URBAN EXPRESSION

All Types And Styles Of Urban Expression

Bridge

SHERIFF STREET LIFTING BRIDGE

by

I KEEPING HOPING THAT IT MIGHT BE RESTORED

The one thing that you need to know should you ever visit Dublin is that everything has a history or a background story but the associated problem, that may catch you by surprise, is that everyone will tell you a different story and different versions every time they meet you.

When I first photographed this bridge, many years ago, a self appointed local historian explained to me that the lifting bridge was built by Earl Spencer the paternal grandfather of Diana Spencer. The problem with stories such as this is that the facts may be “alternative” but they are often, to some extent, true so they should be dismissed with further research or investigation. I did, however, have problems with the story for the following reasons.

[1] Spencer Dock was originally known as the Royal Canal Docks
[2] Diana’s Grand Father or his father had no connection with Ireland.
[3] The bridge appears to have an electric motor dating from the 1940s or 1950s

Anyway I decided to check a history of the docklands published by Turtle Bunbury [by the way the book features one of my photographs] and I came across the following: “The new dock was a work of ‘entirely private enterprise’ and cost £58,000. On the beautiful afternoon of 15th April 1873, (Sir) Ralph Cusack, Chairman of the MGWR, opened the new dock and formally named it Spencer after the Lord Lieutenant, Earl Spencer, great-great grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.”

So there was some basis to the local historian’s claim however the bridge associated with the development was at the time described as “an ingenious hydraulic bridge” and it was the work of the railway’s engineer Mr Price. The bridge in my photographs does not really match the description above.

The available information is confusing. The bridge in my photographs appears to be referred to as the Sheriff Street Lifting Bridge but also as the Sheriff Street Spencer Drawbridge but it was built in 1941 as a replacement for an older swivel bridge dating from 1873.

Just before I published my original photographs I came across this “However, on 17 October 1941 the Irish Times reported on the opening of the new Sheriff Street drawbridge, which had cost £18,000; it was a structure unique of its kind in these islands.

Anyway I like the bridge and I keep hoping that it might be restored.

BROOM BRIDGE – THE ACTUAL BRIDGE

by

PHOTOGRAPHED 23 OCTOBER 2022

Broom Bridge also called Broome Bridge, and sometimes Brougham Bridge, is a bridge along Broombridge Road which crosses the Royal Canal in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland. Broome Bridge is named after William Broome, one of the directors of the Royal Canal company who lived nearby.

It is famous for being the location where Sir William Rowan Hamilton first wrote down the fundamental formula for quaternions on 16 October 1843, which is to this day commemorated by a stone plaque on the northwest corner of the underside of the bridge. After being spoiled by the action of vandals and some visitors, the plaque was moved to a different place, higher, under the railing of the bridge.

Given the historical importance of the bridge with respect to mathematics, mathematicians from all over the world have been known to take part in the annual commemorative walk from Dunsink Observatory to the site. Attendees have included Nobel Prize winners Murray Gell-Mann, Steven Weinberg and Frank Wilczek, and mathematicians Sir Andrew Wiles, Sir Roger Penrose and Ingrid Daubechies. The 16 October is sometimes referred to as Broomsday (in reference to Broome Bridge) and as a nod to the literary commemorations on 16 June (Bloomsday in honour of James Joyce).

ST FRANCIS BRIDGE IN KILKENNY

by

WOLFE TONE STREETSEPTEMBER 2022

Despite many protests and legal objections the St Francis Bridge in Kilkenny was opened in 2017 after massive cost overruns. The new bridge provides a direct route for cars and heavy vehicles right through the “Medieval Mile” of the city, splitting St Canice’s Cathedral from the rest of Kilkenny.

THE LAGAN WEIR IN BELFAST

by

AT NIGHT MARCH 2019

Unfortunately, these photographs contain a lot of noise.

The camera lens combination that I used in March 2019 was not really suitable for night photography so I delayed processing the images until now [8 September 2022].

The Lagan Weir, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, crosses the River Lagan between the Queen Elizabeth Bridge and the M3 cross-harbour bridge. Prior to the building of the weir, the river would be subject to tidal fluctuations, and low tide would expose mudflats, which were unsightly and emitted a strong odour, particularly in the summer months. Opened in 1994, the weir was seen by the Laganside Corporation as a catalyst for its redevelopment projects and was judged to be the “centrepiece” of that effort. The weir also incorporates a footbridge.

The five weir gates can each be operated independently. They are usually raised as the tide retreats in order to keep the river at a specific impoundment level. The gate operations are controlled by the River Manager. Without the weir, the river would be subject to tidal fluctuations. The tidal range is typically up to three metres between high and low tide, but the maximum tidal range can be as much as four metres. Prior to the building of the weir, low tide would expose mudflats, which were unsightly and emitted a strong odour, particularly in the summer months. On occasion, at high tide, the weir can operate as a barrage. If the river level is too high this can have such negative effects as causing erosion of the river banks, reduce air draft for vessels needing to pass under any of the river’s road bridges and in extreme cases, increase the risk of flooding to low areas.

A pedestrian footbridge was constructed over the weir and connects Donegall Quay with Queen’s Quay. The original bridge, which was narrow and required spiral access ramps at either end, was located above the weir gates and supported by the weir gatehouse structures. This was removed in 2014 to allow the construction a new structure, which provides access for both cyclists and pedestrians. The new bridge was erected by Graham Construction at a cost of £5m and is approximately 8 meters wide at its widest point.

MY FAVOURITE BRIDGE IN DUBLIN

by

THE HALFPENNY BRIDGE PHOTOGRAPHED 30 AUGUST 2022

As I used a wide-angle zoom lens there is a degree of distortion in the images.

Before the Ha’penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by a William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in a bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and was granted the right to extract a ha’penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years.

Initially the toll charge was based not on the cost of construction, but to match the charges levied by the ferries it replaced. A further condition of construction was that, if the citizens of Dublin found the bridge and toll to be “objectionable” within its first year of operation, it was to be removed at no cost to the city.

The toll was increased for a time to a penny-ha’penny (1½ pence), but was eventually dropped in 1919. While the toll was in operation, there were turnstiles at either end of the bridge.

The manufacture of the bridge was commissioned by the then Lord Mayor of Dublin, John Claudius Beresford with the Coalbrookdale Company of England. Using ore originally mined in County Leitrim’s Sliabh an Iarainn, the bridge’s cast iron ribs were made in 18 sections and then shipped to Dublin. The design and erection was supervised by John Windsor, one of the company’s foremen and a pattern-maker.

In 2001 the number of pedestrians using the bridge on a daily basis was 27,000 and, given these traffic levels, a structural survey indicated that renovation was required. The bridge was closed for repair and renovations during 2001 and was reopened in December 2001, sporting its original white colour.

The structure was rebuilt to retain many of its old components, although, controversially, some features were removed. The repair work was carried out by Harland and Wolff.

In 2012, citing a maintenance and damage risk, Dublin City Council removed a number of love locks from the Ha’penny Bridge and nearby Millennium Bridge, and asked people not to add any more. In 2013 the council removed over 300 kg of locks from the bridge, and signage was added asking people not to put padlocks on the bridge.

%d bloggers like this: