Robert Stephenson lifting bridge moves to GCR Mountsorrel branch
A LIFTING bridge built by Robert Stephen son is to be connected by rail after six decades– following its move to the Great Central Railway’ s Mount sorrel branch terminus.
Leicester City Council, Leicestershire Industrial History Society and the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre have announced a new project to restore the Leicester Lift Bridge, which was previously on display at Snibston Discovery Park at Coalville, until it closed in 2016.
In 1830, George Stephenson won the contract to build the Leicester & Swannington Railway, which was built primarily to carry coal from the west Leicestershire fields. Because he wasworking on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway at the time, George sent his son Robert to handle the project.
One of Robert’s early challenges was to design and build a timber lifting bridge, which would carry the railway over the Grand Union Canal, but still be able to rise to allow the passage of barges. Although small by the standards of Robert’s later engineering marvels, including the tubular Menai Bridge, the bridge is an important example of his early work.
When the railway closed at the West Bridge site in Leicester in the 1960s, the bridge was moved and rebuilt as a part of the Riverside Walk adjacent to Abbey Pumping Station ( now Leicester Museum of Technology). In 1992, it was moved and rebuilt at Snibston.
When Snibston closed, the extensive cast and wrought ironworks of the bridge were placed into storage by Leicester City Museum Services. Unfortunately however, the timber structure could not be saved.
Agreement
After lengthy discussions surrounding the bridge’s future, Leicester City Council has agreed to donate the bridge to the Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre, a community volunteer project started in 2007 with the restoration of the Mountsorrel Railway alongside.
Opened to the public in 2016, the free- to- visit 8.3 acre site contains a railway museum, quarry heritage building, two nature trails, demonstration 2ft gauge railway area, heritage rooms, crazy golf, den building area, garden railway, the heritage centre itself and Granite’s Coffee Shop. It now attracts almost 140,000 visitors a year and in June was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Heritage Centre managing director Steve Cramp said: “The Stephenson Lift Bridge is such an important part of Leicester’s industrial heritage. It was sad to see the loss of Snibston and an uncertain future for the bridge.
“At both Abbey Pumping Station and Snibston, the bridge was on display as an isolated structure. Here at the Heritage Centre the bridge will be rail connected, allowing for demonstrations of coal wagons passing over it again.
“Restoring the bridge is going to be amassive undertaking for our group of community volunteers, particularly as none of the timbers survive. It is no greater challenge than any of the other projects we’ve taken on and completed at the heritage centre.”
The bridge components are due to move to the heritage centre site imminently, where work will start to assess all the items and formulate costings and a detailed plan for restoration and reconstruction. Funding for the project and planning permission will then be sought with the aim of having the bridge completed by 2022.
Partnership
The history society will be working alongside the heritage centre team in providing essential and detailed informationabout the bridge that ithas researched and amassed. Society chairman Chris Hossack said: “It’s wonderful and exciting to be working with the heritage centre team to bring the bridge back to life. Our members have spent a great deal of time researching and lobbying to save the bridge. We can’t wait to see it rebuilt and restored at its new home.”