Culture-loving Germans come to Iron Bridge’s rescue
THE world’s first cast iron bridge could be saved from ruin thanks in part to an £880,000 donation from a German foundation seeking to reinforce “cultural bonds” with Britain after Brexit.
The Iron Bridge, in Shropshire, needs vital repair work after a survey revealed its ironwork was cracking – partly due to a 19th-century earthquake, which pushed the two sides of the gorge it spans closer together.
As work starts to preserve the bridge, English Heritage has revealed a one million euro donation from the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation towards the £3.6million restoration project.
The organisation wants to reinforce our two nations’ “industrial heritage” and “broader cultural bonds”. It said the 238-year-old landmark served as a “potent reminder” of the continent’s common cultural roots and values, adding it seems “more important than ever” in the current climate. It is the first time the foundation, in memory of Hermann F. Reemtsma, an industrialist, has funded a venture in the UK.
A further £25,000 is being sought by English Heritage through a crowdfunding campaign to complete the full restoration. The rest of the money has been raised from other donations.
The Iron Bridge was built in 1779 over the River Severn during the Industrial Revolution, the first in the world to be made of cast iron. It marked a turning point in British engineering and the techniques with which it was constructed were adopted worldwide.
Major scaffolding has gone up around the 100ft-long bridge to allow workers to clean and conserve it, with repairs being carried out to the iron radials and braces that hold the structure together as well as on the main arch.
English Heritage, which is leading the project, called the 378-ton construction near Telford “one of the wonders of the modern world”.
The landmark has been closed to traffic since 1934 when it was classed as an ancient monument, and it was designated a World Heritage Site in 1986.