Skerton Bridge

2011-11-30T16:10:07Z

I Jethrobot: minor phrasing changes, not sure what is meant by "large" in "large public bridge" claim.

{{Infobox bridge
|image = Skerton Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 957967.jpg
|image_size=300px
|bridge_name = Skerton Bridge
|caption = Skerton Bridge
|official_name =
|locale = [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]], [[Lancashire]], England
|carries = [[A6 road (England)|A6 road]] (southbound lanes)
|crosses = [[River Lune]]
|maint =
|open = 1787
|below =
|traffic =
|design = [[Arch Bridge]]
|toll =
|mainspan =
|length =
|width =
|heritage = [[Listed building|Grade II* listed structure]]
}}

'''Skerton Bridge''' is a road bridge carrying the southbound lanes of the [[A6 road (England)|A6 road]] over the [[River Lune]] in [[Lancaster, Lancashire|Lancaster]], [[Lancashire]], England. The bridge has been designated by [[English Heritage]] as a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref name=nhl>{{NHLE |num= 1212253|desc= Skerton Bridge, Lancaster|accessdate= 29 November 2011}}</ref>

==History==

Towards the end of 18th century the old [[Middle Ages|medieval]] bridge over the River Lune was becoming inadequate for its purpose. A petition was made for an [[Act of Parliament]] to allow for the building of a new bridge at a more convenient site; this was passed in June 1782. A competition was held for the design of the new bridge, which was won by [[Thomas Harrison (architect)|Thomas Harrison]]<ref>{{Harvnb|Champness|2005|p=17.}}</ref>, and was his first major commission.<ref>{{Harvnb|Champness|2005|p=5.}}</ref><ref name=pev>{{Harvnb|Hartwell|Pevsner|2009|p=386.}}</ref> The first stone was laid in June 1783, and the bridge was completed in September 1787; it cost £14,000 (£{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|14000|1787|{{CURRENTYEAR}}|r=-4}}}} as of {{CURRENTYEAR}}).{{Inflation-fn|UK}}<ref>{{Harvnb|Champness|2005|pp=20–21.}}</ref> An additional arch was added to the south end of the bridge in about 1849 to allow for the passage of the [["Little" North Western Railway]] (since closed) beneath it.<ref name=nhl/><ref name=eng>{{Citation | url = http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=474| title = Skerton Bridge| accessdate = 30 November 2011| publisher = Engineering Timelines}}</ref> It continues to be used as a road bridge, and when it was examined in 1995 it was considered to be strong enough to carry vehicles weighing up to 40 tons — ten times the weight of the heaviest vehicles in 1783.<ref>{{Harvnb|Champness|2005|p=19.}}</ref>

==Architecture==

The bridge is constructed in [[sandstone]] [[ashlar]]. It consists of five semi-elliptical arches carried on [[Tuscan order|Tuscan]]-style columns, and has a [[baluster|balustraded]] [[parapet]].<ref name=nhl/> The semi-elliptical arches allow it to have a flat road deck.<ref name=pev/><ref name=eng/><ref name=dnb>{{Citation | last = Rudolf-Hanley| first = Moira | chapter = Harrison, Thomas (''bap''. 1744, ''d''. 1829)| work = [[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]] | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | origyear = | year = 2004| url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/12451| accessdate = 19 November 2011 }} {{ODNBsub}} </ref> Each of the five original arches spans {{convert|64|ft|m|1}}, and the deck between the parapets is {{convert|33|ft|m|1}} wide. There are stormwater channels in the [[spandrel|spandrels]] between the arches and at the [[Abutment#Civil engineering|abutments]].<ref name=eng/>

==Context==

Skerton Bridge was the first large{{vague}} public bridge in England to have a horizontal roadway.<ref name=pev/><ref name=eng/><ref name=dnb/> There had been an earlier bridges elsewhere with this feature, for example [[Coldstream Bridge]] (1763) in Scotland, designed by [[John Smeaton]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Champness|2005|p=21.}}</ref> and a bridge at [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], Paris (1768–74; demolished in 1939) by [[Jean-Rodolphe Perronet]].<ref name=dnb/> Harrison's design influenced [[John Rennie the Elder|John Rennie]] in his designs of [[Kelso#People|Kelso Bridge]] (1803), [[Waterloo Bridge#First bridge|Waterloo Bridge]] (1809–17), and [[London Bridge#"New" (19th-century) London Bridge|London Bridge]] (1824–31).<ref name=pev/>

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
;Bibliography
*{{Citation | last = Champness| first = John| author-link = | publication-date = | date = | year = 2005| title = Thomas Harrison: Georgian Architect of Chester and Lancaster 1744–1829| edition = | volume = | series = | publication-place = | place = | publisher = Centre for North-West Regional Studies, [[University of Lancaster]]| pages = | page = | format = | id = | isbn = 1-86220-169-2| doi = | oclc = }}
*{{Citation | last =Hartwell| first =Clare| authorlink = | last2 = Pevsner | first2 = Nikolaus | author2-link =Nikolaus Pevsner| series= The Buildings of England| title =Lancashire: North |edition= | publisher =[[Yale University Press]] | year =2009 | origyear=1969 | location = New Haven and London| page = | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0-300-12667-9}}

[[Category:Arch bridges]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed bridges]]
[[Category:Bridges in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Lancaster]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1787]]
[[Category:Stone bridges]]
[[Category:Thomas Harrison buildings]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Skerton Bridge