See also
*
Warrington Transporter Bridge
The Warrington Transporter Bridge (or Bank Quay Transporter Bridge) is a structural steel transporter bridge across the River Mersey in Warrington, Cheshire, England.
Design
It was designed by William Henry Hunter and built by Sir William Arro ...
Notes
{{coord, 53.3858, -2.5913, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Warrington
Buildings and structures in Warrington
Bridges in Cheshire
Bridges across the River Mersey