Shared description
Galton Bridge
This formed part of Thomas Telford's improvement of the Birmingham Canal and was built in 1829. The improvement incorporated the 3.6 mile long Smethwick Cutting, at the time one of the largest earthworks to have been carried out. The bridge carried the Smethwick – Sandwell road over the deepest part of the cutting.
The main element of the bridge is a cast iron arch of six ribs, spanning 45.7 metres (150 feet) with a rise of 4.6 metres (15 feet) across the Smethwick Cutting of the new cut of the canal, at a clear height of some 20m above the water. As with many of the other bridges of the project, the ironwork was cast at Horseley Iron Works in Tipton.
The diagonal bracing of the ribs followed the pattern that Telford had used for his bridges over the Severn at Mythe and Holt Fleet. Unlike these two, which still carry modern traffic, Galton Bridge has not been subject to modern strengthening and is essentially original. A weight limit of 2 tons had been imposed prior to 1975, when continued increases in traffic resulted in closure to vehicles, continuing to serve as a pedestrian and cycle link (National Route 5). It was listed Grade II in 1972, and upgraded to Grade I in 1989.
The bridge is named after Samuel Galton, a member of the Lunar Society and a director of the Birmingham Canal Company.
The Listing includes the later arch over the London and North Western Railway's Birmingham to Wolverhampton railway, opened in 1852. This section repeats the parapet design of the original.
The main element of the bridge is a cast iron arch of six ribs, spanning 45.7 metres (150 feet) with a rise of 4.6 metres (15 feet) across the Smethwick Cutting of the new cut of the canal, at a clear height of some 20m above the water. As with many of the other bridges of the project, the ironwork was cast at Horseley Iron Works in Tipton.
The diagonal bracing of the ribs followed the pattern that Telford had used for his bridges over the Severn at Mythe and Holt Fleet. Unlike these two, which still carry modern traffic, Galton Bridge has not been subject to modern strengthening and is essentially original. A weight limit of 2 tons had been imposed prior to 1975, when continued increases in traffic resulted in closure to vehicles, continuing to serve as a pedestrian and cycle link (National Route 5). It was listed Grade II in 1972, and upgraded to Grade I in 1989.
The bridge is named after Samuel Galton, a member of the Lunar Society and a director of the Birmingham Canal Company.
The Listing includes the later arch over the London and North Western Railway's Birmingham to Wolverhampton railway, opened in 1852. This section repeats the parapet design of the original.
Created: Thu, 12 Sep 2019, Updated: Thu, 12 Sep 2019
10 images use this description: (all images taken in 2019)
Shared descriptions
This shared description
The 'Shared Description' text on this page is © copyright 2019 Alan Murray-Rust.
Shared descriptions are specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse them on their own images, without restriction.
About shared descriptions
These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images.
For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.
Explore images
View images using this "Galton Bridge" Shared Description
View images mentioning the words [Galton Bridge] anywhere in text
Links for SP015893
This description is located in SP015893.
Other shared descriptions
Descriptions nearby
Related descriptions
- Smethwick Galton Bridge Station
By N Chadwick. Used on 3 images
- Engine Arm Aqueduct
By Alan Murray-Rust. Used on 7 images
- Langley Maltings
By Oast House Archive. Used on 2 images
The above selections are automatic and approximate, it might not always select closely matching descriptions
